Peter J. Bruce spent nearly seventeen years as an operations controller in airline operations and has considerable first-hand experience and expertise in this environment. His PhD focused on operational decision-making in airlines and he has presented his work at domestic and international forums and conferences. Besides being chief editor of Airline Operations: A Practical Guide, he has written and published four other texts, including Understanding Decision-making Processes in Airline Operational Control (Ashgate, 2011). He is Deputy Chair in the Department of Aviation at Swinburne University of Technology, where he is an active researcher in the areas of airline operations, controller selection and training strategies, operational decision-making, and airline safety. He instigated and developed the highly popular Aviation Study Tour at Swinburne, conducting the first six global tours which took groups of students to visit key aviation organizations. Peter's teaching areas focus on aviation business and strategy, and airline planning and operations.

Yi Gao is the Aviation Undergraduate Course Director in the Department of Aviation, Swinburne University of Technology. As a researcher, his principle research areas include airline operations optimization, aviation safety, pilot selection, and pilot learning/cognitive styles. As a senior lecturer, he is currently teaching Aviation Regulation and Operation and the undergraduate capstone research project. As an aviation enthusiast, he holds an FAA Private Pilot license.

John M. C. King established a consultancy providing government relations services for airlines and the tourism industry after a twenty-year career in the airline industry. He also conducted several aviation sector reviews for international organizations including The World Bank, UNDP, and the UN World Tourism Organization. He has been Chairman of a stock exchange-listed company in the tourism sector, Chairman of the Travel Compensation Fund (a co-regulator of the travel agency industry), and he served for three and a half years as a Commissioner of the International Air Services Commission. John is involved in delivering postgraduate courses at Swinburne University of Technology and has served on the Board of Advice of the Institute of Transport and Logistic Studies at the University of Sydney. John is also a fellow of the Royal Geographic Society.

Part I Planning for Products and Customers *

John M. C. King *

Chapter 1 Regulatory Framework *

Ron Bartsch *

Chapter 2 Market, Product and Customer *

Rodney Williams *

Chapter 3 Business Strategy and Airline Models for Operating Managers *

John M. C. King *

Chapter 4 Network Design Strategies *

Markus Franke *

Chapter 5 Customer Points of Contact *

Gary Parker *

Chapter 6 Airport Infrastructure *

Christopher Jarvis *

Part II Planning for Operations *

Yi Gao *

Chapter 7 Operational Environment *

Stephen Angus *

Chapter 8 Operational Planning and Control *

Steve Buchanan *

Chapter 9 Crew Planning *

Patrick Fennell *

Chapter 10 Maintenance Planning *

Alan Swann *

Chapter 11 Airside Resource Planning *

Andrea Roberts *

Chapter 12 Facilitation: Immigration, Customs and Quarantine *

Samuel Lucas *

Part III Operating the Current Day *

Peter J. Bruce *

Chapter 13 Ramp Operations *

Matthew Franzi *

Chapter 14 Baggage Processes *

Rik Movig *

Chapter 15 Air Cargo Processes *

Nicholas Donnison *

Chapter 16 Aircraft Load Planning and Control *

Paul Avery *

Chapter 17 Dispatch and Flight Following *

Gene Kim *

Chapter 18 Operational Safety *

John Frearson *

Chapter 19 Operating a Flight: A Pilot's Perspective *

Nathan Miller *

Chapter 20 Operating a Flight: A Flight Attendant's Perspective *

Jamie Horswell *

Chapter 21 Operating a Flight: A Passenger's Perspective *

Frank Zimmermann *

Part 4 Operational Disruption Management, Performance, and the Future *

Peter J. Bruce *

Chapter 22 Operational Disruptions: Causes, Strategies, and Consequences *

Peter J. Bruce *

Chapter 23 Operational Disruption Management *

Charles Cunningham *

Chapter 24 Changes to the Operating Environment *

Mark Palmer *

Conclusion *

Index