- Controlling Aircraft Movements
- Airfield Operations Tower
- From Check-in to Take Off – The Passenger’s Perspective
- Examine tickets and passports
- Weigh and label luggage to be stowed in the aircraft hold
- Check hand baggage is within allowed dimensions and weight
- Allocate seats and issue boarding cards with details f each passenger’s seat number
Linked computer software allows airlines and handling agents to identify, share and check information about passengers and baggage. Some holiday operators have dedicated check-in halls for their customers, and some airlines offer separate check-in facilities for certain classes of ticket holders, for example business class, first class, economy.
- Baggage reconciliation – A security system, which links the boarding card barcode to the luggage barcode. This ensures that every piece of luggage loaded in the hold relates to a boarded passenger. Any luggage not check off against a boarded passenger is removed prior to take off.
- Baggage sortation IATA code reading. This provides a unique barcode for each piece of luggage so that it is possible to read labels from different airports to enable onward direction of baggage and tracing of baggage throughout its entire journey.
- The hold baggage screening system – Automatically checks each piece of baggage for suspicious objects before loading. £25 million has been allocated to upgrade operations over a number of years to ensure that the Airport has the facilities to handle the expected growth in passenger numbers.
- After checking in, passengers can browse around the shops and amenities on the landside of the Airport. Visitors to the Airport can use these landside facilities too. Passengers then pass through to airside departure lounges where there are more shops, and places to eat and drink.
- When flights are ready for boarding, an announcement appears on the many screens around the departure lounges. Passengers make their way to the appropriate gate and, after a final inspection of passports and boarding cards, they walk down enclosed walkways called air bridges to the aircraft to take their seats. In very busy periods aircraft may have to park on a remote stand a short distance away from the terminal, and in these cases , passengers are taken to their aircraft by a short bus journey.
- There are huge varieties of shops at Manchester Airport, from familiar names to exclusive retailers. Landslide shops are open to everyone, but those beyond security control are for passengers only, because they offer tax-free and duty-free goods.
- In 1999 they were changes to the duty-free and tax-free laws that apply to the EU countries. Passengers travelling to a destination within the EU can still buy goods tax-free, with a wide range of goods being available at lower than high street prices.
- Passengers travelling to a county outside the EU can also buy goods tax-free plus liquor, tobacco and pure perfume, which are classed as duty-free items
The Airport recognises that passengers travelling with children have special needs to provide facilities such as:
- Toddler’s high chair
- Bottle warmer
- Padded changing mat
- Specially designed chair for nursing mothers
There is a play centre in the Departure Lounge of Terminal 1 which is open 24 hours a day. The area is unstaffed, so a responsible adult is required to remain with the child at all times.
There are many other specialist services available at the Airport. Tourist information centres can help with finding accommodation in a wide variety of hotels around the Airport or further afield in Manchester city centre and the North West. There are a number of car hire companies who can arrange vehicle rental for travelling from the Airport or touring, and three Left Luggage Offices, one in each terminal. Additionally hairdressing, dry cleaning, fax, photocopying and office services are available to meet passenger’s needs
- Places for Contemplation and Prayer
There are two prayer rooms for use by all cultures, religions and beliefs, with symbols of six world faiths displayed outside. To respect individual’s beliefs, there are no religious symbols inside either of the prayer rooms, apart from the “Quibla” sign, indicating the direction of Mecca. Groups may bring their own symbols for any services they may wish to hold.
The finance department handles all of the money going in and out of the business. The bills are paid here. They keep all accounts, pay their employee’s wages and buy all materials for operations.
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Wages and Salaries – The payment of wages and salaries for Manchester Airport plc staff if handled by the Payroll Section which is part of one of the other Group companies, Manchester Airport Aviation Services (MAAS), and is located on the Airport site. They have databases which hold all the information about employees, these include things such as:
Name
Address
- National Insurance Number
- Starting Salary
Salary Scale
With this information they are able to calculate the amount to be paid and deductions such as NI payments, pensions, tax, and union subscription.
A lot of the staff at Manchester Airport are salaried, that is their payments are based on an annual figure, but the employees are paid on a monthly basis. The airport does not pay cash but prefers to make a monthly or weekly Bank Automatic Clearing System (BACS) this means that the money is directly paid into the employee’s bank accounts. To comply with legal requirements a slip confirming this payment is given to each member of staff.
