There are many effective ways to improve our efficiency as we never lagged behind operationally and technically.
First of all we have to reinforce that flights for which marketing has been done on local basis by Station Managers and they are recommending for additional flight for years. Practically it has been seen that the flight which were recommended by our Station Managers are in the long run being operated by the Private airlines where as we are being denied repeatedly. Denial of flight is either on the basis that the aircraft is not available or crew. Argument of denial is debatable.
We have to be very clear in this regard; whether we want Air India to survive or we want it to die a slow death.
Since last 3 years, the much advertised and talked upon phrase of Turn around has not yield any results in reality. If at all we are honest enough for its revival, we have to take few steps which are reverse in process:-
Each transit station must be economically viable.
Station managers must be given a monthly target of selling seats of 70 to 75% of seats per flight .Further additional Incentives of commercial to be paid based upon the seats being sold at that station. Keep on increasing the sell target on quarterly basis. Merit rate the station and reward those who achieve the sell target.
This is of moving from micro to macro level, Transit to Metro stations. Decide the performance based upon selling of seats per flight.
Approach the prospective travellers in person.
Sales boys/girls should be given opportunity on the basis of commission on volume of sales. They should directly approach to the local businessmen, Universities, Offices and corporate houses etc and give them lucrative and innovative scheme so that they and their employees can be brought to our carrier.
User friendly internet site
Our internet site must be very user friendly. Any one must be in a position to book the ticket without any last moment hassles of creating of log in address. Take care of the payment mode. Identity of a person is to be taken from the mode of payment i.e credit card, Debit card or net banking.
Cancellation charges must be considerably high and/ or comparatively equal to those of other carriers
This will prevent an incident of seat blocking in our flight and then last moment cancellation for the benefit of other airlines by sales agent in the market. This can be achieved by increasing the commission marginally over or equal to other airlines. Doing this will retard their interest of promoting business/selling tickets instead ours.
Adopt an aggressive marketing technique (Both by print and electronic media)
Aggressive advertisement in local market(apart from doing it on national level)by advertising in local media/news papers, FM channels as traveller spectrum is being spread at the increasing rate of 15% even in small town.
Breaking the nexus of those employees within, who are directly or indirectly helping/or related to a sales agent.
Scheduling/non scheduling of new routes
Management must be in a position to take decision promptly for scheduling /non scheduling of a new route based upon its own market demand (Local area marketing managers/SMs).We must stop flights to those routes where passengers are much below the break even and introduce new routes where we have the demand.
Immediate stoppage of the Hub and Scope flights
Most of the hub and scope flights have proven to be the not viable financially. It is better to fly point to point
Offcourse, the above can be achieved by curtailing an unnecessary expenditure on every level from aam admi to khas aadmi.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Ways to cut Fuel Bill on Jet Aircraft
(Study based on one of the leading airlines )
Fuel expenditure is around 40 to 50% of the revenue generated per day other than wages of the employees. Wages are the fixed component in the balance sheet with hardly less than 1% variation on annual basis.
Fuel cost is a variable component and it is on the increasing trend .This varies from 3 to 6 % every month.
Fuel prices are revised on every 16th and last day of the month at 0000hrs.Trend of increasing or decreasing prices are intimated to the operator’s finance department on 30th&15th day of the month. Thus finance knew very well in advance about the increasing or decreasing rate of the fuel on 1st & every 16th of the month. Management must focus to reduce the fuel bill per day. This can be done by increasing the fuel efficiency.
a. Mass reduction
b. Improvement in engine efficiency and
c. Reduction in aerodynamic drag
With regard to point b, it’s a design feature and not in the control of operator but initiative must be taken with regard to point a & b.
Step 1:-
Finance department should take an initiative to intimate engineering department on the 15th day of the month regarding the increase of fuel price. Based on this a decision can be taken to uplift the fuel prior to 23:59 hrs or after 00:00hrs (If it decreases).Based on average increasing trend of fuel price of 3%, a lot of saving can be achieved.
