methodiquill

CASMA Event Sold-Out

2006-10-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

The CASMA 2006 Annual International Conference in Shanghai, China has been closed to registration and the hotel is completely sold out. CASMA reports this will be their biggest event ever. We suspect that the recent changes in GDS pricing models have put GDS projects on the front burner at most airlines. The 200 registrants will be sharing more than drinks this year.

In the Wake of New GDS contracts

2006-10-07T08:53:00.000-07:00

Grabbing opportunities in the wake of new carrier GDS contracts in North America

Interview with Rajiv Aggarwal, director - business development, Farelogix

Has 2006 emerged as a defining year for those associated with the airlines industry? Rajiv Aggarwal, director - business development, Farelogix certainly feels so.

With the expiration of carrier GDS contracts, most North American carriers took the opportunity to introduce wholesale changes in the way they manage their distribution. And Farelogix has been at the forefront of this evolution, says Aggarwal.

British Businessman Flies with 2-Year Old Daughter's Passport

2006-09-28T19:41:00.000-07:00

No, you can't bring water on the plane but a grown man can successfully fly to Amsterdam with the passport of a 2-year old girl. A British businessman mistakenly took his daughter's passport with him on a recent trip to the Netherlands and managed to get through 2 passport checks at London's Luton airport and board the plane. In fact, he brought up the error to passport control in Amsterdam. The airline he flew, EasyJet, will likely face a fine.

Etihad Airways Revenue Management

2006-09-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

"Etihad understands how important it is to keep up-to-date with industry trends and ticketing activity, which is why we believe that this new system will prove to be an invaluable tool," said Ali Saleh Al Bloushi, head of revenue management at Etihad Airways.

"After an extensive review we have identified Airlogica's Zeus as the best available product to manage the challenging area of our distribution costs across the GDSs. Furthermore, Zeus will allow us to gain a deeper understanding of all travel agent bookings, which we are confident will lead to a decrease in GDS costs and, in turn, will enable us to continue offering our Guests a superior service."

At its core, Etihad Airways continues to seek new ways in which to expand its services and provide innovative benefits for its Guests.

Eric Speck to Retire from Sabre

2006-09-14T08:25:00.000-07:00

Sabre Holdings have announced the retirement of Eric Speck, their chief marketing office. Speck is a relatively young guy, so it is amazing to read that he spent 26 years with Sabre. The GDS industry just hasn't been around very long. It will be interesting to learn where Speck will settle for Act 2 of his career.

Hacked Airline Seats

2006-09-11T14:39:00.000-07:00

Computer hacking is a serious crime. The fact that many young people think that its ‘way cool’, doesn’t make it any less criminal. Hacking is just a modern-day take on vandalism or shoplifting, that is taking or defacing something that doesn’t belong to you. A recent posting of how to hack a Southwest Airlines Boarding pass is nothing more than advocating taking a seat that doesn’t belong to you. Airline consultant Nick Bredimus also writes about how hackers have been arrested. Stealing an airline seat is not far removed from downloading hacked music files.

A Former Sabre Geek

2006-09-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

Have you seen “A Former Sabre Geek” - Gary Potter's weblog with 'stuff' that sometimes matters? I’m not sure from the title whether Potter used to be a geek or used to be with Sabre. In any case, he has some interesting links and some posts that are on the topics we all love best, Airlines and GDSs. I can’t tell yet from my reading whether he holds any grudges against his former employer, but many of their alums do.

Malev is Moving Up

2006-08-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Malev Hungarian Airlines has been in the news lately with aggressive plans. This week they introduced electronic ticketing enhancements. Two weeks ago they were quoted on the selection of Airlogica as their partner in controlling distribution costs. And, speaking of partners, Malev has been invited to be a member of the oneworld global airline alliance. Big stuff in Budapest.

Sabre - deja vu all over again

2006-08-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

Travel Weekly is reporting that Sabre is offering to pay travel agents for booking A/A. Am I the only one that is reminded of the days when CRS companies were lining up to make fat payments to travel agencies? It didn't make sense way back then and it makes even less sense now. If it was a good business tactic, then Google would pay consumers to enter search requests. The advertisers get the benefit (in this case, the airlines) so they should be paying for the channel.

