Airmail Services
Overview of Airline Operations
Historical Perspective
Leonardo Da Vinci
● Flight of birds; Human-powered
ornithopter (1485)
● he is a scientist
● he is very observant about the birds
● He draw the ornithopter
George Cayley
● The father of the Aeroplane “ and
“The father of Aerodynamics”
(1846); First successful human
glider.
● weight, lift, trust
Count Ferdinand Von Zeppelin
● invented the rigid airship, or dirigible
balloon
Wright Brothers
● inventors of the first successful
motor-operated airplane (1903)
Airships
● An airship or dirigible balloon is a
type of aerostat or light
Golden Age Of Flight
1919-1939
● Air races and daring record-setting
flights dominated the news.
Airplanes evolved from
wood-and-fabric biplanes to
streamlined metal monoplanes. The
military services embraced air
power. Aviation came of age.
● From mostly railroads for
transporting mails between cities,
the US Post Office airmail delivery
gave commercial airlines their true
start.
Charles Lindberch
● First solo pilot
First Modern Airline
Donald Douglas
Douglas Cloudster
KLM
● KIM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally
Koniniklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij
N V, is the flag carrier airline of the
Netherlands. it was founded in 1919
AVIANCA
● Avianca S.A is a Colombian airline.
It has been the flag carrier of
Colombia since December 5, 1919,
when it was initially registered under
the name SCADTA
QANTAS
● Qantas Airways Limited is the flag
carrier of Australia. It is the world's
third-oldest airline still in operation,
having been founded in November
1920.
PARIS CONVENTION -1919
● States recognized the need for
international regulation of air
navigation to address regulation of
 air commerce and conflicting claims
of national sovereignty of airspace
● The Paris Convention was the first
multinational regulation governing air
navigation.
WARSAW CONVENTION -1929
● Established the first international
airline liabilities and passenger
rights.
● Airlines of the ratifying countries
were required to issue passenger
tickets and baggage claim checks
for checked luggage
CHICAGO CONVENTION - 1944
● The Convention on International
Civil Aviation, drafted in 1944 by 54
nations, was established to promote
cooperation and "create and
preserve friendship and
understanding among the nations
and peoples of the world"
AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS
Germany & France
● 1913, bilateral exchange for airship
services provision.
Bermuda Agreement
● 1946, USA and GB bilateral air
transport agreement regulating civil
air transport.
OPEN SKIES POLICY
● An agreement between two
countries to allow any number of
airlines to fly from either of them
without any restriction on number of
flights, number of destinations,
number of seats, price and so on.
STAR ALLIANCE
● Five airlines created Star Alliance as
the first global aviation allance back
in 1997 Today, Star Alliance has 26
member airlines Alliance members
come together to offer smooth
connections across a vast global
network A project company based in
Frankfurt, Germany, coordinates
Star Alliance activities. These
include co- locations at airports
infrastructure, communication
initiatives and other services to
improve travel experience.
ONE WORLD
● The oneworld Alliance brings
together 14 world-class airlines to
deliver a superior, seamless travel
experience & special privileges for
frequent flyers. It was founded on 1
February 1999. The alliance's stated
objective is to be the first choice
airline alliance for the world's
frequent international travelers.
AIRLINE GOVERNING BODIES
ICOA
An Overview of the Airline Industry in the
Philippines
● 1931 - To handle the airline matters,
the government created an office
under of the Department of
Commerce and Communications.
● 1941 - The first domestic airline,
Philippine Airlines (PAL), was
founded. PAL is now also the
flag-carrier airline of the Philippines.
 ● 1952 - The Civil Aeronautics Board
and the Civil Aeronautics
Administration was reorganized due
to the Republic Act 776.
An Overview of the Airline Industry in the
Philippines
● 1974 - PAL continues to dominate
the industry by having the monopoly
on domestic travels.
● 1978 - The airline was given a new
franchise, however, under a
provision that the government
regulated the fares.
● 1995 - The industry was liberalized
with the establishment of domestic
and international civil aviation
liberalization policy and the
government control was removed.
● 1973 -
● 1999 -
● According to the Civil Aviation
Authority of the Philippines, the
country has 71 airports. Eleven of
them can handle international flights.
32 of them only accommodate
domestic travel, and 28 of them are
primarily used for general
navigation.
● The most prominent of these airports
is the Ninoy Aquino International
Airport, which is located in Pasay
City. It has four terminals and can
handle hundreds of both
international and domestic flights
every day, making it by far the
busiest airport in the country.
● In February 1941, Philippine Airlines,
the first and oldest commercial
airline in Asia operating under its
original name and the flag carrier of
the Philippines, was founded by a
group of businessmen.
● In March 1941, the airline's first flight
with a twin-engine, five-seater Beech
Model 18 aircraft took off from
Nielsen airfield in Makati with Baguio
as destination.
