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Let me recommend another blog to read when you're not reading this one. William S. Swelbar, a research engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has started a new blog, www.Swelblog.com, which is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the airline industry and its issues. The blog is backed up by reams of analytical information from MIT's airline data site. As I told Mr. Swelbar today, it told me things I didn't know, and I'm supposed to know this stuff. It won't be welcome reading for airline managements that aren't doing a good job running their companies or labor groups wanting to get more money from employers who don't have much to give. But it should be required reading. Mr. Swelbar, who works in MIT's International Center for Air Transportation, wrote in his Oct. 1 introduction: I did not start this blog to win friends or influence anyone. I’m a data guy, and I’ve been studying the industry long enough to come up with some strong opinions . . . many of which aren’t popular in either boardrooms or union halls. My approach is analytical because, in my view, the numbers don’t lie. As another numbers nerd, I applaud |
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Comments
Posted by Jim O'Connell @ 5:21 PM Thu, Nov 01, 2007
I see you're listed as a "faculty" member at MIT.
Does MIT sign your checks?
What courses are presently teaching at MIT?
What courses have you taught at MIT in the past?
Do you plan on getting a PhD?
Do you plan to become an Associate Professor and then seek full Professorship status with your MIT "employer"?
Research is fundamental to academic credentials, specifically for a prestigious institution like MIT. Would you please link me to some of the "research" you done, to support your "academic" credentials?
Posted by Terry Maxon @ 3:48 PM Mon, Oct 15, 2007
Let's stipulate that almost all people we quote in stories have some ties to the industry.
Aviation consultants make their money studying industry isuses and then giving advice. Sometimes that advice is given in courts or before Congress in advocacy positions.
Wall Street analysts make their living from their recommendations, with the idea that the ones that make the best recommendations are rewarded over time for being smart.
Many academics are hired as consultants. I'm not going to dismiss the quality of Mr. Swelbar's analysis because he offered his expertise to one side or the other in a dispute. Otherwise, I'd have to dismiss most people in the industry from being qualified to comment on any given situation.
Posted by Wylie H, @ 3:33 PM Mon, Oct 15, 2007
Mr. Swelbar has previously been closely aligned with American Airlines, and a lot of his testimony in front of Congress with respect to the Wright Amendment was highly questionable.
I'll keep an open mind, but it's important to avoid being naive when it comes to these pre-existing relationships.
Posted by Carmen Villani @ 10:29 PM Fri, Oct 12, 2007
In regard to PlaneWatcher's comment of access to a "neutral source," I am reminded of the saying -- "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink." The question then arises of whether pilots will choose the trough which all-too-often consists of emotion ["Enjoy your blood money...see you in court, in the newspapers, and on the picket line."], rhetoric ["Even if we (pilots) were to work for free..."], and entitlement ["I," excuse me, "We are worth it"] that emanates from APA headquarters or the one consisting of facts, logic, and economic reality created by an institution of higher learning such as MIT?
Posted by PlaneWatcher @ 5:30 PM Fri, Oct 12, 2007
Finally... a neutral source backed up with real data.
Whodathunkit?
Posted by Carmen Villani @ 4:56 PM Fri, Oct 12, 2007
I first had the pleasure of meeting Bill Swelbar years ago when he did a study on the regional jet and its impact to the airline industry. The title of that study was Proposition RJ: An Alliance to Enhance Airline Competition. As this study pointed out, any labor issue can only be successfully resolved if there is "constructive dialogue between management and labor -- dialogue that can only be constructive if the participants are fully aware of all of the implications -- competitive, economic and workforce..." It goes on to further stress the far-reaching impact labor negotiations have on "consumers" and "communities." In my view, both the executives at AA and the union officials at APA are falling well short in applying these important guidelines.
Congratulations Bill with your new position. I hope pilots will take the time to review the extensive amount of data you have provided. Going back to a previous post of a pilot seeking a source for pilot cost/productivity data, I highly recommend the MIT website. For those looking for another source of information, you can go to www.bts.gov ; click on Data & Statistics; under Data Finder by Mode, click on Aviation; then click on Form 41 financial data; scroll down to and click on Schedule P51 [salary], Schedule P6 [benefits], or Schedule P10 [employee count].