Airline Business Plan Development: How to Operate a Successful Start-up or

Airline Business Plan Development:
How to Operate a Successful Start-up or
Established Airline
Friday 1st March 2013
London, UK
Hosted & Sponsored by
In Association with
Sponsored by
Media Partners
© Copyright 2013 Aeropodium. All rights reserved.
AGENDA
Friday 1st March 2013
8.30 Registration & Networking Coffee
Sponsored by
9.00 Opening Remarks
9.10 The Airline Industry
Dr. John Wensveen, President, Airline Visions
9.40 Trends, Challenges, and Strategies of the Global Airline Industry
Dr. John Wensveen, President, Airline Visions
10.10 Networking Coffee Break
Sponsored by
10.40 How to Start an Airline
Introduction to the airline industry
Generic vs. airline business plan
Common business plan mistakes
Non-disclosure agreement
Business introduction
Mission
Strategy
Market opportunity
Market demand levels
Route structure and schedule
Financial analysis and the Financial Model
Sales and promotion strategy
Aircraft operating strategy
Competition and competitive response
Management and support team
Risk factors
Invitation to participate
Certification
Steps to achieve success
Dr. John Wensveen, President, Airline Visions
© Copyright 2013 Aeropodium. All rights reserved.
12.00 Developments in Airline Pricing and Revenue Management
Dr. Nigel Dennis, Senior Research Fellow, Transport Studies Group, University of
Westminster
12.30 Networking Lunch Break
Sponsored by
13.40 Flight Planning - From Start up to Advanced
Thomas Schori, Area Manager Airline, Air Support
14.10 What distribution channels do you want to use?
Pros and Cons of Direct versus Indirect Sales
Will you sell through travel agents and if you do will you pay them commission?
Costs comparisons of different channels
Can you make more revenue in one channel versus another?
What sort of relationships will you have with other airlines?
Interline
Codeshare
What sort of technology will you need?
How much should you pay for it?
Which organisations will you need to do business with and what are their roles?
IATA
BSPs
GDSs
SITA/ARINC
Ian Tunnacliffe, Director of Business Development and Professional Services, Radixx
International
15.10 Networking Coffee Break
Sponsored by
15.30 From Plan to Implementation: Hits and misses
Jordan Karatzas, Administration Advisor, Olympic Airlines
16.30 An Overview of Operating Leases
Background and growth of the market for operating leases
Benefits for start-ups
Distinction from finance leases, dry and wet leases
Diego Garrigues, Senior Associate, Gates and Partners
17.00 Aviation Insurance
Jerry Flaxman, Jerry Flaxman Consulting
17.30 End of Workshop and Concluding Remarks
© Copyright 2013 Aeropodium. All rights reserved.
SPEAKERS
Dr. Nigel Dennis, Senior Research Fellow, Transport Studies Group, University of
Westminster
Nigel has worked in the Transport Studies Group for 24 years. Airline hub operations and
network planning has been Nigel’s primary research specialism. This was his PhD topic at
the University of Birmingham (1988). Subsequent research in this area has been conducted
for a wide variety of organisations including British Airways, AENA Spanish Airports, the
European Commission, BAA, DHL and Hochtief AirPort. Other air transport research
includes long-term traffic forecasts for the new Berlin-Brandenburg Airport and for regional
airports in the UK (as part of the DTI VANTAGE project), a market study for London City
Airport, an appraisal of airport forecasting methodologies for the New Oslo Airport, a study
of air transport in southern Europe for the European Commission, an examination of the role
of secondary airports for the Melbourne SE Airport Study, a review of airline fares within
Europe for the European Commission and an analysis of airport charges and airline
economics for Ryanair. Nigel is course leader for the MSc Air Transport Planning and
Management programme and is organiser of a number of annual aviation seminars and short
courses. He is also a member of the Aviation Economics and Forecasting committee of the
US Transportation Research Board and a programme committee member for the European
Transport Conference. Nigel has published a large number of articles and papers in industry
and academic journals and contributed to several books on air transport. Nigel also has a BSc
in Mathematics from Imperial College (1984) and an MSc with Distinction in Transport
Planning and Management from the Polytechnic of Central London (1985).
Jerry Flaxman, Jerry Flaxman Consulting
Jerry Flaxman has over 30 years experience in the Aviation insurance sector with prior
experience working as a light aircraft engineer for seven years. The eighteen years with
Willis as Claims Director, Client Services Director and Managing Director of the Space
Division give him a clear perspective of the broker role. Jerry left the broking side in 2000 to
join Holman Fenwick & Willan, a major City of London law firm, to develop their Aerospace
capability and three years later was invited to join Allianz Aviation as Senior Claims
Manager for the London operation.
In 2006 Jerry joined QBE as part of the senior management team to create a new Lloyd’s
Aviation Syndicate, 5555, as Claims and Business Development Manager.
Jerry is now Managing Director of Jerry Flaxman Consulting Limited, working as an
independent, specialist advisor on aviation and space insurance related matters.
Jerry is also a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Diego Garrigues, Senior Associate, Gates and Partners
Diego specializes on multijurisdictional aircraft transactions (purchases and sales, aircraft
financing including aircraft leasing). Acting for airlines, lenders, HNW and operators
advising on ownership structures, handling the drafting and negotiation of loan/lease
agreements, purchase agreements, security documentation and all ancillary documentation.