Airlogica Director Ralph Romberg

2006-08-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

Ralph Romberg is a member of the Mayor's Office of Community Development in San Francisco. Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed him in 2004. He also sits on the board of directors for FBLG of Montreal and Airlogica of Dallas. Mr. Romberg served in the US Army during the Korean War. He is a speaker for the Holocaust Center of Northern California. Romberg is a senior retail executive having been a vice-president at I. Magnin and Neiman-Marcus in Dallas.

Datalex Reports a Rise in Profits

2006-08-27T10:13:00.000-07:00

Datalex profits increased during the six-month period, while e-business revenue declined. The company says the decline was expected as they shift away from license fees and towards transaction revenue. A spokesman said the revenue will rise in the future as customers cutover later this year with the transaction model. The TPF consulting remains strong with an upturn in the market.

Flash and Zeus by Airlogica

2006-08-26T08:22:00.000-07:00

Airlogica is a very popular supplier to the airline industry. Recent changes to GDS pricing are causing even more airlines to analyze their distribution expense, and Airlogica’s Zeus product comes to the rescue. As previously reported, passenger screening has become mandatory and the Flash software by Airlogica accomplishes this with tireless robotic precision.

Court Says No to Amadeus

2006-08-25T08:49:00.000-07:00

Amadeus had asked for injunctive relief to stop American Airlines from imposing the $3.50 fee starting September 1st. But, a US Federal Judge in New York denied the request. Meanwhile, Amadeus has promised to reimburse agents for the fees paid to American. That solution is temporary since the GDS hopes to win in other courts or otherwise work out a compromise.

Camel’s Nose Under the Tent

2006-08-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

The New York Times is reporting that the US Government wants access to more airline passenger data to support their hunt for terrorists. More erosion of civil liberties is an expected result of this action. Law enforcement authorities plan to dig deep into the PNRs for payment information, complete itineraries, hotel and car bookings, etc. This goes well beyond the current data demands called APIS and would give complete access to all PNRs over a long time period.

Peter Pont Leaves KLM

2006-08-23T07:50:00.000-07:00

Peter Pont, a highly regarded airline veteran, has resigned from KLM where he worked for almost 20 years. He leaves after achieving the position of Controller Distribution and with high marks in the management of distribution cost reduction and revenue integrity. Pont has joined Airlogica in the capacity of General Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa. The software supplier is pleased to offer the skills of such a talented airline executive to its current and future customers.

U.S. Homeland Security

2006-08-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

The airline industry has a solution for a U.S. Homeland Security mandate. It is a software robot that constantly scans flights and passenger data looking for critical or missing information. Missing passport or passenger fields are quickly remedied with automatic messaging plus follow up action. KLM has agreed to use Airlogica's Flash software for this very important TSA requirement.

Virgin America Denies Shadow of Foreign Influence

2006-08-21T09:43:00.000-07:00

ATW is reporting today that Virgin America is rebutting allegations of a "shadow of foreign influence". We reported here yesterday on the strong credentials of Fred Reid, CEO of Virgin America. But, will he be strong enough to fight these objections while also securing more funds for the delay? Richard Branson is known for being early in his investments, but the trick is in not being too early.

Virgin America is Already Causing Turbulence

2006-08-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

Virgin America has yet to launch its operations but it is already giving heartburn to some competitors. Perhaps it because of the track record of Richard Branson, or more likely, the talent of Fred Reid. Reid is one of the most experienced airline executives in the world, having held the top job at Delta Airlines and Lufthansa. Earlier in his career, he worked with the best at American Airlines and Pan Am. Earlier still, he was raised on the smell of jet fuel as an airline brat. His father worked for TWA and the family enjoyed some international postings.

The Practical Nomad

2006-08-19T14:10:00.000-07:00

If you have not yet seen the blog of Edward Hasbrouck, The Practical Nomad, now would be a good time. Two recent posts relate directly to topics I posted here earlier. First, the dispute between American Airlines and Sabre regarding PNR data. Second, the new government requirement for passenger data as I mentioned yesterday in announcing British Airways' new system.