Step 2:-
This is a standard practice to uplift 0.2 ton of fuel more than the actual fuel requirement on each flight. This is the practice which no operator follows world wise. No one knows why and when it has become the part of our technician to always uplift 200kg of fuel.
Unnecessarily upliftment of 200kg or 250 litres of fuel goes unaccounted financially, technically no effect as it remains in the tank but raises the fuel bill daily.Carrying each 100Kg of fuel,It burns 10Kg fuel.
Step 3:-
Ensure that aircraft external surfaces are kept cleaned to cut down the drag. Reduction of drag contribute a considerable amount of fuel saving.saving of fuel by 0.41% is achieved annually.
Step 4:-
Optimize the use of water on board instead of flying with full tank. Doing this reduces the weight of the aircraft hence the drag. Fuel reduction is achieved.
Step 5:-
Reduce the running time of APU on ground especially during night halt. Make it mandatory to provide ground power to the aircraft on which the maintenance works in progress. This reduces the fuel consumption apart from achieving longer life of APU and its component.
Step 6:-
Reduce the cruising speed.
By lengthening the time by 8mts at cruise, fuel can be saved by 613 litres. Thus, just by avoiding the over speeding of the aircraft at cruise and reducing the cruising speed,Huge saving on these account can be achieved.
Step 7:-
Taxying on the ground by only one engine.
Step 8:-
Reducing the weight of the inflight magazine.
By taking the above measures to cut the fuel bill,A leading airline is expected to save INR 200, Crores annually.
Fuel expenditure is around 40 to 50% of the revenue generated per day other than wages of the employees. Wages are the fixed component in the balance sheet with hardly less than 1% variation on annual basis.
Fuel cost is a variable component and it is on the increasing trend .This varies from 3 to 6 % every month.
Fuel prices are revised on every 16th and last day of the month at 0000hrs.Trend of increasing or decreasing prices are intimated to the operator’s finance department on 30th&15th day of the month. Thus finance knew very well in advance about the increasing or decreasing rate of the fuel on 1st & every 16th of the month. Management must focus to reduce the fuel bill per day. This can be done by increasing the fuel efficiency.
a. Mass reduction
b. Improvement in engine efficiency and
c. Reduction in aerodynamic drag
With regard to point b, it’s a design feature and not in the control of operator but initiative must be taken with regard to point a & b.
Step 1:-
Finance department should take an initiative to intimate engineering department on the 15th day of the month regarding the increase of fuel price. Based on this a decision can be taken to uplift the fuel prior to 23:59 hrs or after 00:00hrs (If it decreases).Based on average increasing trend of fuel price of 3%, a lot of saving can be achieved.
Step 2:-
This is a standard practice to uplift 0.2 ton of fuel more than the actual fuel requirement on each flight. This is the practice which no operator follows world wise. No one knows why and when it has become the part of our technician to always uplift 200kg of fuel.
Unnecessarily upliftment of 200kg or 250 litres of fuel goes unaccounted financially, technically no effect as it remains in the tank but raises the fuel bill daily.Carrying each 100Kg of fuel,It burns 10Kg fuel.
Step 3:-
Ensure that aircraft external surfaces are kept cleaned to cut down the drag. Reduction of drag contribute a considerable amount of fuel saving.saving of fuel by 0.41% is achieved annually.
Step 4:-
Optimize the use of water on board instead of flying with full tank. Doing this reduces the weight of the aircraft hence the drag. Fuel reduction is achieved.
Step 5:-
Reduce the running time of APU on ground especially during night halt. Make it mandatory to provide ground power to the aircraft on which the maintenance works in progress. This reduces the fuel consumption apart from achieving longer life of APU and its component.
Step 6:-
Reduce the cruising speed.
By lengthening the time by 8mts at cruise, fuel can be saved by 613 litres. Thus, just by avoiding the over speeding of the aircraft at cruise and reducing the cruising speed,Huge saving on these account can be achieved.
Step 7:-
Taxying on the ground by only one engine.
Step 8:-
Reducing the weight of the inflight magazine.
By taking the above measures to cut the fuel bill,A leading airline is expected to save INR 200, Crores annually.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Engineers at outstation and Human machine
(Dear friends this is my own view if it hurts sentiments of someone kindly pardon me.)