● In September 1941, government
investment in PAL paved the way for
nationalization.
● In February 1946, after its services
were interrupted during World War lI,
PAL resumed operations with
service to 15 domestic points with
five Douglas DC-3 aircraft.
● In July 1946, PAL became the first
Asian airline to cross the Pacific with
a chartered Douglas DC-4. A regular
service between Manila and San
Francisco started in December.
UNIT 2: Airline Operations
Organizational Structure
1. Different Airlines Departments
Flight Department
1. Flight Operations
1. Flight Operations department deals
with the intricacies of flight
operations, preparing the flight
routing, fueling plans, dealing with
AT and related government
departments for smooth operation of
flights. Most of the employees in
Operations are licensed category of
employees such as Pilots,
Engineers, Technicians and Flight
Operations Officers.
2. Flight Deck Crew Department
 - Flight Deck Crew department is
responsible for the provision of
cockpit crew for each flight
Cabin Crew Department
- Cabin Crew department is
responsible for provision of sufficient
cabin crew for each flight.
NON-FLIGHT DEPARTMENT
1. Commercial Department
Commercial department deals with sales
and marketing, reservations and ticketing,
customer service and general office
administration of different stations or more
accurately branches
2. Ground Handling Services Department
- the term "ground handling refers to
the wide range of services provided
to facilitate an aircraft flight or
aircraft ground repositioning
preparation for and upon conclusion
of a flight which will include both
customer service and ramp
service functions.
Provision of Services
- Ground handling services may be
provided by airline employees or
by third party contractors. A large
airline may still use its own
employees for virtually all ground
handling functions at its main base
with the possible exceptions of
refueling and catering if this is
judged to be cost effective.
Customer Service
● Customer Service Functions include
ticketing, check in, over size
baggage, baggage sorting lobby
management, irregular
operations, special handling
needs, gate assignment, lounge
management, aircraft boarding,
aircraft disembarkation and
baggage services.
Ramp Services
● Ramp Services include Marshalling,
Chocking and
Connection/Disconnection of
Ground Services, Baggage and
Freight Handling, Aircraft Towing,
Refueling, Toilet & Water
servicing, Aircraft Cleaning,
Catering, Provision of
Documents, Push Back and
De-icing.
Catering Department
- Catering department ensures
provisions of sufficient catering stock
(inflight meals) on board each flight.
3. Engineering Department
- Engineering department is in charge
of maintaining the fleet of aircraft by
providing personnel and facilities for
scheduled and unscheduled
maintenance and overhaul of
different types of aircraft. They are
also responsible for making
available sufficient aircraft for
operations on day-to-day basis.
International Airlines
Domestic Airlines
Full Fare (PAL)
Low cost airlines (cebu pac, air asia)
4. Airlines in the World and IATA Airline
and Airport Codes
IATA (Two Letter Code)
Airport Codes (Three Letter Code)
5. UTC Calculation
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is often
interchanged or confused with Coordinated
Universal Time (UTC). GMT is a time zone
and UTC is a time standard. UTC is not a
time zone, but a time standard that is the
basis for civil time and time zones
worldwide. Time Zone refers to any region
where the same standard time is kept.
● ADULT: A passenger who has
reached their thirteenth birthday.
● AFT: The rear; toward the tail
section of the aircraft.
● AGENT: A person who assists
passengers on the ground with
company-related business
(reservations, gate and ground).
● AIRCRAFT TAIL NUMBER: An
identification number painted on the
tail section of the aircraft.
● ABLE-BODIED PERSON (ABP): A
passenger (not a crew member) who
assists in evacuating an aircraft.
● AIRCRAFT LEFT: Determined by
facing forward in the cabin looking
forward. toward the pilots. The left
side is aircraft left.
● AIRCRAFT RIGHT: Determined by
facing forward in the cabin looking
forward, toward the pilots. The right
side is aircraft right.
● ALTITUDE: The height above sea
level measured in feet.
● ANNUNCIATOR PANEL: Bank of
colored lights that work in
conjunction with the aircraft call
chime system.
● ARM: To turn on or prepare
equipment for use.
● ASCENT: The action of an airplane
climbing.
● ATC: Air Traffic Control manage and
control all air traffic while in flight and
on the ground.
● BIDDING: The procedure that
crewmembers are awarded monthly
and vacation schedules.
● BLOCK TIME: time the blocks are
pulled from beneath the aircraft
wheels prior to taxi until the blocks
are replaced upon completion of the
flight.
● BOARDING PASS: Card issued to
passengers prior to boarding,
showing date, destination and flight
number.
● BRIEFING: The instructions
concerning procedures and
particulars.
● BULKHEAD: The partition or wall
separating various compartments in
an aircraft.
● BUMP: The removal of a passenger,
normally non-revenue, from a flight
for weight/balance considerations or
because the flight is full.
