Self Reflective Essay Growing up I was always fascinated with airplanes and the flying world, so from a very young age I knew that I was going to pursue a career as an airline pilot. Over the years my passion for aviation continued to grow and I was extremely thrilled to finally make my dream a reality when I enrolled in the aviation program here at the University of Oklahoma. Coming into the program I had very little knowledge of aviation as a whole, but I did know that the aviation world was coming to a point where the need for commercial pilots was beginning to increase dramatically. I even got to speak with a few Delta and American pilots this summer and all of them said, “we need more young people to step up and become pilots or …show more content…
I knew that in order to become a pilot you definitely needed to know how to fly a plane, and to get an internship with an airliner you need to have the grades; however, I never considered taking into account getting involved with the community and the aviation program in order to make your resume stand out. Every guest speaker and alumni pilots of the aviation program talked about how getting they got involved with programs like SAC, NIFA, or just helping out with aviation events really helped them get a job with an airliner since it was another item they could add to their resume. As the semester continued I decided that it would be a huge resume builder to join a few of these organizations like SAC and even getting to help with the aviation festival because it was rewarding to see how much kids loved airplanes and how one day they would become a pilot so it reminded me a lot of me when I was a young boy. Also joining SAC this year was incredible since I got to meet so many new people in the aviation program as well as going down to Dallas to see the American Airlines training center since one of my possible goals is to work for American Airlines one day, but also getting my name out to recruiters and hearing them say that they will be scouting me shortly made me literally almost pass out and getting to represent the aviation department was worth every …show more content…
Justin’s speech quickly grabbed my attention because he too had the same dream like me where he came to the University of Oklahoma and hoped that one day he would become an airline pilot; however, he still found happiness in the aviation world by being an operations manager and that’s certainly not an area I’ve considered about working for. I found that Justin’s job was way more complicated than I thought it was because I thought as an operations manager you just had to handle small parts of the airport. Instead, he handles literally every part of the airport from the gates, which aircraft is in services and which ones are in repair, handling delays, and even helping employees load up cargo and luggage on and off the aircraft. After hearing everything that he does, I thought to myself “I would never want to do his job”, but I surprised to hear that he absolutely loved his job as operations manager. Considering the fact that he got a job with Southwest Airlines I knew that they loved to have fun with their employees, yet one thing he said was that it wasn’t just about having fun with the employees, but also with the passengers. As Justin would go on to explain the
Southwest Airlines is one of the most successful airlines in the United States. There has never been layoffs or strikes in the history of the company, although there were several times when layoffs could have been justified, including the months following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. However, Southwest's Mission statement says “Above all, Employees will be provided the same concern, respect, and caring attitude within the organization that they are expected to share externally with every Southwest Customer.” (Southwest, 1988). The Airline has always believed that their corporate culture is one of the keys to their success. The culture recognizes that employees have emotional intelligence and that their attitudes and morale are key to the teamwork and creative environment.
I. Introduction Southwest Airlines has come from an underdog to being one of the best airlines in the industry. This reputation translates from its strategic management of resources. The Co-founder and former CEO, Herb Kelleher, established a unique corporate culture that leads to high customer satisfaction, employees’ morale, and is one of the most profitable airlines in the industry (Jackson et al., 2012). Corporate culture concentrates on empowering the workforce. It shows through Southwest Airlines core values that “happy employees lead to happy customers, which create happy shareholders” (Jackson et al., 2012).
Economics plays a huge role in the airline industry. For Southwest, the CEO states that they kicked off a “low fare revolution” back forty-five years ago when the company began. It was their goal to make flying affordable and convenient for the average man; flying was no longer going to be just for the elite. According to CEO Gary Kelly when Southwest Airline originated “only 15 percent of Americans had traveled by plane” (The Low-Fare Revolution). That number has currently risen to more than 85 percent of the United States population, with a large part of the credit going to Southwest Airline. All of this being said, one author notes that since
In 1978, deregulation removed government control over fares and domestic routes. A slew of new entrants entered the market, but within 10 years, all but one airline (America West), had failed and ceased to exist. With long-term growth estimates of 4 percent for air travel, it's attractive for new firms to service the demand. It was as simple as having enough capital to lease a plane and passengers willing to pay for a seat on the plane. In recent news, the story about an 18-yr British...
If the short haul passenger was the backbone of Southwest Airlines success, then their 737s were the lifelines that supported it. By choosing the 737 as the airplane for all of Southwest's flights, the company saved time and resources in training its employees. The crew could be easily substituted for one another due to the extensive training on the 737. Low costs and, therefore, low fares are an enormous competitive advantage, when combined with their high-quality and loyal workforce. A very unique culture was found at Southwest Airlines among all of its employees.