BA First Airline to Implement Airlogica's Passenger Verification

2006-08-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

British Airways is calling the implementation "seamless, efficient, and timely. And, as always we are very happy with the high value and low cost of Flash." Flash is the name of the robotic software used to verify passport and related data as now required by the US Government. Wendy Kent from BA said “We have a large number of flights to US gateways, and trying to implement a mainframe or manual solution was not feasible. We knew that Airlogica would offer the the most appropriate answer."

Expedia Hits a Downdraft

2006-08-17T15:28:00.000-07:00

The Motley Fool at MSN Money is reporting that Expedia's earnings could take a hit from the latest actions by GDS companies to squeeze travel agent incentives. Worldspan is a big contributor of incentives to Expedia - in excess of $170 million annually. And, we all know that Worldspan has trouble of their own. Nonetheless, Expedia is still the big daddy of online agents with over 40% market share.

Consultants in the News

2006-08-16T15:27:00.000-07:00

Two consultants that have been mentioned recently in this blog are quoted again in the news. Experts are once again upbeat about the airline industry, even after factoring in the new security concerns post London terror plot. "As a practical matter, this is not going to have a major impact on traffic or the attitudes of the traveling public," agreed Jon Ash, president of InterVISTAS-ga2 Consulting Inc., an aviation consulting company in Washington. "I think this will be just a very short blip," said airline consultant Darryl Jenkins.

Workshop for Asia- Pacific Airlines

2006-08-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

Airlogica conducted an Advanced BIDT Analysis and Strategies Workshop for attendees from Asian and Pacific airlines as well as a few from EMEA. Qantas Airways hosted the class which was held the week of August 7 in Sydney. On the final day, a Qantas Executive delivered a thought-provoking presentation on how Qantas uses the Airlogica software to reduce distribution costs. This was a very informative session that prompted lively discussion and questions. Each of the attendees left with a USB drive containing the latest version of Zeus as well as copies of all the material, filters etc. built during the class. More importantly, they all left with an enhanced knowledge of BIDT Analysis plus a new set of global colleagues. Congratulations to the graduates who will return to their airlines with a new sense of purpose.

Airlogica is committed to providing training and consulting services to enable our customers to maximize the benefit of our products. Future classes are planned during 2007.

JetBlue On Again, With GDSs That Is

2006-08-14T08:08:00.000-07:00

JetBlue has signed deals with Galileo and Sabre to allow direct distribution of all seats and fares. This is a decided departure (pun intended) from their earlier anti-GDS stance. One must wonder how this will effect GDS alternatives like G2 SwitchWorks. This old Business Week article is a good primer on where things stood before this important announcement.

US Airways Signs Deal With Expedia

2006-08-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite headline blogs, m-travel, has two related reports on the new US Airways - both regarding distribution. It seems that the marketing blokes are shoring up five year deals with Sabre, Travelocity and Expedia. It is interesting to juxtapose this with the open battle between American Airlines and Sabre. Only time (or all-knowing consultants) will reveal the winning strategy.

Another Take on Sabre and American Airlines Dispute

2006-08-12T09:13:00.000-07:00

Travel Weekly reports that accusations by American Airlines of Sabre offering to sell competitor's passenger data just might be a clever ploy during contract negotiations. Earlier this year there was a Jupiter Research report about a clever ploy by Sabre involving American Airlines getting picky about contract renewal. If this gets any more clever (is there such a word as cleverer?), the Government might step in (horror of horrors).

Bumping is Back

2006-08-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

Bumping is back so that must mean overbooking is also. Those with a memory longer than a fruit fly's will recall that airlines creating bumping when they began to intentionally oversell flights with a science called yield management (now called revenue management). Passengers in the States are getting bumped more frequently than at any time in the last six years says USAToday. Southwest Airlines bumped nearly 32,000 passengers in the quarter, more than any other airline. You could blame the computers or the distribution, says Nick Bredimus, an airline consultant. But, Southwest is also unique and carries more passengers than most.

Malev in with oneworld Global Alliance and Airlogica

2006-08-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

The Hungarian Airline Malev is joining the oneworld alliance for global travel. Most of the oneworld members use software from Airlogica, and Malev will be no exception. After a review of competing solutions, Malev announced that the Zeus product from Airlogica was "developed based on the experience and input of airlines experts around the world”. Malev joins a growing list of airlines that are carefully analyzing their distribution data.

