THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY

A BRIEF HISTORY OF GLOBAL AVIATION

The first successful flight of a manned aircraft occurred in 1783 when two French men floated 300 feet above Paris in a hot-air balloon. Important milestons in the history of aviation are shown in Figure 4-1.

EARLY AIRPLANES

The earliest planes were gliders-aircraft without engines. The first successful manned glider flight were made during the 1890s by pioneers such as Otto Lilienthal of German and Octave Chanute of the United States.

BETWEEN THE WARS

Organized airline service developed rapidly in Europe after World War I. At first, the airline used surplus warplanes. Then they began to incorporate newer model transport such as the trimotor. Government subsides accelerated the growth of airlines, and by 1921 Europe’s major cities were linked by ten airlines.

WORLD WAR II TO THE PRESENT

After the war these improvements were applied to the commercial planes. In 1947 Uniten Airlines and American Airlines inaugurated coast-to-coast united States service with the Douglas DC-6, a plane with the capacity of 55 passengers and a cruising speed of 300 miles per hour at 20.000 feet.

TYPES OF AIRCRAFT

Aircraft will be described in two ways; by type of engine and by purpose.

Engine Type:

- Jet aircraft

- The turbojet

- Propeller-driven airplanes

- Turboprop engines

Purpose:

- Short haul flights

- Short to medium range flights

- Long haul flights

- Special purpose

THE BOEING COMPANY

Boeing is the world’s leading manufacturer of airplanes for commercial travel. It was founded in 1916 only 13 years after the Wrights brother made their first flight. In those days airplanes were still very crude handmade machines. William E. Boeing the son of a wealthy lumber company owner took up flying as a hobby when he was 34. He quickly became dissatisfied with the planes he was flying an ddecided he could build a better plane himself.

From the 1930s to the present the Boeing Company has continue to develop new, improve airplnes, both for commercial and for the military.

TYPES OF AIR SERVICE

AIR CARRIER AVIATION

Air carrier aviation consist of privately owned companies that produed for hire transportation of passengers, cargo, and mail.

GENERAL AVIATION

General aviation applies to all civilian aircraft except those used by the commercial airlines. In ters of revenue, general aviation is a far less important than air carries aviation. In terms of number of aircraft, however, it is of far greater significance.

AIRPORTS:

TRANSPORTATION

TERMINALS FOR

THE SKIES

TYPES OF AIRPORTS

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classifies United States civilina airport into two types; air carrier airports and general aviation airports. Air carrier airports numbering aproximately 570, are used by the airplanes scheduled airlines the major, nationals, and regionals. Air carrier airports can also serve general aviation aircraft, especially corporate airplanes. The 12.400 general aviation airports often unpaved and unlighted serve all types of aircraft, except scheduled airline planes.

AIRPORT OWNERSHIP

For airports, very few airlines own and operate the airports theyserve. Instead, they rent space. The majority of airports are small, privately owned facilities.

Airports often enter into a contract with a fixed-base operator (FBO). The FBO sells fuel, rents hangar space to aircraft owners, provides maintenance and repairs, and gives flying lesson. The FBO pays rent (and usually a percentage of revenue) to the airport.

AIRPORT LOCATION

Because of the space reqouired by runways, even the smallest airport needs four acres of land. Medium sized airports require 500 to 1.500 acres, while large airport require 15.000 acres. The Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, the largest airport in the United States, covers 17.500 acres of land more than 27 square miles.

THE LAYOUT OF AN AIRPORT

Airport vary in layout depending on their size and the time they were built. Early airports were far simpler in design than those built today.

The Terminal Building is the heart of the airport complex. It is the place where passengers purchase or present their tickets. Check in or retrieve baggage, and board an airplane or deplane.

Other parts of an Airport; in addition to the passenger terminals and parking lots, major airports have the following areas;

- The cargo terminal

- The control tower

- Hangars

- Runways

- The loading apron

- Taxiways

AIRPORTS AND ROUTE STRUCTURE

An airline route is the path an airplane takes in delivering its services. Airports are the delivery points along the path. To make the efficient use of their airplanes, airline managers plan routes carefully, using three main patterns or srtuctures.

When an airplane flies to a destination in one direction and then turns around and repeats the flight in the opposite direction, it has complete a linear route.

On a hub-and-spoke route, a major airpoprt becomes the center point for arrival from and departures to all directions. The airport is like the hub of a wagon wheel; the smaller airports that surround it form the rim; and the flights that connect the hub and the rim are the spokes.

SECURITY AT AIRPORTS

While international airports have become global crossroads, they have also become killing grounds for disputes half a world away. Bombings, shootings, an hijackings have prompten governments and airport officials to tighting security at international airports.

Following the terrorist hijacking of a TWA jet shortly after take off from Athens in June 1985, the FAA imposed stricter security measures, focusing on through inspection of passenger baggage. Individual airports have instituted further precautions such as requiring all passengers to pass through mtal detector before boarding.

Some have also hired security coordinatosr to monitor the servicing and loading of planes and to use dogs to sniff out explosives. At some airports, police in armored trucks meet and dispatch airplanes from nations associated with terrorists.

Some analysists predict that airports of the future will be located in isolated areas surrounded by electrified barbed-wire fences. Terminals may be designed so that passengers funnel through checkpoints. Lockers, rest rooms, restaurants, and other potential hiding places may be placed behind secure checkpoints.