Southwest Airlines Company (SAC) has turn out to be a shining example not only in the airline industry, but in the business world as a whole. At the heart of the carrier, their vision and mission statements have been diligently working to turn a dream into reality by becoming the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline, as well as be dedicated to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit, respectfully (Investor Relations, 2015). As a Fortune 500 company, SAC employs over 49,000 personnel to provide first-rate service more than 100 million customers annually. They credit much of their success to its triple bottom line approach
While at Georgia Tech the September 11, 2001 attacks took place making my commitment to the Air Force from one of paying back my scholarship to one of service to my country and defense of my nation. After four rigorous years I received a commission in the United States Air Force to fly F-15E Strike Eagles as a Weapons Systems Operator (WSO). As a WSO I have tw...
The promotion of employees from within is a fact and testament of their successful development and training program. Southwest Airlines has a program designed to strategically developed managers in an intensive Manager-in-Training program that prepares them for the next level. The university is the umbrella for training and development for Southwest since 9/11 which has focused on enhancing its curriculum to help employees achieve their goals. Southwest Airlines provides a Career Development Group that helps employees focus on personal and career growth. This is accomplished by working on a component that will align the employee’s personal development needs and strengths so they can grow more. It also encompasses a skills assessment that’s structured toward helping employees align their degree to a specific job within the company. As stated before, Southwest’s purpose is designed to encourage employee fulfillment and by their Career Development services help them become more fulfilled in their jobs. According to their philosophy, Southwest Airlines hires for attitude and trains for skills. This is why they have become a company with high retention rates. Southwest Airlines is voted “the best place to work” for a simple reason. The company invests in their employees and are committed to their values and
Since the Jet Age, airlines have been entering and existing the airline industry. Some have been in business since the very beginning. For example, United airlines was founded almost twenty-five years before the jet age took off, and due to an incredible amount of money that the airline had by being one of the first airlines predating the Jet Age, was able to buy new jets and assert itself as one of THE giants of air travel by the late 1950’s. But the introduction of new technology paved the way for issues regarding externalities, and production of these new technologies. ("Assessing the external environment - Responding to a changing external business environment - United Airlines | United Airlines case studies and information | The Times 100", n.d., p. 1) The beginning of the Jet Age offered an intense opportunity for new firms to open or expand, producing new products from jet engines to structural parts, from radar technology, to reclining seats. According to research done by the Air Transportation Action Group, “It has been estimated the airline industry supports a grand total of 29 million jobs” (Hanlon, 2007, p. 1). This statistic proves how dependent the world is on the airline industry, for jobs and travel, as well as r...
The civil aviation world consists of two categories according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA): scheduled airline service and general aviation (FAA, n.d.). The Aviation industry as we know it today was born from General Aviation (GA), and both their histories are inextricably linked. People’s ambition to fly stretches back to ancient times, of tales and legends passed down from Greek civilizations, and a passionate drive to master the sky. It is in this same spirit that GA currently resides. The enthusiasm people have for aviation is arguably, unrivalled. There’s a strong sense of camaraderie within the GA industry, a sense of bravado that lends itself to any such death defying occupation. The current GA industry is comprised of two parts: Private operators, described as those who fly without compensation and Charter operators, describes as those who operator for compensation (FAA, n.d.). As of today, general aviation makes up more than 1 percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product and supports almost 1.3 million high-skilled jobs in professional services and manufacturing and hence is an important component of the aviation industry and the economy as a whole (AOPA, n.d.).
Flying thousands of feet up in the sky is a dream of many young children, but very few actually end up as a pilot when they grow up. Commercial airline pilots will always be needed, but many people do not even think about choosing this as a career. Pilots have extremely important jobs. They must fly people place to place with no problems while at the controls of thousands of pounds of metal and flammable fuel, not to mention the many passengers. A pilot’s job is very risky, but it is also very rewarding.
The path to becoming an aerospace engineer is a rigorous one,
Have you ever wondered what it 's like to have your office 30,000 feet above the ground?Aviation is a career for those interested in working with computers and the airplane.whether working on the ground preparing for a flight or in the air transporting people to their destinations pilots are always busy traveling around the world. Pilot don 't only transport people around the world but also cargo. Although being an Airline pilot is a thrilling career it takes many years of learning, experience, and licensing all in which factor into a wide variety of different work atmospheres.
When I look at how mankind has evolved over years, it amazes me. My career goal is to become a mechanical engineer. I aspire to become skilled enough to create mechanics, which will improve people’s lives. I come from a very hardworking family. As the first son,a lot is expected from me to set good examples for my younger brothers.
My journey into the Air Force begins in a similar manner to many fighter pilots my age. It all started with a small movie from 1986, “Top Gun”. As a five year old watching fighters streak across the screen, I was hooked. I realized quickly that the Air Force would be the place that I could pursue that dream. However, while I was still in school, our nation was attacked on September 11th and my motivation was completely changed. Going to college in New Jersey just a short train ride from the Twin Towers, I knew many who had lost friends and family in the attacks. No longer was my commissioning and career selection about a self-interested dream. With the clarity of retrospection, I can recognize that the driving element was the desire to serve. While in college, I had the occasion to enter our main campus building where the names of all the students who died in service to the nation are inscribed on the walls. Walking in that hall always filled me wit...