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Sound Bites

From an article about low-cost start-up airline Skybus, “A pair of flying leaps,” in the Washington Post, May 4, 2007--
Although Skybus said it selected destinations that have little nonstop service from Columbus, it will be battling two established low-cost rivals – Southwest and JetBlue – that serve more destinations with connections. “I wonder if they can sustain and maintain a cost structure that enables them to compete and make money, particularly if they get Southwest’s attention,” said Dan Petree, dean of the college of business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, [Daytona Beach campus] “It is an extraordinarily difficult and challenging business.”

From another article about Skybus airlines, “Bare-bones flying,” St. Petersburg Times, May 21, 2007 ----Skybus will be the best test of whether Americans will embrace the stripped-down product pioneered by Ryanair, says Dan Petree, business college dean at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “The business model assumes air travel is a commodity and people will repond well to a very, very low price and a very low level of service,” he says. “Nobody knows the answer.”

From an article about reasons airline give for canceling flights, “Urban legend? Airlines cancel empty flights to save money,” USA Today in the Sky, May 16, 2007 --
Alan Bender, a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University [Worldwide campus in Portland, Ore.] thinks “data should be collected on flight cancellations because there are still places where competition is lacking, where passengers have few choices – small cities, for example. Where competition is lacking, an airline might be somewhat more prone to cancel flights because the repercussions would be less significant than where competition is rampant.”

From an article about the fall 2006 mid-air collision in Brazil, "Documents offer new perspective on Brazil collision,” Newsday, May 19, 2007 --
Bill Waldock, professor of safety science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., said the pilots’ behavior was proper for a crew picking up a new aircraft. Working with the flight-management system and entertainment system “would be a normal pilot response at 37,000 feet where you’re not constantly scanning for traffic” and expect controllers to be keeping track of other aircraft.

Re the pilot who flew into restricted air space over Kennedy Space Center, “Pilot errs in flight over NASA,” Daytona Beach News-Journal, May 23, 2007 --
Frank Ayers, chairman of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s flight department [in Daytona Beach], said it’s “very rare” to have a flight over restricted airspace over Kennedy Space Center and Walt Disney World. Flying near the space center involves a fairly simple rule for the student pilots, he said. Fly west of Interstate 95. Going east of the interstate, especially over the Intracoastal Waterway, is a no-no, Ayers said.

“FAA expands system for summer flights,” CNBC.com, May 23, 2007 --
Sid McGuirk, associate professor of air traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, credited the FAA for its pragmatic approach to maintaining high safety standard, while addressing the complaints of airlines and corporate jets who felt many flights were being grounded unnecessarily. “In years past, they’ve erred on the side of caution, and the users have been screaming,” McGuirk said. “This is a cautious move towards allowing the users to access the system in a way that doesn’t overload the system and doesn’t create a dangerous situation.”

“Flying above the traffic but below expectations,” New York Times, May 29, 2007--
The success of any scheduled service is based partly on whether there are enough flights, so carriers are forced to invest in aircraft upfront and hope for the demand. “It’s a classic aviation problem: You add seats when times are good and then the market goes down,” said Dawna Rhoades, who teaches international aviation management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “That’s often what kills start-up airlines.”

“Trans-Atlantic push,” Hackensack (N.J.) Sunday Record, June 3, 2007 --
" The trend for growth today is in international rather than domestic markets, and the battle will be London to New York and London to other cities,” said Alan Bender, an airline economist at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Bender cited globalization and newer agreements such as the recent “Open Skies” accord behind the jump in business travel. The Open Skies agreement loosens some of the restrictions that countries have on foreign carriers next year.

“Unions seek gains with airlines healthier,” New York Times, June 3, 2007--
Daniel Petree, dean of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s business school, and other experts agree some gains by labor are possible. But they say the overall economic pressure on airlines, including shifts in demand that have weakened revenue, are enormous. “The cost structure that is emerging in recovery is different than what was in place before. It makes the prospects for substantial recoveries under traditional collective bargaining arrangements more difficult,” Petree said.

Qatar Airways, Virgin America map plans to land in Houston,” Houston Business Journal, June 7, 2007--
The time is right for Qatar Airways and Virgin America to operate their own flights to Houston, says Alan Bender, professor of aeronautics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “Virgin has become one of the world’s most respected airlines, and Qatar’s economic links with Houston are obvious,” he says. “Also, Qatar Airways wants to rapidly grow to become a future international airline leader, so it is vital for them to be in places like New York, Washington and Houston.”

“As airlines prosper again, labor tensions rise,” MSNBC.com, Aug. 1, 2007 --
" It’s a competitive market for talent, so you have to pay people to retain and attract good talent,” says Daniel Petree, dean of the College of Business at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “But on the other hand, you hope the ones you attract are sympathetic to the company needs and can overcome the apparent differential treatments that are perceived.”

“At last, 4 local airports freed from no-fly zone,” Baltimore Sun, Aug. 30, 2007
"Examining the zone is a good idea," said Richard Bloom, an anti-terrorism professor and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Ariz., campus. He said the government needs to adapt to changing threats and vulnerabilities. But it also needs to use its resources efficiently and consider economic impact on others. “You don’t want to waste limited resources going after folks who are not a threat,” he said. “If the zone is easier to comply with, good-guy aviators have one less thing to worry about. But then you also can put your efforts toward what might be a legitimate threat.”

“FAA to move eyes on sky,” Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, Sept. 16, 2007
“The FAA has found that consolidating functions saves them money. With the war going on, there’s just not enough money to go around,” said Marvin Smith, coordinator of the master of science in aeronautics program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla. “If you can combine en route and air traffic control, you’ve enabled a cut in personnel, which is a big money-saver.”

“SFO ready for a very jumbo jet,” San Francisco Business Times, Oct. 1, 2007 --
“It’s an event [a double-decker Airbus A380 landing at San Francisco International Airport] that changes how airports operate,” said Seth Young, an associate business professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. “It’s like in a port, where you see lots of little boats and then the big cruise ship comes in.”

From an article about Scandinavian Airlines accidents, “European airline cancels flights after crash landing,” New York Times, Oct. 29, 2007 --
Fred Mirgle, chairman of the aviation maintenance science program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, disputed Transport Canada’s suggestion that landing-gear failure happened with some frequency. “If you took all the landing-gear incidents and put them in one pot,” he said, “you would find that landing-gear failure is not common.” Mr. Mirgle said that while aviation incident reports showed a relatively large number of episodes related to landing gear, they generally involved problems like tire failures that typically did not cause forced landings or damage to aircraft.