Airline Operations
Behind the Scenes
Holiday Charter Airline Operations are totally different to that of a scheduled airline. The Charter Airline, will out base aircraft from its main base at the various Regional Airports around the country. This aircraft may operate between 2 and 4 return flights per day. The aircraft fly to different destinations on different days of the week. The very busy holiday destinations normally have more than one flight a week, from the same home country airport. Aircraft lose money parked on the ground, so the maximum amount of flights are made. Each time the aircraft arrives, it is on the ground for about one hour before flying again. This allows loading and unloading of passenger and baggage. Plus Cleaning refueling and recatering the aircraft. An engineer will also make checks in this time.
Occasionally an aircraft will be ferried to base for more major maintenance. It maybe that an aircraft will finish work at one out based airport, and then reposition to another and operate a service from there. It maybe that the aircraft will fly to a resort and then fly back to a different home based airport.
The operation at the holiday resort is as follows,
All the aircraft arrive from the all the different home based countries in the the resort airport within a few minutes of each other. This allows the holiday tour operator to get all their clients together, and put them onto about 30 coaches, outside the airport all at the same time. They are then taken to the hotels and holiday apartments. The passengers returning to the home country would have checked in earlier so a rapid turn around can be made. For example, 5 aircraft could arrive from the UK airports of Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Newcastle and Glasgow in Tenerife between 12:00 and 12:30 and all leave again between 13:00 and 14:00. Later these same aircraft could meet up again in another resort as the aircraft complete a second trip from the UK.
That has now taken care of how the aircraft work now we will look at how the rest of the system works prior to the pilot arriving.
The Airline Operations Centre.
This monitors where all the aircraft are and whether they are on time or serviceable. They will notify pilots the new relieving pilots if aircraft are running late. This isso that pilot's books on duty later and do not arrive too early and then may run out of hours. Or they might have to call a pilot in from home to cover sickness or late running. They may also need to arrange crew for a ferry flight to replace a defective aircraft.
Pilots on departing the airfields will call the Company Operations room on its own company frequency. They give flight details, passenger numbers ETA etc. This can also be done by datalink computer now in some cases. This enables the Operations Room to monitor where all the fleet is and decide whether any extra plans need to be made. IE and Engineer to meet the aircraft with a part.
The Flight Plan Section will do the flight plan for the pilots, checking that it complies with the EuroControl Route Availability Document. at all times. This is handed to the pilots when they sign on. Some airlines employ special companies to sort their flight plans out. This is getting a special skill especially planning through Europe with all the different instructions that has to be complied with.
The ATC Flight Plan is normally filed for the whole Winter/ Summer season they will only get involved if the aircraft is running late and they have to reschedule or cancel the flight.if the route changes they will cancel the ATC Flight Plan and resubmit it. These are stored on the ATC computer for regular flights and the flight plan will come active automatically about 1 hour before the flight is due to depart.
The Despatch Section will have all the passenger loading figures and baggage weights etc.
They work out the passenger weight. How do they work out the passenger weight you may ask?.
It is worked on the following formula.
Males at 78 Kgs /170 lbs
Females at 68Kgs/150lbs
Children at 43 Kgs /95 Lbs
Infants at 10Kgs/22 Lbs
So from the various numbers of each group times it buy the weight. Baggage and Cargo is then weighed.
The weather for the route is then obtained for the pilots and the bundle is given to the pilots arrive when they book on duty for the flight. This may also show Oceanic tracks if they are flying over the Atlantic.
The pilots arrive normally about one hour before departure. They then sit in the briefing room with the bundle of documents. They work out the fuel figure allowing for headwinds and delays. They check safety heights for the different stages of the route and the flight plan. They decide how much extra fuel is required to be carried. take off speeds etc.
The pilot is allowed to be on duty 14 hours a day maximum. The pilot must fly no more than 100 flying hours in a 28 day period. Flying time is from brakes off to brakes on at the destination. from the UK Luxor is the furthest a pilot would do a return trip to in a day. So all other Europe resorts are welll within a pilots day.
Pilots may stay in a hotel for a week say at Glasgow having travelled up from the base and operate from there each day with a return trip. They would go home again at the end of the week. Bad luck here as you have flown to all those lovely holiday resorts spent an hour there and then back to a windswept cold hotel with horizontal rain and snow in the UK.
All pilots would take it in turns doing this from the various airports. Sometimes a crew make fly from one airport in the morning and return to another early afternoon. The afternoon crew would then sign on and go by road and relieve them at the other airport. The morning crew would then return road. this way it cuts down on ferry flights.
Occasionally the pilot will be at home by the phone on stand by in case they are called in. for a flight. Its bad luck if you get called in the last part of your stand by, On long haul flights pilots may be away a week. or more and perhaps fly on three or four legs.
This is a rough guide only for you each airline has its own procedures they may vary slightly. pilots may be early shift one week afternoon or nights the next. This I hope gives you the general idea.
Now having checked all our Notices for the flight worked out our fuel and diversion airports its time to go to the aircraft. Just one final point. Diversion Airports should a passenger become ill or in flight emergency the diversion airports must have adequate fire cover for the aircraft in case of an emergency this has to be taken into account as well. There is no point landing at an airfield where no emergency facilities are available. You also have to check the airfield will be open as well. This emergency cover is shown in Aerad Flight Supplements.. Tell the Despatch Clerk the fuel figure required and the nominated diversion airport.
Scheduled Airline Pilots on short haul may do 6 sectors a day. 3 round trips. They may have the odd night stop but will normally be home every night.
Handling Agents
Many Airlines do not have check in and passenger handling staff. Instead the Airline contracts specialist handling companies at the airports to do all this for the airline. They normally have a radio frequency for the pilots to contact them on at each airport. On approaching an airfield the pilot will contact the agent and be told the gate number to park on. The pilot can also advise of any defects for an engineer or whether wheelchairs are required for passengers.
Credit Cards
Most cockpits have a few credit or fuel cards. If an aircraft has to land at an airport other than normal one the captain can get fuel for the aircraft if a normal fuel agreement with the airline is not in force. This has saved the day on a few occasions.
Refuelling
The fuel is either pumped from a bowser or from underground pipe lines. The refuel staff can set the required amount and the pumping will automatically stop at the required setting.
I hope this gives you and insight into the behind the scenes look at what happens before the flight or on a turnaround.