Interviewed airport manager

Steve Ridgeways of Virgin Atlantic Airways was born in 1951. He obtained a Bsc. degree in Economics from London University. He first worked as a sales manager for Cavenham Foods. He later worked as a teacher before going to Miami to engage in speed boats business. He joined the airline in 1989 becoming a board member in 1994 and managing director in 1998. In 2001 he became the CEO.

The qualities of airport manager

The individual should be a person of many intertwined abilities; good judgment to analyze the legal, environmental, and political, personnel and public relations impact on the firm. First you need to acquire experience from small-sized airports. A degree or diploma may be necessary before you qualify. Knowledge in human resource and business management and aviation is essential. Have good negotiating and bargaining skills. Probably train as a pilot.

TSA’s check points

The Transport Security Administration (TSA) officers are trained to distinguish threat by using behavioral disparities from common travelers. The scanners which would include multi view X-ray and whole body imaging. These will go through all that you contain in about 1.75 seconds. The scanners will confirm who you are. There would be a teleporting experience where you find yourself in the plane without climbing. There emergency team led by a commander would respond to aircraft accidents, threats and all other emerging incidences. The challenges emerging in meeting TSA’s standards are that of cost of acquiring technology and the fact that it is developed over time. There is no proper screening technology for huge cargo containers. There is also the fact of relying on the information provided by the travelers as there is no global data base on individual identity and information. There is lack of good data collection mechanism to analyze progress as it happened that TSA had reported being able to screen 100% of domestic cargo which later were doubtable as the required technology was not in place.

Challenges that face airports to the next five years

The challenges that airports face are either of an economic nature, security, issues of capacity, environmental and climatic changes. In the financial problem the airports are struggling to regain the capital they have used to set up. The airlines who are their must are also struggling to obtain sustainable revenues from seat sales. Airports have to develop partnership with airlines to ensure long term benefits while also cooperate with competitors to ensure that competition does not result in low unprofitable prices. With terrorism threats and potential, security is a challenge to airports. International cooperation and harmonized global standards could help reduce risks of security threats. Capacity challenge may emerge when the booming airline industry takes shape while airports are reluctant on expansion costs or to incur further capital costs. The global climate change is a problem that will affect fights today and beyond the decade. The delays experienced because of an aggressive atmosphere and capacity of airports could be multiple.

Merger case

Since November last year there has been speculations of a merger and they are still in progress. The stakeholders are considering joining the Trans- Atlantic joint venture formed two years ago. This is necessary after the rigid clearance form issued to British Airways to form a partnership with another giant. We are optimistic of the merger aftermath.

Own question

Were you not in Airlines where else would you probably be? Of which he replied: nowhere else but in transport. If not air then the sea but basically ports.

http://homeland.house.gov/sites/homeland.house.gov/files/Testimony%20Lord_1.pdf

http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-10-446

http://blog.tsa.gov/2008/03/checkpoint-changes-coming.html

http://www.avjobs.com/careers/detail.asp?RecID=42