Thesis on "Southwest Airlines When Southwest Airlines Reportedly Flew"

Thesis 10 pages (2779 words) Sources: 7 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Southwest Airlines

When Southwest Airlines reportedly flew dozens of airplanes for as long as 30 months past their required inspection dates, this infraction led to FAA changing the way it supervises inspectors. Now, "field-office managers no longer have discretion to accept reports from airlines about safety problems they corrected themselves. Instead, the managers must personally take steps to ensure repairs are made, then sign the paperwork before filing it with the FAA" ("FAA Admits Controllers Wrongfully," 2008, p. A01). P. R Haunschild and B.N. Sullivan (2002) purport in "Learning from Complexity: Effects of Prior Accidents and Incidents on Airlines' Learning," when problems/arise, airlines try to understand what went wrong, and then learn from the experience to avoid and/or reduce subsequent errors/accidents. The NTSB (2001) Code of Federal Regulations (49CFR830.2, p. 1195) reports:

an accident means an occurrence... In which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft received substantial damage." An incident is "an occurrence other than an accident, which affects or could affect the safety of operations." Accidents and incidents are the error experiences from which airlines have the potential to learn.

A number of researchers propose that organizations look further than their own analysis of causes or accident/errors for a prescriptive resolution to accident prevention

Consequently, when a heterogeneous accident occurs, an airline may be forced to dig deep; to perceive and search for more than the proximate causes, such as the pilot, or the maintenance person. They may need to even examine latent conditions such as the company's organizational culture.

Responsibilities under Federal Regulations G. Cook examines components of the FAA in "Uncle Sam's Not-So-Friendly Skies: The FAA Has a Good Safety Record, but it Could Do Much Better" (1996). The FAA's job involves more than passing safety regulations, Cook explains. "It must also enforce them. It is this area -- making sure that the rules passed in Washington actually work in the field -- that government agencies and the press are most likely to overlook" (Cook, ¶ 1). In regard to the fact that for airline to be able to continue to fly, ongoing "Continued airworthiness assessments of powerplant and auxiliary power unit installations of transport category airplanes,"(2003) notes the following:

This advisory circular (AC) describes the Continued Airworthiness Assessment Methodologies (CAAM). The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Engine and Propeller Directorate (EPD) and the Transport Airplane Directorate (TAD) may use CAAM to identify unsafe conditions and determine when an "unsafe condition is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design" before prescribing corrective action in accordance with Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 39. CAAM is used for products associated with the Powerplant or Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Installations on Transport Category Airplanes.

Continued airworthiness requires that safety concerns within the existing fleet be addressed, and the knowledge gained applied for the benefit of future fleets as well. This AC also provides CAAM guidance for estimating the risks associated with identified unsafe conditions; defining, prioritizing, and selecting suitable corrective actions for all identified unsafe conditions; and verifying that the corrective actions were effective. This AC is intended to present a tangible means of logically assessing and responding to the safety risks posed by unsafe conditions.... ("Continued airworthiness assessments..., 2003).

Typical Major Air Carrier Typical? Claims Southwest Airlines makes could both affirm and challenge the meaning of the word typical. By design, the Southwest culture determined to operate in an atypical manner; to do things differently. In its venture to stand out from the business as usual businesses, Southwest reportedly became an efficient, effective business mode. Some "experts" today claim that the only organizations likely to prosper do not hire typical, ordinary individuals, but people with extraordinary talent. These particular people, the experts warn, come with extraordinary salary requirements. Southwest Airlines, based in Dallas, Texas, however, reportedly the largest carrier of domestic passengers in the United States (U.S.) does implement traditional, time proven business values with its not so typical practices. Southwest currently serves 64 cities in 32 states. It employs more than 34,000 individuals, who in the system, along with Southwest, operate more than 3,400 flights a day (Gibson & Blackwell, 1999, p. 120). Southwest drastically differed its operations from the way other major airlines functioned from its start. These major differences, which constitute strengths for the airline included:

utilizing only one type of aircraft;

operating from secondary airports, minimizing the turn around time on the ground, concentrating on short flights, eliminating meals, and providing low-cost, frequent flights to the cities it serves. (Gibson & Blackwell, 1999, p. 120)