● CABIN: The section of the aircraft
for passenger seating.
● CAPTAIN (CA): The pilot
responsible for the entire aircraft
including crew and passengers.
Occupies left seat.
● CAROUSEL: A moving circular
platform from which passengers may
claim checked luggage.
● CARRIER: A company involved in
the transportation of people.
● CARRY-OUT CART: Plane side
checked baggage cart on which
passengers can leave carry-on bags
before boarding the aircraft and pick
them up immediately after exiting the
aircraft.
● CHECK RIDE (FAA): An evaluation
given to a crew member by a
qualified FAA official or other
designated person.
● CENTER OF GRAVITY (CG): The
center of gravity of the aircraft
depending on weight and balance of
the loads.
● CHILD: A passenger who is at least
two years of age but has not
reached their thirteenth birthday.
● CIRCUIT BREAKER : A
current-limiting device (a fuse) that
can be reset. A system used in
electrical circuits to prevent the
system from overloading.
● CLEARANCE: The approval given
for an airplane to fly the specified
route in the flight plan.
● CONCOURSE: A large hallway
which leads to the area where
aircraft are parked for passenger
boarding.
● CREW MEMBER: A qualified
individual assigned by an air carrier
for the performing of duties on an
airplane.
● CREW SCHEDULING: The
department that handles scheduling
of all flight crews.
● CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT: All
ground operations involving taxi,
takeoff, landing and all other flight
operations conducted below 10,000
feet.
● CRUISING ALTITUDE: The height
at which an aircraft flies for the
majority of flight after ascent and
before descent.
● DEADHEAD (DH): The
transportation of crewmembers from
one point to another to position for a
trip or return to home base.
● DECOMPRESSION: When the
cabin pressurization system has
failed and the atmosphere inside the
aircraft equals the air outside the
aircraft.
● DE-ICE: Removing ice from the
wings with warm air from the
engines, by inflation of "boots" on
the leading edge of aircraft surfaces,
or by chemical means on the
ground.
● DELAY: Occurs when a flight
operates behind schedule.
● DEPLANE: Term used to denote
customers leaving or exiting the
aircraft.
● DESCENT: The movement of an
aircraft from a higher to a lower
altitude.
● DIRECT FLIGHT: A flight,
regardless of the number of
intermediate stops, which normally
does not require transfer to another
aircraft.
● DISPATCH (DISP): Licensed
operators who have the
responsibility of scheduling and
monitoring all aircraft and crew.
● DITCHING: Term used for a water
landing and evacuation of an
aircraft.
● DOMICILE: An airline crew base.
● DON: To put on.
● DRAFT: Mandatory assignment of a
Flight Attendant to duty on a day off.
● DUTY TIME: The time a Flight
Attendant is on duty - includes prior
to scheduled depart time for flying
 sequence and extends for a period
after flying sequence ends.
● EGRESS: To go out or exit.
● EMPENNAGE: The tail assembly of
the aircraft.
● EN ROUTE: In flight when you are
on or along the way.
● EVACUATION: The emergency
movement of passengers from the
aircraft using all available exits.
● FERRY FLIGHT: A flight with no
passengers or cargo on board which
is made to position an aircraft for a
flight or to get it to its home base.
● FIRST OFFICER (FO): A pilot who
occupies the right seat.
● FLIGHT CREW MEMBER: term
used for pilots.
● FLIGHTDECK (COCKPIT): The
area from which the aircraft is flown.
● FLIGHT PLAN: A predetermined
plan to be followed during flight
based on the latest information
available on the route. It is submitted
to ATC prior to takeoff.
● FLOOR PROXIMITY LIGHTING,
PHOTOLUMINESCENT LIGHTING:
Floor path lighting system which
illuminates using "green
Photoluminescent Strips" to help
guide passenger to exits in a darken
cabin.
● FOREWARD (FWD): Toward the
front of the aircraft.
● FUSELAGE: main structure or
central section of an airplane that
houses the crew, passengers, etc.
● GALLEY: The area used for food
storage and service preparation.
● GATE: A holding area where
passengers wait prior to boarding
the aircraft.
● GEAR: The landing gear.
● HANGAR: A building where
airplanes are sheltered during
maintenance work and storage.
● HEADWIND: A wind blowing in such
a direction that the principal effect is
to reduce the ground speed of an
airplane in flight.
● HOLDING: A predetermined
maneuver that keeps an aircraft
within specific air space while
waiting to descend.
● HUBS: The connecting terminals
that are served by commuter and
major airlines of the same brand or
partnership.
● INITIAL OPERATING EXPERIENCE
(IOE): The time a Flight Attendant
trainee will fly under the supervision
of an Inflight Trainer.
● INBOARD: Nearest to the aisle.
● INCOMING CREW: The crew
coming in from a flight.
