Air Transport Management and Operations - Dissertation Example

? . Air Transport Management and Operations A dissertation submitted to For the degree of By Candi s FACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATIONCopyright Abstract The air transport system has become an essential part of human existence in the present day and age, with the global aviation industry presenting a virtually continuous growth since the Second World War. However, along with the growth have come increased complexities and managerial challenges as competition, terrorist threats, epidemics and financial slowdowns as well as rising fuel costs have continued to present a strong impact on the aviation sector. Thus, strategic and operational management in the air transport sector now presents complex challenges. Airline industry profitability leans towards the elusive, and a need exists for rapid restructuring to retain the competitive advantage. Operational management of air transport operations now confronts new challenges because competition, increased fuel prices, security threats, recessionary and inflationary pressures, requirements for integrating well in the global transport system and employee union expectations present substantial pressures to deliver service excellence economically without compromising on safety or security. This dissertation presents a discussion about air transport management and operations in the new age. Declaration I certify that, except where cited in the text, this work is the result of research carried out by the author of this study. _____________________________________________ Name and Signature of Author January 2011 This write - up is for a dissertation on Air Transport Management and Operations. Biographical Sketch Acknowledgements Contents Chapter 1 – Introduction 1 Chapter 2 – Main Findings 2 2.1 Principles of Management 2 2.2 Human Resource Management 7 2.3 Safety and Security 12 Chapter 3 – Conclusions 17 Appendix A – Facts & Figures 18 Bibliography/ References 30 List of Figures Figure 1: Growth of Airline Passenger Traffic by World Region 18 Figure 2: Growth of Air Cargo Volume by World Region 19 Figure 3: Fatal accident rate (per million hours) for jets and turboprops 20 Figure 4: Worldwide reportable accidents involving large transport aircraft 20 Figure 5: Worldwide reportable accidents by phase of flight 21 Figure 6: Worldwide reportable accidents by occurrence category 21 Figure 7: Worldwide fatal accidents by occurrence category 22 Figure 8: Worldwide fatal accidents by operator region 22 Figure 9: Worldwide jet and turboprop fatal accident rate by type of service 23 Figure 10: Primary causal factor categories for accidents 24 Figure 11: Impact of relational coordination on airline performance 25 Figure 12: Percentage of employees represented by unions at major US airlines 26 Figure 13: Labour conflict at the major US airlines: number of strikes and arbitrations, mediations and releases since 1985 27 Figure 14: Average months required to reach contract agreement at major airlines 28 (This page intentionally left blank) Chapter 1 – Introduction In the present day and age, the most complex transportation systems and the most complex manufactured systems in the world support commercial aviation (Barnhart, 2007, Pp. 1 – 2). The world’s airlines and air cargo movers are the largest players in national and global air transportation systems, with the aerospace industry providing the planes and aerospace systems that make things happen (Wensveen, 2007, Chapters 1 and 4). Although the military aviation sector presents substantial statistics, general aviation is by far the largest segment of aviation based on the number of aircraft, the number of pilots and the number of airports and communities served (Wensveen, 2007, Pp. 111 – 112). According to Wensveen (2007, Pp. 112), in the year 2007 general aviation presented an industry worth US$ 40 billion, which generated more than US$100 billion in annually. This discussion focuses on the management aspects of air transport operations, with an emphasis on general management, human resource management and safety and security. Chapter 2 – Main Findings A discussion about the main findings that emerged from literature for management of air transport operations is below. 2.1 Principles of Management Today, both passengers and cargo demand transportation between a multitude of origins and destinations that span the globe (Barnhart, 2007, Pp. 1 – 2). However, the demand is for safe, secure and timely transport between airports that are the fixed “nodes” of the air transport system. Thus, although a requirement exists for paying attention to the capacity, capabilities and sophistication of aircraft and other sophisticated technical systems for the air transport system, management of air transport operations demands a focus on efficient and safe use of aircraft to satisfy clients of the air transport system. Aerospace firms provide the technology assets for the air transport system, but air transport management, and operations focus on safe and optimal use of these technology assets. Because crews of pilots, flight attendants and support staff operate the aircraft and provide service to passengers, human resource aspects of general aviation management present strong influences (Harvey, 2007, Pp. 1 – 5). Aviation now confronts a multitude of risks, including terrorist threats, threats arising from congested skies, threats to safe and reliable operations of complex airplanes and technology systems (Stolzer, 2008, Pp. 1 – 20). Thus, it is not possible to neglect