The magazine Fast Company describes the contemporary marketplace as a "free agent nation." In this new culture, workers reportedly focus on pursuing their own careers, and attribute loyalty only or primarily to themselves. Southwest Airlines, albeit, despite a myriad of cynicism, purports it possesses the ability to obtain extraordinary performance from ordinary people. Amidst the Internet age, high technology, speeding systems, and revolutionary changes, Southwest Airlines asserts that it subscribes to Clear values and tight alignment www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001173229" (O'Reilly Iii & Pfeffer, 2000) Some claim that managing an airline now has not changed much during the past 30 years. In addition, critics claim that the changes that have transpired, such as utilizing "yield management software to help maximize revenues per flight or the ability to make reservations over the Web) have occurred comparatively slowly, giving management plenty of time to adjust" (Reilly Iii & Pfeffer, 2000, p. 38). To some, Southwest's competitive success through implementing clear values and tight alignment, along with practicing ensuring consistency between its strategy and its people practices, some critics claim, proves interesting. For today's fast-paced, however, in the world of high technology, the question arises: How does a major airline succeed, while also complying with FFA regulations, maintaining a safe airline for passengers?

In "Survivors: Training to the Rescue," C. Taylor (2003) stresses that for a business to succeed, it has to emotionally engages its employees. Employers need to show employees a real-life scenarios and involve them in/with the company. Trainers have begun to implement this practice, while buyers have begun to insist on it. "That kind of mutual engagement describes Southwest perfectly, where the trainers are the 'keepers of the culture,'" according to Carter Andrews, a partner with Little Planet Learning in Nashville, Tennessee

Taylor, 2003, ¶ 1). When challenges have countered the airline business, Southwest has been able to marshal the team spirit to counter and get through them.

General Aviation Organization

In "Applying Strategic Management to Economic Development: Benefits and Challenges, Kuotsai Tom Liou (2000), explains that a minimum of five broad, yet closely interrelated components constitute a common strategic management model or process. These may include, but not be limited to the following:

Environmental scanning - identifying important cultural, demographic, economic, and political factors and their implications for the organization;

Determining the mission and goals - identifying issues and opportunities for new services or approaches based on the environmental scanning;

Analyzing internal and external strengths, weaknesses, and resource limits (i.e., the SWOT analysis) of the organization;

Developing action plans and establishing priorities; and Developing an implementation strategy and monitoring the implementation. (Liou, 2000, p. 1621)

SWOT

Figure 1: SWOT Analysis (adapted from SWOT Analysis, 2007).

Southwest Airlines Strategic Management

Strengths

Low fares

Low cost model values employees commercial and residential clients

Sharp Focus on Goals

Strong Safety Record

Weaknesses:

Limited Destinations

No in-flight meals

Failure in past to adhere to FAA guidelines

Opportunities

Increase destinations

Offer customer perks

Adhere to FAA guidelines

Threats:

Competitors Copy Components of Southwest's System

New and Increased Rivalry

Accidents from not adhering to FAA Guidelines

Aircraft Maintenance Expenses increase

Auxiliary Power Units on SW Airlines on July 22, 2008, Honeywell announced that for the next 10 years, it will provide maintenance services for Honeywell avionics and mechanical products to Southwest's entire fleet of Boeing 737s ("Honeywell Signs Extension...,"2008). Honeywell reports that its maintenance program for avionics and mechanical equipment has saved Southwest money and time over the past years.

Under the extended agreement signed on July 22, 2008, Honeywell confirmed its agreement to "provide aftermarket repair and overhaul services for Honeywell equipment on Southwest's entire fleet." (Ibid>). This contract includes work on up to 520 aircraft, and will include future aircraft deliveries. Maintenance/repairs will include Honeywell's hydro mechanical units (HMU), avionics, lighting, mechanical components, as well as wheels and brakes, and - its Auxiliary Power Units (APU).

APU Definition in Air Quality and Comfort in Airliner Cabins, Niren Laxmich and Nagda defines an auxiliary power unit (APU). An APU constitutes: "an engine used to provide aircraft air and electrical power when not provided by the main engines" (Nagda, 2000, p. 261). The following relates information regarding categories of APUs:

Category 1 and Category 2 APU

The criticality of an APU relative to flight safety in any particular aircraft installation will determine if the APU system should be considered essential, or non-essential. Airplanes that rely on APUs for provision of back-up… READ MORE

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