Delta to Outsource IT work to IBM

2006-08-09T07:16:00.000-07:00

Delta Air Lines has asked a US bankruptcy court to approve outsourcing some computer-related work to IBM in a move that could cut 200 jobs. Delta has its own computer infrastructure used for reservations, record-keeping and communications, through its unit Delta Technology. Delta also outsourced 1000 call-center jobs to India in 2003. And, they have handed off operation of human-resources functions to Affiliated Computer Services. Now, if they could only outsource the flying...

Mission: Move the Cost of Distribution

2006-08-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

Timothy J O'Neil-Dunne, travel industry consultant and managing partner - T2Impact Ltd, was quoted today in Travel Distribution News. He says, in part, "... a new conflict is emerging; the Suppliers globally are on a mission to move the cost of the distribution system to the intermediaries and users. So far they seem to be quite successful...". O'Neil-Dunne has in the past called the GDSs "endangered" and ASTA has attacked the opt-in contracts. So, the mission must be to the sole benefit of the suppliers (airlines in particular).

Travel Agents Play Waiting Game

2006-08-07T05:26:00.000-07:00

Travel Weekly has published a complete account of the GDS deadlines for opting-in to full content contracts. There is some speculation that the deadlines will need to be postponed while agencies check with their corporate accounts and lawyers. Many agents must wish they could turn back the clock to the days when the GDSs were fighting for their favors and offering huge incentives. What a difference a few years have made in airline distribution.

Bad Vibes from ASTA

2006-08-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

It is ASTA’s opinion that American Airlines's announcement regarding full content GDS deals threatens to throw the industry into chaos. A/A will levy a $3.50 per segment fee on all travel agency bookings made through what it calls “high cost” booking channels. This means bookings made by ALL Sabre and Amadeus subscribers. Of course, other airlines quickly matched with announced deals of their own. Is that what ASTA means by chaos?

Galileo Allows Credits to Airlines

2006-08-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

Galileo is giving credit for cancelled passive segments. So now you have a GDS cost reason for reviewing all passive tickets issued by Galileo agents, in addition to auditing the validity of the tickets being issued. You can then post these rejects to the BIDT as well and verify you are receiving proper credit for the cancelled passives or take appropriate action. If you are not processing Passive Segment Notifications for Galileo and other GDSs maybe it's time that you did.

GDS (disambiguation) Global Distribution System

2006-07-31T03:54:00.000-07:00

It is somehow comforting to know that a wikipedia description of the classic GDS companies also lists the challengers like ITA Software (even if it is a paid product placement). ITA Software has designed QRS – a system to bypass GDS by directly connecting travel agents with airlines. QRS claims to reduce distribution costs for airlines while delivering an improved technology to the agencies of the world. Glad to see that bypass is alive and well, what with the recent long-term GDS contract news.

Best Practices for Travel Agents - GDS

2006-07-30T04:01:00.000-07:00

Airlogica Corporation is dedicated to serving the international airline industry with a focus on cost savings in global distribution and improved revenue management. They are offering advice to travel agencies on the proper use of airlines reservation systems.
Airlogica cautions, do not create PNR’s which contain:
- Fictitious passenger names.
- Booking classes that do not match the fare quoted.
- Mixed booking classes for protections.
- etc.
Airlogica's Flash software will examine every qualified PNR multiple times prior to departure and, if it discovers that certain critical data regarding the passenger is either missing or is incorrect, a warning notification will be sent to the travel agent requesting additional or corrected data.

Unisys Offers Scorecards for Airline Hot Topics

2006-07-29T04:32:00.000-07:00

The Unisys R2A Scorecard gives readers the latest assessment of the airline industry in a concise format. Their consultants are former airline executives themselves. So, they have first-hand knowledge of your needs. Unisys aspires to be your single point of contact from vision to implementation. Consultant, Ron Kuhlmann, takes a look at the evolving US aviation market in a recent posting.