Diego’s expertise also includes commercial agreements including aircraft maintenance,
operating, and charter agreements. Whilst working as a legal counsel at Iberia Airlines in
Madrid, Diego handled commercial contracts, data protection and litigation cases including
criminal, civil and administrative cases, aviation losses, claims against airport
authorities/operators and air traffic control and day-to-day passenger injury claims.
© Copyright 2013 Aeropodium. All rights reserved.
Jordan Karatzas, Administration Advisor, Olympic Airlines
EDUCATION: Princeton University, Aeronautical Engineering, 1973
GRADUATE: Princeton University, Aeronautical Engineering, 1975
M.I.T., Aeronautical Engineering and Airline Operations, 1979
EXPERIENCE
PanAm
1975-1977 Manager- Network planning, Market development
1979-1983 Director- Pricing, Revenue Management
System Director- Sales & Marketing, Product, Customer Service and Loyalty
System Director-Strategic Planning, Divestments
1983-1986 Purolator Courier Manager, Express Cargo Services
Part of PanAm senior team recruited to set up and develop the air services of the theretofore
surface only courier. Purolator was later merged into Consolidated Freightways and
eventually absorbed by Emery.
1986-1989 Olympic Airways, Regional Managing Director, Americas
1989-1994 SH&E, Director
1993-1994 Alexander Proudfoot, VP, Airline practice
1994-1995 Olympic Airways, VP, Commercial
1995 General Director, Olympic Aviation
1996-1998 CEO, Olympic Airways Group
1999-2002 Altium Capital, Head, Corporate Finance
2002-2005 Olympic Investors, Managing Director, Airline investments
2006-2009 SkyEurope Airlines, Chairman of the Supervisory Board
2009-present: Olympic Airlines, Administrator Advisor
Wind up of Olympic Airlines, SA (Greece’s flag carrier) and maximize proceeds from the
disposal of the airline’s fleet of jet and turboprop aircraft.
Thomas Schori, Area Manager Airline, Air Support
Former career as a Boeing 737 line pilot. Is area manager with focus on sales to new Airline
operators as well as add-on sales to existing customers.
Joined the company in 2008.
Ian Tunnacliffe, Director – Business Development and Professional Services, Radixx
Solutions International
Ian Tunnacliffe has over 30 years of experience in the application of information technology
to the airline and wider travel industries. He has held management positions with British
Airways, Galileo, and Amadeus, overseeing both technical and commercial responsibilities in
those organisations. Prior to joining the technology research business Ian spent four years as
the principal of a consulting company, specializing in the use of IT in the travel industry.
During that time, he worked on projects with blue chip clients including British Airways, the
oneworld airline alliance, SITA, and Airtours PLC (now part of Thomas Cook Group plc).
For the last year he has worked in a business development role for leading airline IT supplier
Radixx International.
Ian has lived in the UK, Ireland, Kuwait and Spain and has spent extended periods working in
the USA. He holds a BSc in Applied Physics from University College London and an MBA
from the Open University Business School
© Copyright 2013 Aeropodium. All rights reserved.
Dr. John Wensveen, President & CEO, Airline Visions
Dr. John Wensveen is Global Head of Airline Services at Radixx International
(www.radixx.com) where he is responsible for building and overseeing the advisory services
division. Dr. Wensveen's previous role was as President of Airline Visions
(www.airlinevisions.com), an industry leading aviation advisory and futurist firm specializing
in business, strategy and marketing plans for new-entrant and established airlines.
Until June 2010, Dr. Wensveen was Dean, School of Aviation, at Dowling College in New
York where he was Chief Academic & Administrative Officer for the 120 acre Brookhaven
Airport campus.
Dr. Wensveen was one of the founding team members of Washington-Dulles based MAXjet
Airways. Until March 2005, he was Vice President & Senior Director of International
Development. While at MAXjet, he led partnership negotiations and set up of the European
infrastructure.
From 1999 to 2004, Dr. Wensveen was employed as Professor of Airline Management at
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University where he instructed airline management/operations
courses. He holds faculty positions at the University of Maryland University College
(UMUC), the University of the West Indies (UWI), and is a certified International Air
Transport Association (IATA) instructor.
Dr. Wensveen is an expert in airline management and concentrates on the development of
business and strategic plans for air carriers of all types and sizes ranging from low-cost
passenger airlines to air cargo carriers.
Dr. Wensveen publishes frequently in major aviation publications and is an aviation analyst
for the media. He is author of the industry’s leading aviation textbook entitled 'Air
Transportation: A Management Perspective' (Best Seller 2010, 2011) and is also author of
'Wheels Up: Airline Business Plan Development.'
Dr. Wensveen, born and raised in Vancouver, Canada, earned Ph.D. and M.Phil degrees in
International Air Transport/Business from the University of Wales Cardiff (UK) and a B.A.
in Geography/Transportation Land Use Planning from the University of Victoria (Canada).
He also earned a Certificate in Airline Finance and Accounting from IATA.
© Copyright 2013 Aeropodium. All rights reserved.