A machine is a dead weight and considered to be an industrial waste unless it performs its desired function.
Engineer who gives life to these systematically designed pieces of metals and non metal of so called machine is awarded and rewarded.
We are the person; of course, human being is being treated as no less than a human machine, a robot. We are supposed to work tirelessly and continuously without any break for 90 days. Even at the elapse of 90 days one can not dare to ask for reliever as a machine never tires. Machine is designed to work for 365days*24 hrs without fail and that is what an engineer posted at outstation is doing.
There are many models of these human machine/robots. Few of them are modified and some are unmodified with the same P/N. They are interchangeable. Many of them who are placed in main stores i.e,Delhi,Bom,Hyd,CCU and MAA consider themselves as superior but they don’t realize that they have to met with the same fate if they are being installed on the system(Posted outstation).Many of the superior robots keep convincing (unaware that their shelf life is also going to expire if left unused) their super robots to let them be their and take the output as much as you can till they perform until the expiry of their power back up.
Super robots are not hesitating in doing so unless some of these robots completely fail. Though they (Super Robots) also have passed the same design test but due some superficial power entrusted to them, they have forgotten that even machine needs rest, periodic inspection and resetting of the system. The acts of super robots are totally unnatural and not mentioned in the robotics’ rule and it’s manual.
No Engineers (robots) at outstation can afford to get ill as super robots sitting at main stores (especially designed for) are sure of flawless software into the robots.
Even if robots are designed for 365*24hrs of work they need attention, and handling with care. They deal with the life of people (human being) by virtue of their work. If the emotions of these robots are not taken care of, in the absence of duty time limitation of engineer some day we are heading for disaster.
Super robots are requested to understand the basic software of robots and take care of them as they are not different than them. They will be awarded and rewarded only then and this is the only way of maintaining a healthy atmosphere in the industry.
A machine is a dead weight and considered to be an industrial waste unless it performs its desired function.
Engineer who gives life to these systematically designed pieces of metals and non metal of so called machine is awarded and rewarded.
We are the person; of course, human being is being treated as no less than a human machine, a robot. We are supposed to work tirelessly and continuously without any break for 90 days. Even at the elapse of 90 days one can not dare to ask for reliever as a machine never tires. Machine is designed to work for 365days*24 hrs without fail and that is what an engineer posted at outstation is doing.
There are many models of these human machine/robots. Few of them are modified and some are unmodified with the same P/N. They are interchangeable. Many of them who are placed in main stores i.e,Delhi,Bom,Hyd,CCU and MAA consider themselves as superior but they don’t realize that they have to met with the same fate if they are being installed on the system(Posted outstation).Many of the superior robots keep convincing (unaware that their shelf life is also going to expire if left unused) their super robots to let them be their and take the output as much as you can till they perform until the expiry of their power back up.
Super robots are not hesitating in doing so unless some of these robots completely fail. Though they (Super Robots) also have passed the same design test but due some superficial power entrusted to them, they have forgotten that even machine needs rest, periodic inspection and resetting of the system. The acts of super robots are totally unnatural and not mentioned in the robotics’ rule and it’s manual.
No Engineers (robots) at outstation can afford to get ill as super robots sitting at main stores (especially designed for) are sure of flawless software into the robots.
Even if robots are designed for 365*24hrs of work they need attention, and handling with care. They deal with the life of people (human being) by virtue of their work. If the emotions of these robots are not taken care of, in the absence of duty time limitation of engineer some day we are heading for disaster.
Super robots are requested to understand the basic software of robots and take care of them as they are not different than them. They will be awarded and rewarded only then and this is the only way of maintaining a healthy atmosphere in the industry.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
A pair of pigeon,myself and my solitude
It happened 2 months after my arrival to Varanasi on 1 year posting, when one morning I got up by knocking of my door. I could not found any one at my door while I look for some one who was knocking my door.
The incident did go unnoticed whereas it was repeated the very next morning. It remained in my mind and I was a bit anxious about the thing which happened consequently for two days. It disappeared for two months before its recurrence after my arrival from 1st vacation (for 15 days).
