Based on our experience, we outline the key areas for developing crew planning below.
1. Balancing Demand and Capacity: Proactive Planning is Key
Effective crew management starts with balancing demand and capacity. This involves:
- Strategic scheduling of training and leave to avoid peak demand periods and instead smooth out demand fluctuations.
- Collaboration with scheduling and commercial management to optimally consolidate flight sectors and thus level demand.
- Equalizing crew group workloads and broadly utilizing flexible work arrangements to maintain consistent crew capacity and improve predictability.
- Monitoring and efficiently managing unexpected absences.
2. Optimizing Standby Reserves: Right Resources in the Right Place at the Right Time
- Standby planning directly impacts operational efficiency and costs. Best practices include:
- Maximizing the value of planned standby relative to its volume, ensuring planned standby is optimally positioned for air traffic.
- Implementing voluntary standby systems to enhance cost-effectiveness and staff satisfaction.
- Utilizing predictive analytics to ensure standby resources meet actual operational needs without leading to overcapacity.
3. Maintaining and Optimizing the Crew Roster: Ensuring Continuous Efficiency
Even after the crew roster is published well in advance, management doesn't end there. Continuous optimization ensures the plan remains as efficient as possible amid changing circumstances. This involves:
- Managing shift swaps to ensure changes do not compromise efficiency while simultaneously improving employee satisfaction.
- Handling operational disruptions to prevent delays and other irregularities from cascading into chain reactions that reduce overall efficiency.
- Implementing decision support systems that leverage real-time data and analytics to guarantee optimized use of crew resources.
4. Other Optimization Opportunities: Eliminating Waste
Effective crew planning is not limited to mere roster scheduling. Additional efficiencies can be achieved through:
- Minimizing positioning flights by, for example, better planning travel associated with training and optimizing training capacity.
- Managing crew travel expenses by systematically minimizing waste related to accommodation, travel, and meals.
Conclusion: Significant Savings and Improved Operational Performance
Our experience shows that strategically planned crew management can generate significant savings and enhance operational performance. With the right planning principles, analytics, and processes, airlines can achieve annual savings of 5–15% without compromising service quality. The positive impact on crew job satisfaction is also notable.
If you would like to learn more about how we can help your company optimize its resource planning, please contact us – let's discuss how we can enhance your operations together.
