Assessing the impact of the shortage of aviation maintenance technicians on air transportation

Global aviation activity is poised for a decade of sustained growth. While economic difficulties are a fact of life in the aviation transportation industry, the future demand for aviation transportation services is promising. One factor that may greatly dampen this projected growth may be the lack of qualified aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) necessary to keep the air transport fleet flying. This investigation examines the future of global aviation activity while presenting factors impacting the corresponding lack of growth in the AMT population that threaten the future of air transportation

Regional Jet Aircraft Competitiveness: Challenges and Opportunities

The regional jet aircraft is a unique market niche. Particularly suitable for providing capacity in the 30 to 90 seat range, these jets are often used to connect smaller airports to network carrier hubs, as well as to fill in during slow periods. The market is currently dominated by two manufacturers: Brazil\u27s Embraer and Canada\u27s Bombardier. Due to the nature of the global aircraft industry, Embraer and Bombardier are largely dependent on the international sale of their aircraft for steady revenue streams. Orders and deliveries of aircraft with fewer than 100 seats have grown rapidly over the past ten years. The study provides an overview of the aviation industry, particularly in the regional jet (RJ) sector, and examines country-specific factors affecting the number CRJ and ERJ deliveries. Results of stepwise regression indicate that a two-year lag of GDP, a two-year lag price of crude oil, a two-year lag of prior aircraft deliveries, and the country-specific land areas account for almost 40% of the variance in the aircraft deliveries. However, there are many additional factors which have an effect on RJs orders and deliveries

Satisfaction with Airline Service Quality: Familiarity Breeds Contempt

The objective of this study is to investigate frequency-of-flight issues and the differences between frequent and non-frequent flyers’ levels of satisfaction and the importance attributed to overall airline service quality and select attributes. The results indicate that the level of satisfaction with overall airline quality and select attributes decrease the more passengers fly. Conversely, the level of importance attributed to airline amenities increased with flight frequency. Perceptions of airline quality may vary between different nationalities and different socioeconomic groups. Differences between the short- and long-haul flights, as well as domestic and international services could also exist. Airline managers need to foster loyalty by improving passengers’ airline experience. This could be achieved by differentiating airline services to the segmented groups of passengers. However, a number of airlines suffer from a business culture where fuel and labor costs are more important than customer satisfaction