safety and security of operations in aviation. After all, passengers and cargo dispatchers pay for safe travel to destinations with a negligible risk and any mishaps resulting in deaths of passengers or destruction to cargo will result in financial damage to aviation operators and a loss of confidence that is generally debilitating. Hence, safety and security are of primary importance in air transport management and operations (Sweet, 2009, Pp. 1 – 10). A general trend leaning towards deregulation of airlines and general aviation operations around the world has meant that aviation operators are now free to select their networks and the fares charged for their services (Bazargan, 2010, Pp. 1 – 10). In the United States of America, which is the largest single country aviation market, the United States Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 paved the way for a global trend for airline deregulation. Thus, aviation operators, including airlines and air cargo operators, must now select routes judiciously, ensure that they operate selected routes to synchronise best with onward departures and services and charge competitively for their services. Aviation and airline scheduling and time efficient operation at the most economical and competitive costs are now present a stronger impact than ever before. Flight scheduling, fleet assignment to a mix of uses, aircraft routing, crew scheduling, work force planning and efficient use of available seating, aircraft capacity and fuel will now make or break an aviation operator because the market is competitive and optimal earnings at optimal costs are an operational necessity (Bazargan, 2010, Pp. 3 – 4). Thus, efficient and productive management of air transport operations demands that aviation operators pay attention to safety and security, human resource management, productive scheduling and the efficient and economic operation of available fleet assets to satisfy passengers and clients. According to Bazargan (2010, Chapter 8), revenue or yield management remains a part of the daily operational routine for an airline or aviation operator. Seat inventory control, which determines if it is appropriate to sell a seat at a requested rate or whether it is better to sell the seat to a more profitable customer, is often built into automated systems handling reservations for an airline. Fluctuations in fuel prices mean that airlines must use hedging strategies to try to maintain a relatively constant and predictable cost for fuel required for operations (Bazargan, 2010, Chapter 9). It is important to understand that an unexpected surge in fuel prices can present an enormous burden on airlines and aviation operators around the world, which may even lead to bankruptcies. In addition, airline and general aviation operations present a requirement for dealing with the unexpected and the irregular because aircraft mechanical failures, severe weather, crew sickness, airport curfews present daily and unexpected challenges, which require handling in a manner that will satisfy clients without presenting an undue burden on the aviation operator (Bazargan, 2010, Chapter 10). In addition, aircraft ground handling and customer relations require judicious policies and decision-making. Thus, air transport management and operations require optimal spends to keep clients satisfied while generating the right revenues in the face of competition and uncertainty. Wensveen (2007, Pp. 208 – 210) suggests that in the current aviation environment which presents competition, volatility and uncertainty, it is desirable that operational management, which oversees the day-to-day operations of an aviation operator, remains separate from top management, which has a more strategic focus. The top management is more inclined towards an analysis of revenues, deciding about what routes are likely to present profits, what aircraft and technology acquisitions are likely to benefit and how best to arrange financing for expected returns to provide that which will maintain a competitive operation for selected market positioning. Clearly, if an aviation operation wants to present a certain image to attract customers, such as the luxury airline image, then the capital requirements for this image will be different from that which is required for a no-frills airline business. However, operation managers work to implement a strategy established by top managers on a daily basis, while providing feedback to top management on how a selected strategy is working. Thus, operating management, which may include a Director of Operations, Director of Safety, Director of Maintenance and Engineering, a Chief Pilot and a Chief Inspector for an aviation operator, will manage day-to-day operations based on existing developments and forecasts for the future. Forecasting is essential for an air transport operator or an aviation operator because every day managers at all levels of the air transport industry must make decisions based on what is likely to happen in the future (Wensveen, 2007, Pp. 244 – 250). Thus, collection of relevant data and its analysis, including data related to tactics presented by competitors and performance data, load-factors for various routes and income and cost projections makes sense for air transport operators. Projections for the future and actual performance will decide about operating strategy, control actions for the short-term, planning, fare policy, fleet and workforce requirements and marketing strategy, etc. Often real time inputs need rapid processing using information technology to present inputs for decision makers and this means that information technology assets are of vital significance for air transport. Crew Resource Management (CRM) factors influence air transport management because overworked crew and crew without the right training can cause unwanted accidents (Kanki, 2010, Pp. 1 – 10). Thus, air transport management and operations should present a due regard for crew training, health, crew performance inputs and mission performance. 