It was a surprise for me to unfold the mystery of Door knocking in front of my eyes. A pair of pigeon was knocking my door by their beaks. I opened my kitchen door to catch the doers red handed.
3 months have passed before I learnt to stay all alone at HOME ALONE. Back home from office, for couple of months, I just struggled about how to spend time? Some times I keep calling home and at other occasion passed time by watching TV for hours followed by jogging for an hours at nearby UP College and so on.
Calling our friends/colleague at Delhi was of no use. They pretend to be too busy to talk as if before my transfer I was not used to be of Delhi line maintenance culture.
Things worsen further when I created an imaginary personality of mine and developed the habit of sharing my views with my own shadow. Keeps talking myself while cooking my dinner but realized soon of this disorder and recalled the pair of pigeon.
I developed a friendship with them while they were tapping at mirror (Hanged in the courtyard near bathroom)by their beaks, watching their image in it. I keep doing shaving and brushing my teeth and they will be busy on the mirror without any fear of mine being present over there. They started following my instructions and I too started enjoying the company of this duo.
While going out I used to spread few pieces of bread and rice in the courtyard, they will be busy chugging these. It has become habit, became my family member at Varanasi Engineer’s residence. I like them as they do not back bite, unlike us. They show the gesture of unconditional love, the one which we all lack. They do not harm rather help me come out of my depression.
I learnt a lot from them, an innocence looking pair, their unconditional love, and harmless attitude towards someone and so on. These all behaviours are instinct qualities of theirs.
I wonder why it is not possible to inculcate in HR people. They are professional in manpower management. They have invested so much time and money in their prestigious colleges to get the degree of graduation and master but have failed miserably to deliver and nurture the huge resources. No one care unless some casualty occurs. They prefer to hide all the circulars as a fear of implementation with objectives that staffs may not be benefited.
Wish the organisation must do something urgently to improve the morale of employees as we strive for on time performances. With low morale of employees nothing can be achieved in long term.
I spend all the festivals since last10 months ( Deepawali, Chath and Holi )with new friends of course a pair of pigeon.
Colour is life, colour is creative and it is inspiration to live .I coloured the shining bluish black pigeons, they enjoyed, shrugged their shoulders which alternately sprinkled a few drops on my white uniform as I was just about to leave for the airport.
This was all about my HOLI.
I love these pair of pigeon and pray to the god that good sense must prevail amongst the employee and employer so that employer must be instilled with the behaviour like our pigeons and take care their resource’s, develop a healthy relationship where no one need to go in depression, Individual must feel important for the organisation. Once this happen, turn around is not a difficult task.
The incident did go unnoticed whereas it was repeated the very next morning. It remained in my mind and I was a bit anxious about the thing which happened consequently for two days. It disappeared for two months before its recurrence after my arrival from 1st vacation (for 15 days).
It was a surprise for me to unfold the mystery of Door knocking in front of my eyes. A pair of pigeon was knocking my door by their beaks. I opened my kitchen door to catch the doers red handed.
3 months have passed before I learnt to stay all alone at HOME ALONE. Back home from office, for couple of months, I just struggled about how to spend time? Some times I keep calling home and at other occasion passed time by watching TV for hours followed by jogging for an hours at nearby UP College and so on.
Calling our friends/colleague at Delhi was of no use. They pretend to be too busy to talk as if before my transfer I was not used to be of Delhi line maintenance culture.
Things worsen further when I created an imaginary personality of mine and developed the habit of sharing my views with my own shadow. Keeps talking myself while cooking my dinner but realized soon of this disorder and recalled the pair of pigeon.
I developed a friendship with them while they were tapping at mirror (Hanged in the courtyard near bathroom)by their beaks, watching their image in it. I keep doing shaving and brushing my teeth and they will be busy on the mirror without any fear of mine being present over there. They started following my instructions and I too started enjoying the company of this duo.