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Obtaining Capital and Resources – Cash flow is vital to the smooth running of any organisation and as air travel is seasonal it is important to ensure that there are always sufficient funds available to ensure day-to-day operations are maintained. Manchester airport has a Treasury Department, this invests surplus funds on a short-term basis and supplies funds when required by other departments within the Airport Group.
It is the responsibility of this department to judge what cash flow are and wha6t funds will be required on a daily basis. The Treasury Department models cash flow projections over 10, 20 and 25 year periods using project passenger numbers and including factors such as inflation, both national and global.
In the main Manchester Airport is a self-financing organisation, this is, it usually makes a profit. As a result of this it is able to either pay a dividend to its shareholders, (the ten Local Councils of Greater Manchester) or re-invest any surplus funds into a new capital projects or other developments in order to make Manchester Airport “The Airport of Choice” for customer and passengers. Before the relaxation of Government borrowing controls, the Airport’s funding for capital projects was provided from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) and the investment of profits, which would have otherwise been paid as dividends to its shareholders.
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The Role Of The Managements Accounts Section – The Divisional Accountancy Section is part of Manchester Airport plc’s financial management function. Management Accounts provide regular financial information for managers to control the Company’s income and costs. Accounts are produced each month in the form of a Profit and Loss account and Balance Sheets. These are measure against the budgets for the period, with any variations analysed and explained.
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Preparing Accounts – Each year the Manchester Airport Group produces an annual report which describes the main areas of activity during the previous financial year, its plans for the future, a breakdown of the accounts and a description of accounting methods used. Legally the annual report must contain the following.
- Director’s Report
- Auditor’s Report
- Statement of accounting policies
- Profit and Loss Account
- Balance Sheets
- Cash Flow Statement
- Notes to the Financial Statements
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Employees Costs – Due to the seasonal nature of operations staffing levels in many companies at the Airport vary throughout the year. IN the busy summer months extra staff are employed on short-term contracts, a number of whom are part-time to cover the peak travel times between 6am and 9am and again at 5pm and 8pm.
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Fixed Costs – The fixed costs of an organisation remain the same whatever the level of business. For the Airport this means that costs such as insurance, business rates and telephone line rental are the same whether there are 20,000,000 or 2,000,000 passengers. It is therefore prudent to attempt to minimise these costs as much as possible and to maintain a careful check each year to ensure that fixed costs do not increase dramatically.
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Variable Costs – Some organisational costs are dependant upon the amount of business activity. For example, more flights out of the Airport mean that more aircraft fuel will be needed; more passengers mean more refreshments are required. Such costs are, to some extent, controllable by the organisation and particular attention is paid to monitoring and control in order to ensure that money is spent cautiously but efficiently.
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Stock Control – Stock levels and purchasing can have considerable impact on the financial performance of any organisation. Costs may be reduced by receiving discounts for bulk purchasing. However, it may not be practical or financially viable to buy in large quantities. For example. The substantial payment required for a bulk purchase maybe be negatively affect the working capital.
This department finds suitable people for the job. Within the business, interviews are carried out, Employment law, recruitment and selection. This department also looks out for employee’s viewpoints, wages and the welfare of employees.
- Recruitment
- Sickness
- Training and Development
- Miscellaneous, for example, contains the following policies:
- Redeployment Policy and Process
- Dignity at work Policy
- Employees as Carers Policy
- The Data Protection Act
- Contact with the media – Guidance Note
- Investors in People
- Policy for Damaged Clothing and Property
- Claims for Damaged Clothing and Property
- Policy on Email, Intranet and Internet use
- Capital Benefit Through Personal Accident and Travel Insurance
- Long Service Award Procedure
- Policy on Age Equality
- Policy and Procedure on other Work
- Policy on Private Purchasing
- Retirement Note
For each of these sections contains between 5 – 16 separate policies covering specific areas. The documents outline the policy, rules, procedures etc. for line managers to interpret and apply themselves as appropriate.
The Human Research Manager works closely with the Managing Director of Manchester Airport plc and senior managers to develop HR strategies which will support the achievement of the business aims.
However not all of the HR activity is decentralised. The company has reached a single table bargaining Agreement with the recognised trade unions and all issues of pay, terms and conditions of employment and changes to employee contracts of employment are discussed at regular communication meetings, which are chaired by the Managing Director of Manchester Airport plc and attended by the HR Manager and TU Representatives.