2.2 Human Resource Management Human resource management is decisive for the air transport industry because management of people has an impact on their attitudes, their work and their organisations (Harvey, 2007, Pp. 1 – 5). Well-satisfied people who think that they are getting a fair deal from their employers generally work more diligently, but collective expressions of discontent can cost dearly. Poorly trained people operating highly complex machines, including modern aircraft, increase the risk of accidents and pilots exposed to cockpit noise, vibrations during flight, irregular work schedules, day-to-day stresses from exposure to new challenges arising out of the necessity for undertaking new missions and lengthy flights are prone to become fatigued (Caldwell, 1997, Pp. 932). Long flying hours and inadequate sleep with a requirement for concurrent task execution results in degradation in aviator performance due to a build-up of dangerous levels of fatigue and this means that air crew, especially pilots, must have an adequate rest between flight missions. Pilots are highly skilled and expensive to train and this means that retention of pilots and other skilled employees is often a consideration of significance for many air transport operators. Within the aviation environment, group processes, communications and performance are decisive issues because teamwork decides about the success of complex and interlinked operations consisting of many tasks (Kanki, 2010, Pp. 8 – 14). Thus, the human resource policies within an air transport organisation should be able to present employees to present positive team interactions and an organisational culture that encourages team coordination. According to Kanki (2010, Pp. 13 – 14), the level of training and formal evaluation given to the crew maintains their professional capabilities and decides about how well they are able to cope with the demands of constantly changing uncertainties in their jobs. Manuals, formal procedures and resources that are available to the crew in an air transport organisation play a guiding role in deciding about the influence organisational culture has on employee productivity and loyalty. Crew scheduling practices, flight planning and crew support as well as dispatching have an impact on performance. Crew scheduling practices that result in continuous re-composition of groups and frequent formation of new teams have significant operational implications because it takes time to make new groups to perform (Kanki, 2010, Pp. 13 – 14). For aircrew involved with commercial aviation, the effects of constant flying on short- haul and long-haul flights gradually accumulate (Bor, 2006, Pp. 267 – 271). Loss of sleep due to irregular working hours and inconsistent times for waking up from sleep gradually accumulate. Thus, a need exists to compensate periodically for the accumulated fatigue in aircrew by permitting them rest. Long-haul flights add even more fatigue and stress to aircrew because such flights disrupt their biological rhythms. Fatigue symptoms in pilots include increased reaction time, fixation, channelized thought processes that result in the pilot restricting attention to one activity at a time, sloppy flying and depression (Reinhart, 2008, Pp. 227 - 230). In addition, fatigue results in short-term memory loss, impaired judgment and decision-making, distraction and poor attitude. Clearly, a fatigued pilot is a danger for passengers, the aircraft and the mission (Rayman, 2005, Pp. 995 – 996). The Human Resource (HR) function in an organisation focuses on how best to manage employees and motivate them for bringing about optimal benefits for the organisation and its workers (Bratton, 2007, Pp. 4 – 10). Thus, organisational policies focused on employees should try to minimise the tensions and contradictions inherent in employment relationships to encourage workers to become more productive, innovative, creative and nurturing of the organisation for which they work. Even so, at the same time, it is proper to ensure that human and psychological limitations imposed on employees are recognised and employees should be encouraged to grow, create a future and feel happy and contented working for their organisations. Thus, the HR function in an organisation must formulate strategy and assist with the implementation of strategy into action by converting HR strategy into HR programmes while performing routine HR tasks (Armstrong, 2009, Pp. 25 - 65) and (Eigenhuis, 2007, Pp. 115 – 121). Belobaba (2009, Chapter 10) suggests that a vast majority of airlines and air transport operators around the world have employee unions, and this means that a requirement exists for collective bargaining. However, although the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has developed regulations that cover almost every aspect of aviation operations, including human resource function, collective bargaining often places air transport operators in a difficult situation. In an era of competition and high fuel costs, union demands for high wages, benefits and superior working conditions often put an economic squeeze on the management. Collective