QPX by ITA Software

2006-07-28T04:21:00.000-07:00

QPX by ITA Software is the world’s leading airfare pricing and shopping system. It is another way to reduce airline distribution costs. ITA Software has recently announced a next-gen reservation system in conjunction with Air Canada. Has ITA "de-emphasized" the distribution side of reservations technology in favor of the airline internal reservations side?

Scott Hamilton

2006-07-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

Scott Hamilton is an airline consultant and founder of Leeham Co. LLC, an Issaquah, Wash., Aviation consulting firm. He founded the firm in 1999 after many years of similar work in advising the aviation industry. Scott often offers bold predictions about airlines and commercial aviation. His comments are carried in metropolitan and International news.

Hamilton was recently quoted on the topic of fare wars in the Hawaii market.

Timothy O'Neil-Dunne

2006-07-27T04:16:00.000-07:00

Timothy O'Neil-Dunne, Principal Consultant, Managing Partner ( T2 Impact Ltd):
Timothy is a native of the UK now based in the USA where he consults on the topic of airline distribution. He has over 25 years of experience, notably with Worldspan, Microsoft and Expedia. Timothy is often asked to address the audiences of travel conferences on the future of on-line distribution.

A friend to the concept of direct distribution by airlines, he has called the people sitting in the major GDS companies' headquarters "an endangered species."

Airone, Italian domestic airline, moves to Airlogica

2006-07-27T04:09:00.000-07:00

Air One has announced their decision to acquire software and support services from Airlogica. Controlling distribution expense is their primary driver. They join a long and impressive list of major airlines that are customers of Airlogica's products.
These automated business solutions, like Flash and Zeus, have never been more popular or necessary.

Cathay Pacific signs contract with Unisys

2006-07-26T04:21:00.000-07:00

Unisys said that the contract is for three years, with an option to extend for another two. Unisys will move Cathay's reservations, departure control, and cargo platforms to the Unisys data center in Rhodes, just west of Sydney.

The contract encompasses Unisys hosting of the airline's passenger reservations, departure control and cargo management systems. Unisys has been providing these services as a sub-contractor for nine years and the new contract includes new services.

Vela McClam-Mitchell

2006-07-26T04:14:00.000-07:00

Vela McClam-Mitchell is Co-Founder and President/CEO of Market Designs LLC in Atlanta, Georgia, where she consults for airlines. Vela’s marketing career includes a role as Director of Industry Sales Programs at Northwest Airlines. Prior to forming Market Designs, Vela was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Worldspan’s Worldwide Travel Supplier Solutions Group, including marketing and sales to airlines.

She has an MBA from Pepperdine University, an MS from Howard University, and a BS from Claflin University. Vela is a co-producer of Res-Expo.

ITA Software to take on traditional GDSs

2006-07-25T04:09:00.000-07:00

ITA Software will charge airlines 40 cents per segment booked through its new "alternative" GDS, chief executive officer Jeremy Wertheimer said.

That's about 10% of what the traditional GDSs charge.

Stanley L. Pace

2006-07-25T03:59:00.000-07:00

Stan Pace, of Bain & Company's Dallas office, is an airline consultant and partner in this prestigious firm. For over the 20 years, he has advised senior managers in many industries including airlines. He is currently the firm leader of the airline and corporate transformation practice areas.

Stan obtained an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. from Brigham Young University. Mr. Pace is perhaps best remembered for briefly leaving Bain & Co to become CEO of ATA where he achieved remarkable success in just one year.

Italian Domestic Airline, Air One, Joins Airlogica

2006-07-24T11:38:00.000-07:00

Air One is recently added to Airlogica Corporation’s rapidly expanding list of Flash users. Air One is the latest airline to implement Flash for an advanced flight firming application.

Aaron S. Taylor

2006-07-24T03:50:00.000-07:00

Aaron Taylor is a consultant specializing in strategic business planning for airlines, airports and other aviation clients. Taylor is a founding member and Vice President of Eclat Consulting. He directs statistical analyses for several widely-read industry publications: Aviation Daily, Airports, World Aviation Directory and Aviation & Aerospace Almanac. Taylor has previously worked with Avitas and GKMG.

He recently praised the Internet for the transformation of the airline industry.