While going out I used to spread few pieces of bread and rice in the courtyard, they will be busy chugging these. It has become habit, became my family member at Varanasi Engineer’s residence. I like them as they do not back bite, unlike us. They show the gesture of unconditional love, the one which we all lack. They do not harm rather help me come out of my depression.
I learnt a lot from them, an innocence looking pair, their unconditional love, and harmless attitude towards someone and so on. These all behaviours are instinct qualities of theirs.
I wonder why it is not possible to inculcate in HR people. They are professional in manpower management. They have invested so much time and money in their prestigious colleges to get the degree of graduation and master but have failed miserably to deliver and nurture the huge resources. No one care unless some casualty occurs. They prefer to hide all the circulars as a fear of implementation with objectives that staffs may not be benefited.
Wish the organisation must do something urgently to improve the morale of employees as we strive for on time performances. With low morale of employees nothing can be achieved in long term.
I spend all the festivals since last10 months ( Deepawali, Chath and Holi )with new friends of course a pair of pigeon.
Colour is life, colour is creative and it is inspiration to live .I coloured the shining bluish black pigeons, they enjoyed, shrugged their shoulders which alternately sprinkled a few drops on my white uniform as I was just about to leave for the airport.
This was all about my HOLI.
I love these pair of pigeon and pray to the god that good sense must prevail amongst the employee and employer so that employer must be instilled with the behaviour like our pigeons and take care their resource’s, develop a healthy relationship where no one need to go in depression, Individual must feel important for the organisation. Once this happen, turn around is not a difficult task.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Lost glory of Bihar
Recently i had an opportunity to visit Bihar,once most disturbed area,by road and that too in mid night.
Its amazing.I really admire the single soldier of Bihar,none other than,Sh Nitish Kumar,CM of Bihar,Who brought this change.No one can imagine before him.This was just one man vision.
Roads of Bihar is too good if one can compare it from previous regime of other CMs.I found people of Gram Panchayat doing patrolling on the road side in mid night.We travelled across without any fear.
People are happy and have a great hope with him.
I admire him and wish god give him more strength to bring Biharis a proud.Uptill now BIHARI was a slang and abuse to the people of this state.
Only since last few years we do not find negative propaganda in media.Every one is praising the development of Bihar.
Biahris everywhere in the country is now being seen as a potential competitor by their fellow neighbour.This change all due to the better development work is being done at state.
If the cooperation amongst the government staffs and the policies being implimented honestly,Days are not far when Bihar will regain its lost glory.
Its amazing.I really admire the single soldier of Bihar,none other than,Sh Nitish Kumar,CM of Bihar,Who brought this change.No one can imagine before him.This was just one man vision.
Roads of Bihar is too good if one can compare it from previous regime of other CMs.I found people of Gram Panchayat doing patrolling on the road side in mid night.We travelled across without any fear.
People are happy and have a great hope with him.
I admire him and wish god give him more strength to bring Biharis a proud.Uptill now BIHARI was a slang and abuse to the people of this state.
Only since last few years we do not find negative propaganda in media.Every one is praising the development of Bihar.
Biahris everywhere in the country is now being seen as a potential competitor by their fellow neighbour.This change all due to the better development work is being done at state.
If the cooperation amongst the government staffs and the policies being implimented honestly,Days are not far when Bihar will regain its lost glory.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Church at Arrah,Bihar,India
Above is a church of pre independence era at Arrah in Bihar.
Now more commonly Arrah is written and pronounced as "ARA".
ARA is a small but beautiful town of Bihar and is a satellite town of the Capital city PATNA.
More recently ARA is directly connected to "CHAPRA" in North Bihar through a Bridge over Ganga and SASARAM in South through Railway.
Ara is almost situated in center of DELHI and Kolkatta.
Regards,
-pramodara
.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Photographs of Varanasi railway station
This is the photographs of Varanasi cantt.railway station.The view is taken outside of platform no 1.This is the main apprroach for the railway station.Railway main booking counter is here where you can get the tickets.
There are parking in front of railway booking area where you can get taxi,Mini buses and autos to go around the Varanasi nearby area.
Mugal sarai Railway station is 18km from here.One can go from here by taxi or bus.
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