bargaining with unions result in labour contracts that set many of the basic employment terms, including wages, hours, working conditions and disciplinary procedures. Collective bargaining can result in accommodation, cooperation or avoidance in the relationship between unions and management. However, it is best to try to maintain a cooperative stance by trying to present reality and impressing on the unions a need for cooperation to beat the competition and maintain competitiveness for an air transport organisation. If agreement is not possible, either the management or the unions can apply to have an approved mediator decide on a dispute. Taking on a partnership approach to dealing with unions and offering incentives, including employee shareholding in airlines, has worked well with some airlines, including Southwest Airline in the United States of America (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 285 - 286). In fact, because German firms are obliged to treat unions as ‘social partners’, Lufthansa, the German airline has enjoyed excellent relations with its employees, and this presents a competitive edge (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 291 - 292). According to Belobaba (2009, Pp. 297 – 307), a commitment-based approach to human resource management is likely to work better than a control-based approach in the present day and age. In addition, human resource strategies that focus on superior management of conditions of employment to influence work-related behaviour in employees are less dependent on national context and more influenced by friendly relations between management and employee unions. For air transport operations, an ability to coordinate effectively the work of a diverse group of employees, including pilots, flight attendants, mechanics, baggage handlers, caterers, ticket agents and operations agents, etc. is critical. Thus, a relational approach is fitting, and it is essential that employees exhibit “soft skills” related to customer orientation and teamwork. Thus, hiring decisions should focus on the previously mentioned attributes. Supervisory coaching and feedback, flexible boundaries between jobs, collaboration, performance measurement with feedback and providing encouragement to learn from irregular occurrences or conflicts play an vital role in building the right culture Belobaba (2009, Pp. 307 – 308) states that for an air transport operator, a lot now depends on improving labour and employee relations to effectively confront joint challenges. 2.3 Safety and Security Stolzer (2008, Pp. 20 – 28) suggests that it is essential for all air transport operators or airlines to implement dynamic risk management systems based on quality management system principles to manage a variety of risks that confront air transport operations. Although threats from terrorism are now more significant than they ever were before, these are by no means the only risks that confront aviation and air transport operations. If the quality of aircraft maintenance declines, risks for accidents increase and poorly trained or overworked pilots increase the chances of aircraft accidents or delays. Thus, in air transport operations, a need exists for maintaining various risks that exist at acceptable levels, with an understanding that the risks inherent in air transport can be expensive. According to Belobaba (2009, Pp. 313), safety is the foundation of the air transport business because if compromises on safety standards were to result in a higher probability of crashes, it is likely that the air transport business will confront a serious decline. After the 9/11 terrorist attack involving passenger planes, the passenger air traffic in the United States of America had plunged by about 25% in the last quarter of the year 2001 (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 313). A distinction exists between air transport safety and security in air transport because air transport safety refers to management of a variety of risks that may result in death, injury or damage to goods due to transportation by air (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 314 – 325). Air safety risks include risks arising out of poor maintenance of aircraft, risks due to collisions or vagaries of the weather, risks arising out of improper airport runway maintenance or risks associated with air traffic control, etc. However, air transport security refers to airline hijackings, attempted bombings of aircraft or air terminals and other acts involving humans acting to wreck destruction to lives and property (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 325 – 335). Aviation related terrorism has a long history and many incidents of aircraft hijackings, bombings and attempted bombings as well as the shooting of Korean Airlines flight 007 served to illustrate threats to air transport. In the year 2006, a terrorism scares at London’s Heathrow airport caused a cancellation of 75% of the flights at this airport and this illustrates the potential impact of terrorism on air transport operations (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 340 – 341). The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) came into existence in the year 1947 as a specialised agency of the United Nations to give effect to principles agreed to by the community of nations to encourage safe and orderly growth of civil aviation (Stolzer, 2008, Pp. 208 – 210). This agency plays a coordinating role in developing standards and recommended practices for aviation based on best operational experiences emerging from member