Julius Maldutis, Ph. D.

2006-07-23T04:03:00.000-07:00

Julius Maldutis is a veteran airline consultant, and currently, president and chief airline analyst at Aviation Dynamics, Inc. Dr. Maldutis is an economist with a distinguished career in aviation and surface transportation. He has degrees in economics from Brooklyn College (B. A. ), Columbia University (M. A. ) and Columbia University (Ph. D).

Beginning as a Corporate Economist with Trans World Airlines in 1963 and Director of Domestic Passenger Planning, Dr. Maldutis also served as a consultant with Booz, Allen and Hamilton; the U. S. Department of Transportation; and Salomon Bros. as an airline and aerospace financial analyst.

Chicke Fitzgerald

2006-07-22T06:00:00.000-07:00

Chicke Fitzgerald is the founder and CEO of Solutionz Group International Inc. She is a respected author, speaker and consultant on the topic of airline distribution.

Prior to her consulting career, Chicke held senior management positions with SITA and two major GDS firms: Worldspan and Sabre. Ms. Fitzgerald serves on the advisory boards of TravelCom and Farelogix.

She recently headlined as a speaker/organizer of the Travel Distribution Summit.

Bill McKnight

2006-07-21T07:26:00.000-07:00

Bill McKnight is one of the country's leading transportation management consultants and currently serves as a Vice President with SH&E. Based in Washington, D.C., he heads up SH&E’s government practice. Previously he worked for ATA as Executive Vice President of Marketing and Sales, and for Alaska Airlines as Vice President – Marketing.

Prior to his airline career, Mr. McKnight also had experience as a successful management consultant at Booz-Allen-Hamilton, where he was a Principal in the firm’s Transportation Practice, and at A.T. Kearney, where he was a Vice President and Head of the Transportation Practice.

John Ash

2006-07-20T03:51:00.000-07:00

John Ash is President, of InterVISTAS-ga2, a firm that advises airlines, airports, governments, and other clients. He also serves as an expert for clients in legal and judicial proceedings. Before he began consulting, he was with TWA for 18 years serving in various positions including Staff V.P. for Financial Planning and Analysis, and Corporate V.P., Government and International Affairs. Mr. Ash is a graduate of Michigan State University with both BA and MBA degrees.

He recently raised some eyebrows when he questioned the retention of the US Airways name after the merger with America West.

Bruce E. Hicks

2006-07-19T03:53:00.000-07:00

Bruce Hicks is an expert in airline public relations, working as a consultant with American Airlines in the aftermath of the September 11th tragedy and the A300 crash in New York in November 2001 .
Prior to joining The Alliant Group, Hicks headed Darcy Communications of Houston. He has also assisted in the public relations efforts of Continental Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. Hicks recently served as a consultant to Delta Airlines assisting them during their negotiations with the pilot’s union.

Ron F. Kuhlmann

2006-07-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

Ron Kuhlmann is an airline industry consultant with Unisys R2A Transportation Management Consultants in Oakland, California where he serves as vice president. Ron was previously a consultant with Roberts, Roach and Associates of San Francisco. He is often on the podium at international aviation conferences.
Kuhlmann spent much of his early life in Boston and has two sons, now in their twenties.
He was recently quoted in the LA Times on the subject of low-cost regional carriers.

Mo Garfinkle

2006-07-17T03:45:00.000-07:00

Mo Garfinkle is a Washington, D.C.-based airline consultant with the firm GCW Consulting where he is Chairman and CEO. He has over 30 years of experience in the airline industry, first as a lawyer, then an airline owner and for most of the time – a well known consultant. GCW has special expertise in China and the Asian markets.

Mo graduated from University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance and Commerce and earned a law degree at Georgetown University Law Center. He has recently been advising airlines in the Hawaii market.

Doug Abbey

2006-07-16T03:55:00.000-07:00

Doug Abbey is a partner with the Velocity Group in Washington, D.C. where he specializes in regional airlines. He has more than 30 years of experience in this sector of the airline industry. AvStat was Mr. Abbey's prior company and it was merged with two other consultancies to form The Velocity Group in 2004. Previously he had been a consultant with SH&E and also worked for aircraft manufacturer, Fokker.
Abbey has also worked for the US Department of Transportation and his statistics are recognized by the FAA. He is widely quoted in the press worldwide on a variety of aviation-related topics.

