The PASSUR OPSnet Report 
Informing the Airport Operations Community
| |
|
"One study suggests that using [PASSUR OPSnet], airports can expect to help airlines generate annually, per airport, significant savings from reduced diversions: from $660,000 (small airport), to $2,3MM (medium airport), to $7.5MM (large airport)."
PASSUR Field Condition Report Solutions, Financial Impact Study, December 2009 | |
|
| February 2010 |
Welcome to the February edition of The PASSUR® OPSnet™ Report, developed for the national community of PASSUR OPSnet users.
This month, we speak with Dana Pitts, Operations Manager  for Washington Dulles International Airport, on their decision to sign up for the PASSUR Snow Operations Assistance Program (SOAP) this winter -- an added resource which enhances the "virtual snow desk" with additional professional expertise in coordination and communication between the airport and its carriers during winter weather events.
We also look at how diversions can be avoided using PASSUR OPSnet, saving carriers millions of dollars.
As a reminder, PASSUR OPSnet is a web-based collaborative program that creates instant communication and information sharing with all key aviation players in real time, resulting in coordinated decision-making, effective use of resources, and consistent public information. PASSUR OPSnet is accessed by aviation professionals around the world who need to know the precise and detailed condition of the airport operation in real time.
As always, please let us know how we can improve this newsletter by contacting Ron Dunsky, Executive Editor, at rondunsky@passur.com. |
|
|
|
| Washington Dulles Signs Up For SOAP for The Winter Season |
|
This winter has been a real bruiser in the Northeast, and Washington Dulles International Airport has gotten whacked -- more than 70 inches of snow has fallen to date at the largest airport serving our nation's capital. So it was fortuitous that Dulles chose this year to sign up for the PASSUR SOAP (Snow Operations Assistance Program). SOAP provides PASSUR traffic management professionals, remotely or on-site, the ability to manage coordination, communication and decision-making during major snow events, including management of the departure-metering operation. We spoke with Dana Pitts, Operations Manager for Washington Dulles International Airport to learn more about their decision.
PASSUR: Why did you sign up for the service?
Dana: To ensure that the slot allocation program is managed effectively.
PASSUR: What do you hope  to achieve?
Dana: A guaranteed, well-trained, experienced Slot Manager is available to fairly and equitably advise the airlines on the management of the available departure slots.
PASSUR: What issues or challenges is the service designed to address?
Dana: The potential shortage of trained, experienced airline representatives to manage the program, and to be fair and impartial in the allocation of departure slots.
PASSUR: How did you manage this process before SOAP?
Dana: One airline assumed the responsibility on a rotating basis throughout the winter.
PASSUR: How have the carriers responded to the new approach?
Dana: Very favorably. To learn more about using SOAP at your airport, contact Frederick Roe at 203-887-4940 or froe@passur.com. |
| Reduce Diversions, Save Carriers Millions of Dollars |
Last month we talked about how PASSUR OPSnet can help reduce secondary deicings. This month, we'll focus on the substantial savings that can result from using PASSUR OPSnet to reduce diversions. We all know that diversions can be incredibly expensive for the airlines. There are extra fuel costs, landing fees, and extra crew costs, not to mention the inconvenience factor for passengers. Let's talk numbers. A diversion can cost anywhere from $30,000 for a domestic narrow body up to $180,000 or more for  a wide-body international diversion* (some large airlines use $50,000 as a general "cost-per-diversion" average). If it snowballs into a trapped passenger scenario, costs can skyrocket. The August 2009 diversion to Rochester, MN which resulted in an extended tarmac delay, cost the three airlines involved a total of $175,000 in fines. And that was before the December 2009 Tarmac Delay ruling, which now imposes fines that could exceed $25,000 per passenger once an aircraft exceeds three hours of off-gate delay (as an example, that comes to $3.3 million for a flight loaded with 132 passengers, a typical number for a narrow-body domestic flight).
Of course, diversions are necessary to ensure safety, but that doesn't mean all diversions are necessary. Some diversions are executed because of the lack of timely, accurate airspace or airfield information, and could have been prevented. One of the critical components in preventing unnecessary diversions is timely, accurate and rapid dissemination of field conditions.
Using PASSUR OPSnet, airports can quickly deliver real-time information regarding runway conditions. For example, within seconds of a runway being cleared of snow and reopened, that information can be in the hands of airlines, cargo operators, corporate flight departments, and other operators. Or an airport can indicate that although a runway is still "NOTAM'd Closed," it will reopen in 20 minutes. Airlines use this information tactically, in real time, to either prevent an aircraft from being launched into a potential diversion scenario; or conversely, from executing an unnecessary diversion prematurely.
The information is distributed online and by automated email distribution, in many cases long before the actual NOTAM is released by Flight Services. And the message can be more detailed than the NOTAM itself, or may even be supplemental to the NOTAM -- allowing the airport to communicate its intent much more directly and clearly. One study suggests that using this process, airports can expect to help airlines generate annually, per airport, significant savings from reduced diversions: from $660,000 (small airport), to $2.3MM (medium airport), to $7.5MM (large airport).**
* George Washington University Aviation Institute Study, January 2002.
** PASSUR Field Condition Report Solutions, Financial Impact Study, December 2009. To learn more about how PASSUR OPSnet can help reduce diversions, and to talk directly with airport operators whose use of PASSUR OPSnet has resulted in fewer diversions, contact Frederick Roe at 203-887-4940 or froe@passur.com. To receive a copy of the two studies cited in this article, please email sales@passur.com. |
| Tip: Use PASSUR OPSnet to Reduce Your Workload |
|
Let me guess. The thought of adding a new software program conjures up images of additional work, right? Not with PASSUR OPSnet. Using PASSUR OPSnet means less work for your operations team, not more. Unlike other systems that require another 'dedicated' staff member, PASSUR OPSnet simplifies things by allowing for quick, single entries to handle your everday tasks.
- Create or cancel a NOTAM (electronically connected to Flight Services)
- Update tenants by email
- Keep the FCR webpage current
- Make a log entry
To learn more about PASSUR OPSnet, contact Frederick Roe at 203-887-4940 or froe@passur.com. | |
|
|
|
|
|