states to give effect to principles that are enshrined in the Chicago Convention of 1947, or the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Enhancing aviation safety is a principle that the ICAO must give effect to and to do this, the ICAO has mandated that its member states develop and achieve an acceptable level of safety in aviation operations (Stolzer, 2008, Pp. 209 – 210). The ICAO has long recognised a need for harmonising various safety management systems for aviation, including those related to aircraft operations, air traffic services, airports, etc. On November 23, 2006, the ICAO published its Safety Management Manual, which presents harmonised standards for enhancing safety in aviation. Thus, global standards now exist for operating and maintaining aircrafts and for operational aspects of aviation that are required to be followed by all nations from around the world. For the United Kingdom, the CAA is the national specialist aviation regulator, which is responsible for air safety, economic regulation of air transport, airspace regulation for aviation in the country, consumer protection and environmental research and consultancy for aviation (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2011, “About the CAA”). Thus, the CAA is the United Kingdom equivalent of the FAA in the United States of America (Stolzer, 2008, Pp. 209). In the United Kingdom, the CAA ensures that national standards for aviation safety and security are set and implemented at all airports. Obviously, the UK national standards for aviation must meet or exceed recommendations of the ICAO. CAA safety oversight consists of comparing safety performance for various operators under its jurisdiction with safety objectives to decide about safety actions for implementation prior to a re-evaluation of safety to decide about any further improvements (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2009, Pp. 1 – 4). Thus, the CAA presents a continuous monitoring and oversight for aviation safety in the United Kingdom for all its airports, air transport operators and for others with an involvement in aviation operations. Whereas a safety management system is essential for all air transport operators for management of risks that are more directly associated with flying, including risks associated with proper maintenance, operational standards, etc., risks presented by aviation safety are more of fabricated risks presented by men with intent to harm for their personal or ideological motives (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 325 – 340). Thus, in the United Kingdom, a different government department, the Department for Transport, has oversight of security at airports and air transport operators (Department for Transport, UK, 2011, “Transport Security – Aviation”). The Department for Transport in the United Kingdom that provides guidance for airport security, air-cargo security, approved equipment for security use and prohibited articles not permitted in aircraft cabins, etc. Typical security activities at airports consist of screening for bombs, screening for prohibited articles, positive passenger bag-matching procedures that ensure that no baggage items travel without an identified passenger and ensuring that airports take countermeasures against attempts to down aircraft using shoulder fired surface to air missiles, etc. (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 325 – 341). Thus, it makes sense for managers at airports follow security guidelines issued by the CAA and do their utmost to help maintain the highest standards of safety and security in the interest of aviation itself. Chapter 3 – Conclusions The discussion presented in this dissertation clearly demonstrates that managers involved with air transport should try to focus on efficiently coordinating operations involving various functions effectively and economically, while trying their utmost not to compromise on safety or security. However, a focus on economical operations should not mean that the services offered falls below expected standards decided by an operator for a price. Safety and security remain the paramount concern for aviation operators because a lack of safety and security compromises aviation itself. Human resources are of value to air transport operators because employees can make or break an air transport operation in an era of intense competition in the aviation sector and in the face of uncertainties. Selection of employees based on the right attributes is now most desirable together with the right training, professional development and recognition of human limitations that impinge on capacity to perform. Employees must work cooperatively in a culture that encourages satisfaction, achievement and teamwork with friendly interaction and air transport managers must work with employee unions to ensure that everyone emerges a winner, even when the business climate is very tough on everyone, including the clients. Appendix A – Facts &Figures Figure 1: Growth of Airline Passenger Traffic by World Region, from (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 3) Figure 2: Growth of Air Cargo Volume by World Region, from (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 4) Figure 3: Fatal accident rate (per million hours) for jets and turboprops, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 6) Figure 4: Worldwide reportable accidents involving large transport aircraft, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 6) Figure 5: Worldwide reportable accidents by phase of flight, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 