John J. Keady

2006-07-15T04:00:00.000-07:00

Jack Keady founded Keady Transportation Consulting in 1993 after leaving his job as Manager of Marketing Development for American Airlines. Keady is a consultant specializing in marketing and transportation for airlines and airports. He holds an MBA from Harvard and a degree in Economics from Northeastern. Jack also served as former marketing vice president for Tahoe Air.

Jack Keady lives and works in Playa del Rey, California where he was recently heard to comment on the declining quality of airline meals.

Darryl Jenkins

2006-07-14T04:16:00.000-07:00

Darryl Jenkins, is an airline industry consultant based in Marshall, VA ,who also is a visiting professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He has testified before congress on the state of competition in the airline industry. Jenkins has been quoted in the media on hundreds of occasions regarding air travel. His insight has been recognized throughout the industry.

He’s the former director of the Aviation Institute at George Washington University.

Bruce Nobles

2006-07-13T03:52:00.000-07:00

Bruce Nobles, a Dallas-based airline consultant, made an attempt to buy out Aloha Airlines when they were on the ropes. He was previously President of competing Hawaiian Airlines. Nobles recently and briefly served as President of his fifth airline, Air Jamaica.
Bruce’s permanent home is Dallas, where he and his wife have a six year-old daughter, and his wife is also involved the airline industry with American Airlines. He also has two grown children and several grandchildren. He is active in The Wings Club of New York.

David Swierenga

2006-07-12T03:46:00.000-07:00

An airplane only generates revenue when it is in the air. Spoken like a true economist, which is exactly what David Swierenga is. Swierenga was the chief economist at the Air Transport Association in Washington, DC and now runs his own aviation consulting firm, AerEcon in Vienna, Virginia.
He advocates the use of smarter boarding by airlines to reduce the turnaround time of the aircraft, and thereby increase utilization.

Michael C. Planey

2006-07-11T03:45:00.000-07:00

Michael Planey is the former manager of in-flight entertainment at US Airways who is now an airline industry consultant. He previously worked for American Airlines where he studied the wants and needs of their first-class passengers. Planey (what a great name for an airplane consultant), advises airline executives on the topic of in-flight services.
He comments, that except for laboratory rats, airline passengers are the most studied subjects.

Stuart A. Klaskin

2006-07-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

Stuart Klaskin is recognized nationally as a commentator on aviation issues. With nearly 20 years of industry experience, he speaks with authority on topics ranging from aircraft to airline management. Prior to forming his own consulting firm, he worked for Tropic Aviation and Avmark Services, Ltd.
Stuart is a licensed commercial pilot with jet rating. His company, KKC Aviation Consulting, is based in Coral Gables, Florida.

Michael Roach

2006-07-09T03:56:00.000-07:00

Michael Roach is a principal consultant with San Francisco based Roach & Sbarra where he specializes in economic analysis for airlines and others interested in the industry. He was the co-founder and President of America West Airlines and has also been a senior executive with Continental Airlines. Roach recently advised the government of Mexico on the subject of airline competition.
Mr. Roach is a sought-after advisor and commentator on the subject of low-cost carriers (LCC). He holds a law degree from Harvard University.

Michael J. Boyd

2006-07-08T04:54:00.000-07:00

Mike Boyd is President of The Boyd Group, an aviation consulting firm he co-founded in 1984. Boyd had been an airline executive and, as a consultant, has completed hundreds of projects for airlines, airports and suppliers. Airports, especially, have hired Mike for his expertise in air service development.

He has often been interviewed and quoted in the media on the topic of transportation. His firm is based in Denver, Colorado.

Jerrold A. Glass

2006-07-07T03:54:00.000-07:00

Jerry Glass is a consultant with Ford & Harrison, the preeminent labor and employment law firm. Mr. Glass is a highly recognized HR executive stemming from his work in restructuring US Airways. He has negotiated over 70 labor agreements in the airline, transportation and manufacturing industries.
Ford & Harrison has now tapped Glass to head up a new subsidiary, F&H Solutions Group. Glass, his wife, and two children, reside in Northern Virginia.