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Recruitment and Selection – Recruitment is the process of attracting new people into an organisation. Selection is the process of selecting the best person who “fits” the position, according to merit. Managers work closely with the Human Resources team to consider how vacancies can be filled in a cost-effective way with a person best suited for the job. A series of policies and procedures have been developed, including policy which provides guidance for recruiting individuals to a variety of contracts, including the following:
- Secondment
- A temporary contract
- A fixed-term contract
- A permanent basis
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Manchester Airport Recruitment Policy – The policy applies to the Manchester Airport Group and its aim is to enable managers to meet business objectives by resourcing the job with the best person to do the work and to meet corporate equal opportunities objectives.
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Scope of the Policy – The guidelines within the policy apply to every method of recruiting people to carry out work for the Company or as an employee of the Company. Therefore, the recruitment of individuals whether on a temporary, permanent or fixed-term contract basis is within the scope of the policy. It is not intended to cover the use of contractors, consultants or agency staff who are brought in to complete specific tasks or projects as part of the Company’s work plans and who are not paid via the Company’s payroll.
- The policy contains the following
- Advertising
- Eligibility to apply for vacancies
- Selection process
- Equal opportunities monitoring
- Appeal arrangements
- Releasing employees for internal transfers/promotions/ secondments.
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Phases of Recruitment - In summary the seven phases of recruitment are:
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Phase one: Define Recruitment Requirements Review Job Description and Person Specification
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Phase Two: Advertise the Vacancy.
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Phase Three: Check Eligibility Criteria.
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Phase Four: Screen Applications.
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Phase Five: Conduct Recruitment Interviews. Check references for successful candidate.
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Phase Six: Appoint Candidate.
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Phase Seven: Induct new employee.
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Standards and Conditions At Manchester Airport – High standards are important at MA in many different ways. Facilities have to be meet health and safety requirements, employees have to follow the standards of the organisation in areas such as dress and timekeeping and employers have to maintain good personnel records. Some of these standards are required by law and others are laid down internally. The point about all of them is that they help to create working environment, which is fair for everyone and protects their rights.
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Training – Training and development is considered essential if employees are to gain the relevant knowledge and skills to help them in their roles. Job descriptions are vital here. As part of the performance review process managers are require to review the skills, knowledge and experience needed to undertake the role and to discuss these with the post holders. This forms part of the performance review where each individual required to identify personal development objectives against which he/she will be measured at the end of the year. As soon as all of the performance reviews have been completed, a summary of the training requirements will be sent to the Business Training Manager as a departmental Training Plan. This is then collated into the Corporate Training Plan for the Year. This provide the opportunity to offer in-house, generic courses, such as report writing and budgeting plus identifying job specific courses, usually off-site and delivered by external training providers, for small numbers of employees, for example, environmental legislation updates. Manchester Airport plc is recognised as an Investor in People Organisation and its commitment to good employment practices is enshrined in its Fair Deal Policy, on the basis that a fair deal for employees means a fair deal for customers. The principles promote the fair treatment and development of existing employees as well as incorporating its equal opportunities and diversity aspirations as a major service provider to a diverse customer base.
Price, Promotion, Place and Product. Also this department helps to sell specific products to the general public, they handle all of the advertisement, also market research, packaging and PR sales promotion.
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Role – It is the role of marketing to promote the Airport and its products to specific target markets to ensure hat business objectives as detailed in the Company-wide business plan are achieved. The department works directly with the Aviation Business Development Department in developing relationships and business with key customers of airlines and tour operators. In addition, Marketing is also responsible for increasing the awareness and appeal as potential business partner to airlines and tour operators. In addition, Marketing is also responsible for increasing the awareness and appeal as potential business partner to airlines and tour operators around the world.
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Structure – The Marketing department is split into four key sections:
- To provide a key contact for travel trade partners who sell flights and holidays from Manchester such as: travel agents, call centres, trade bodies and reservations staff. Regular communication and education of these groups means that they are always aware of what Manchester has to offere and will be best placed to sell airlines and tour operators Manchester capacity
- Research and supply market intelligence covering sales performance of agents, market trends and competitor activity.
- Commercial Marketing and Brand Management
- To increase the sales and marketing performance of Manchester’s airline and tour operators through the creation, implementation of marketing programmes.
- To develop new distribution channels and fully exploit new technology to benefit key aviation partners in the distribution of their capacity from Manchester e.g. website development, managements of existing website and content.
- Develop the Manchester Airport brand and appeal to encourage tour operators, airlines and travellers to fly from Manchester Airport.
- Develop relationships with key airlines and tour operators marketing personnel so that Manchester benefits through increases in passengers and route development.