● INFANT: A passenger under two
years of age.
● INFLIGHT FINAL REPORT (IFR):
Print-out given to the flight attendant
with premium customer names and
other important information.
● INFLIGHT HAND-HELD DEVICE
(HHD): Electronic device used by
the flight attendant to inventory
liquor and food. The HHD is also
used to process credit card
transactions for onboard purchases.
● INOPERATIVE (INOP): Not
operating, not working.
● INTERMEDIATE STOP: A stop at a
city between the originating and
termination point/s.
● INTERPHONE: The phone used to
speak to the flight deck or crew
member.
● JUMPSEAT (JS) : A collapsible seat
designated for crewmembers or
authorized observers.
● LAYOVER: Crew rest break
between flight assigngnents usually
at an out station.
● LEG OF FLIGHT: A portion of a
flight series between stops.
● MAIN CABIN DOOR (MCD): The
aircraft door primarily used for
passenger boarding and deplaning.
● MINIMUM CREW: The smallest
number of Flight Attendant
crewmembers required by the FAA,
which is one working Flight
Attendant for each 50 seats on the
aircraft.
● NON-REVENUE (NON-REV): A
passenger traveling on a reduced
rate ticket or pass.
● NO SHOW (N/S): A passenger who
has confirmed reservations for a
flight but who does not use the
space reserved, and who does not
cancel their reservation.
● ON-LINE FLIGHT ATTENDANT: A
Flight Attendant actively working a
schedule.
● OPERATIONS (OPS): An office
located at all on-line airport stations
where crews obtain necessary flight
information.
● ORIGINATING FLIGHT: A flight that
is just beginning with a new flight
number.
● OUTBOARD: Furthest from the
aisle.
● OUTBOUND CREW: The crew
leaving on a flight.
● PER DIEM: Monies allotted crew
members to cover meal costs while
away from their home base.
● PiLOT: The person who operates
the controls of an airplane in flight.
● PILOT-IN-COMMAND (PIC): pilot
responsible for the operation and
safety of an aircraft during flight
time.
● PLACARD: An informational sign
designating the location of, or use of,
emergency equipment or exits.
● PRE FLIGHT: To check, test and
prepare for use of an aircraft, engine
or other piece of equipment prior to
flight.
● PRESSURIZATION: Air that is
compressed by the engines and fed
into the cabin to maintain a lower
cabin altitude than the aircraft is
actually flying.
● PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT (PA):
The public address system on board
an aircraft; or the announcements
given to passengers using the public
address system.
● PUSHBACK: The means of moving
an aircraft from a gate for departure.
● QUICK TURN (QT): Procedures
followed to reduce the ground time
of an aircraft when the flight is
behind schedule
● RADAR: Sends out radio impulses
to determine weather conditions
ahead of the aircraft.
● RAMP/TARMAC: The area in front
of the terminal where aircraft are
parked.
● REMAIN OVERNIGHT (RON): A
flying sequence which will keep a
crewmember away from his/her
base overnight.
● RESET: To return the system to the
standard position
● ROUTE SYSTEM: area in which an
airline flies on a regularly scheduled
basis.
● RUNWAY: A large expanse of ● TURN : A flight on which a Flight
concrete similar to a road, used by Attendant leaves and returns to
aircraft for takeoff and landing. his/her domicile without a layover
● SEAT ASSIGNMENT: Specific seats (only two legs of a flight).
assigned to passengers at the time ● UNACCOMPANIED MINOR (UM): A
they check in prior to boarding. child ages five through fourteen who
● SENIORITY: Length of service as a is traveling alone.
Flight Attendant which begins to ● WALK AROUND: The exterior
accrue at start of ground school. inspection of the aircraft by a flight
● SPACE AVAILABLE (SA): A crewmember done during preflight
passenger paying for a fare without and after each landing.
a guaranteed seat. ● WEIGHT & BALANCE: The
● STAR FLIGHT: The first flight of the placement of passenger and cargo
day for each aircraft. It is imperative on an aircraft to keep it in balance.
that this flight leaves on time.
● STATION MANAGER: A person in
charge of all station functions within
his/her station.
● STERILE FLIGHTDECK
(COCKPIT): Regulation that
prohibits flight crewmembers from
performing any duties during a
critical phase of flight except those
required for the safe operation of the
airplane.
● TAIL NUMBER: An identification
number painted on the tail section of
the aircraft.
● TAIL WIND: A wind blowing from
such direction that the principal
effect is to advance the ground
speed of an airplane in flight.
● TAXI: The movement of an aircraft
under its own power on the surface
of the airport.
● THRU PASSENGER: A passenger
traveling beyond the first stopping
point of a flight.
● TRIP PAIRING : A series of flights
that are grouped together to make
up a flying sequence.
● TURBULENCE: A weather condition
causing a bumpy ride, which may be
classified in several categories.