Richard Eastman

2006-07-06T03:57:00.000-07:00

Richard Eastman is a travel-industry technology expert with his own firm, The Eastman Group (TEG). This Travel Technologist is a prolific writer who freely expresses his often unique perspectives. Richard is a frequent public speaker and columnist who doesn’t shy away from controversy.
We can count on Richard Eastman to spot new trends and to point out flaws in travel distribution. And, he is likely to be quoted publicly.

Jared Harckham

2006-07-05T03:50:00.000-07:00

Jared Harckham is a consultant with SH&E having spent over 20 years as an airline executive with TWA and Aeromexico. Mr. Harckham is a proven authority on airline scheduling and emerging markets. He recently completed a review of the US Airways restructuring plan.

Harckham has particular expertise in the subject of airline global alliances, being instrumental in the formation of SkyTeam. He is fluent in both English and Spanish.

Michael Miller

2006-07-04T03:59:00.000-07:00

Michael Miller is the former Editor in Chief of Aviation Daily. He is now a partner in a Washington, DC, airline consulting organization, The Velocity Group.
Appearing on CNN over 100 times, he is recognized as a leading authority on the aviation industry. Mr. Miller has recently been quoted on the subject of airline bankruptcy and reorganization.

Terry Trippler

2006-07-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Terry Trippler is considered a foremost authority on airline rules and operations from the travelers’ perspective. With almost 40 years of industry experience, he has accumulated a vast knowledge of fares and destinations. Many publications have quoted Terry in articles ranging from dream trips to airport security.

Mr. Trippler began his career as an airline ticketing agent and now consults and acts as an advisor around the world.

Robert W. Mann, Jr.

2006-07-02T14:01:00.000-07:00

Airline industry analyst Robert W. Mann, Jr. is the principle consultant at his firm, R.W. Mann & Company, Inc. He is frequently quoted on the topic of airlines. Bob Mann began his career right out of MIT with top firms like America Airlines, Pan American, and TWA and later rose to VP at SH&E before going independent in 1993.

Mr. Mann has been a pilot, a darling of the media for his industry analysis, and an advisor to many airline executives. In addition to board memberships, he is a current member of The Wings Club in New York.

Alex D. Zoghlin

2006-06-30T16:53:00.000-07:00

Alex Zoghlin is best known as the founding employee of Orbitz where he served as CTO. He is attempting to beat that success, now as CEO of G2 SwitchWorks. Alex was also associated with pioneering web development first at Mosaic and then at Neoglyphics. He is known for his achievements as a young, self-educated computer guru.

He has rapidly become an expert in travel-related systems. Zoghlin recently resigned his board seat at United Stationers Inc. to devote more time to his new venture, G2 SwitchWorks. He and his wife have three daughters.

Michael J. Durham

2006-06-30T14:50:00.000-07:00

Michael Durham has a strong financial and management background, most notably in the airline and aerospace sectors. Having spent twenty years with AMR Corporation as CFO of American Airlines and CEO of Sabre, he is now the consummate board member. He serves as a member of the board of directors of Acxiom Corporation, AGL Resources, Asbury Automotive Group, and Bombardier Inc. Previous directorships include Kinkos and Hotwire, Inc.

Mr. Durham is a consultant through his own firm of Cognizant Associates, Inc. where he has acted as a paid advisor to unsecured creditors in the UAL (United Airlines) Bankruptcy. Durham and his family live in the Park Cities area of Dallas, Texas.

Nicholas Bredimus

2006-06-27T04:15:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Bredimus is president of Bredimus Systems, Inc., a firm serving the international travel industry with emphasis on global distribution. A key player in the airline industry's changing roles for travel agents, Bredimus explained to Flight's Global newsletter that "agents had become a controllable cost rather than a necessity [by the 1990s]".

Bredimus' career included starting the first electronic ticketing network, QuikTix. Mr. Bredimus was a personal computer pioneer who helped introduce interactive travel services for PC users on Prodigy and Expedia travel service. He served as founding president American Airlines sister company AMR Travel Services.

Opening day

2006-06-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Watch this space!