2) Figure 6: Worldwide reportable accidents by occurrence category, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 3) Figure 7: Worldwide fatal accidents by occurrence category, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 3) Figure 8: Worldwide fatal accidents by operator region, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 6) Figure 9: Worldwide jet and turboprop fatal accident rate by type of service, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 10) Figure 10: Primary causal factor categories for accidents, from (Civil Aviation Authority, UK, 2008, Chapter 2, Pp. 6) Figure 11: Impact of relational coordination on airline performance, from (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 301) Figure 12: Percentage of employees represented by unions at major US airlines, from (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 278) Figure 13: Labour conflict at the major US airlines: number of strikes and arbitrations, mediations and releases since 1985, from (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 286) Figure 14: Average months required to reach contract agreement at major airlines, 1985–2002 from (Belobaba, 2009, Pp. 286) (This page intentionally left blank) Bibliography/ References Armstrong Michael 2008, Strategic Human Resource Management: A Guide to Action, Fourth Edition, Kogan Page Bagshaw, M 2002 Human performance and limitations in aviation, Third Edition, Blackwell Science Barnhart, C. & Laporte, G (Editors) 2007, Handbook in Operations Research & Management Systems, Vol. 14 – Transportation, Elsevier Bazargan, Massoud 2010, Airline operations and scheduling, Second Edition, Ashgate Belobaba, Peter. Odoni, Amedeo and Barnhart, Cynthia (Editors) 2009, The Global Airlines Industry, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd Bor, Robert and Hubbard, Tod 2006, Aviation Mental Health: Psychological Implications for Air Transportation, Ashgate Bratton, John and Gold, Jeffrey 2007, Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice, Fourth Edition, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers Caldwell, J. A. & Caldwell, J.M (2005, ‘Fatigue in Military Aviation: An Overview of U.S. Military-Approved Pharmacological Countermeasures’, Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine, 76(7):39-51, 2005. Retrieved: January 20, 2011, from: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/asem/2005/00000076/A00107s1/art00010 Civil Aviation Authority, UK 2009, CAP 786 – Safety Plan 2009/11, Civil Aviation Authority, UK, retrieved: January 20, 2011, from: http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP786.pdf Civil Aviation Authority, UK 2011, Civil Aviation Authority UK Website, Civil Aviation Authority, UK, retrieved: January 20, 2011, from: http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=286 Department for Transport, UK 2011, Department for Transport Website: Transport Security - Aviation, Department for Transport, UK, retrieved: January 21, 2011, from: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/security/ Dismukes, K. & Barshi, I 2009, The multitasking myth: handling complexity in real-world operations, Ashgate Doganis, Rigas 2001, The Airline Business in the Twenty-first Century, Routledge Eaton, Jack 2001, Globalization and human resource management in the airline industry, Second Edition, Ashgate Eigenhuis, Ap and Van Dijk, Rob 2008, HR Strategy for the High Performance Business: Inspiring Success through Effective Human Resource Management, Kogan Page Flouris, Triant G. & Oswald, Sharon L 2006, Designing and executing strategy in aviation management, Ashgate Graham, Anne 2008, Managing Airports, Third Edition, Elsevier, Butterworth-Heinemann Halford, C.D. & Goglia, J.J 2008, Safety management systems in aviation, Ashgate Harvey, Geraint 2007, Management in the Airline Industry, Routledge Kanki, Barbara G. Helmreich, Robert L. & Anca, Jose M 2010, Crew Resource Management, Second Edition, Academic Press Kazda, Antonin and Caves, Robert E 2000, Airport Design and Operations, Pergamon Leon, P.M 2007, International Civil Aviation Organization: an introduction, Kluwer Law International Loukopoulos, Loukia D. Dismukes, Key R. & Barshi, Immanuel 2009, The Multitasking Myth Handling Complexity in Real-World Operations, Ashgate Martinussen, Monica and Hunter, D.R 2009, Aviation psychology and human factors, CRC Rayman, Russell B 2005, ‘Aerospace Medicine: Challenges and Opportunities’, Aviation, Space and Environmental Medicine, Vol. 66, No. 10, Pp. 992 – 996. Retrieved: January 20, 2011 from: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/asma/asem/2005/00000076/00000010/art00015;jsessionid=3hdp5980gjqsc.alice Reinhart, Richard O 2008, Basic Flight Physiology, Third Edition, McGraw Hill Shaw, Stephen 2007, Airline Marketing and Management, Sixth Edition, Ashgate Stolzer, Alan J. Halford, Carl D. &Goglia, John J 2008, Safety Management Systems in Aviation, Ashgate Sweet, Kathleen M 2002, Terrorism and airport security, Edwin Mellen Press Sweet, Kathleen M 2009. Aviation and airport security: terrorism and safety concerns, Second Edition, CRC Press Tacker, T. & Fleming, K 2008, Introduction to air transport economics: from theory to applications, Ashgate Taylor, J 2004, Applied human factors in aviation maintenance, Ashgate Thomas, Andrew R (Editor) 2008, Aviation Security Management, Praeger Security International Wensveen, John G 2007, Air Transportation: A Management Perspective, Sixth Edition, Ashgate Wu, Cheng-Lung 2010, Airline Operations and Delay Management, Ashgate Read More