- Identify and manage the implementation of the corporate needs of the organisation, covering all marketing communications activity including print/ digital production, advertising, promotion, exhibitions and presentations etc.
- Provide a full marketing communications production service to all internal departments and to the Manchester Airport Group including: retail, ground transport, cargo, community relations, Human Resources and associated companies
- Develop and implement the Arts sponsorship strategy.
- To enhance the cultural product and standing of the region, contributing to the attractiveness of Manchester Airport and the region as an inbound destination with a reputation for artistic excellence
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Promotional Campaign – The price Point Campaign is an example of how Manchester Airport is promoted. The tools used are specific to the target audience and the communication objectives to be achieved.
Customer care/ service: this involves answering phones, dealing with complaints, mail, photocopying faxing, filing, letter reports, paper work.
Collecting information together and applying the results to the business this is very useful. Develops market research competitors trail need products prototype.
Responsibility for the implementation of long planning and development strategies lies with Planning and Environment. The group’s main role is to help Manchester Airport to grow. Sustainable development is all about balancing the benefits of the Airport’s growth with effects on the environment and local people.
Much of the work carried out by Planning and Environment is long term. The Airport’s future plans run up to 2015. it is important that national, regional and local planning policy supports the future sustainable growth of the Airport. At a local level, this means that the Airports planners work closely with regional agencies and local authorities.
Environment issues are very important and are shaping the future growth of the Airport. Manchester Airport takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and has established policies and practices that are now standard practice at most of the UK’s major airports. The Environment team provides noise, aircraft track, air quality, ecological and water quality monitoring services.
Manchester Airport believes that how passengers and staff get to and from the Airport is important. The Airport is working on a number of projects to increase the use of public transport. Significant investments have been made in new facilities such as the new £69 million station development. This new facility brings together rail, buses, coaches and the metro link all together in one single complex. In 1991 Manchester Airport set a target that by 2005, 25% of all journeys would be made by public transport, Good progress is being made. A Green Commuter Plan was launched in 1998. This strategy is to subsidised bus services, a cycle centre, car sharing and working from home.
Product Development is a new department, whose role is to deliver products and services that meet the needs of airlines and passengers in the most cost effective manner thus offering a competitive advantage to the Airport’s customers, in short, to enhance the Airport’s “experience”.
This team has two main areas of activity:
- The Product Development Team – Identifies new technologies or processes that would benefit the Airport, either by generating new income or by making cost savings. It develops them from a concept, through design, costing and gaining Board approval, development and implementation, right to the point where the product or service is launched to the customer.
- The Product Planning Team – Uses sophisticated computer modelling and research techniques to plan future capacity in terminal, runway and apron design. Their research includes passenger behaviour such as how long they wait in an area, and airline behaviour. When a new airline starts a service from the Airport the team determines which terminal the service will operate from and, depending on the time of day it arrives and departs, capacity within the building, and the size of the aircraft, whereabouts it can be parked.
- Aviation Business Development Department (Sales)
The function of this department is to develop and maintain relationships with its business partners, the airlines, tour operators, cargo operators and industry and governing bodies. This is done at all levels, establishing links in: head offices around the world, regional offices in either the UK or Europe, local sales offices in Manchester, and with their operational teams based at the Airport.
Through the gathering of market intelligence and the analysis of data and information, the Department has prepared a business plan for the development of the company that meets the needs of the shareholders, maximises the profitability of the company and is achievable and deliverable within the time frames defined.
The role of the Account Manager
Each Account Manager has a number of business partners for which they are responsible. They are expected to develop and maintain that relationship and seek out opportunities for growth, in line with the business plan, whilst ensuring that partners maintain and develop their business in a profitable sustainable manner.
Managers must report progress against the business plan to ensure that targets are being achieved for passenger throughput, income and revenue. Any differences against the plan need to be evaluated and assessed as it could impact on the overall business performance. Account Managers must also keep informed on all matters relating to the business and the industry in general, as economic changes and world events can impact very quickly on people’s decision to fly, which in turn can impact upon the airlines’ decision to operate and then on the Airport’s ability to generate revenue and to meet target.
How do they help meet the business objectives?
Each of the departments have there own objectives that they must complete to help get the aim they want. Specialisation is used in each department, they specialise in a certain areas meaning that there is no waste resources and no wasted time therefore this will make the business more efficient.
Role Culture – Power, authority and respect is obtained via the individual’s position or role in the company hierarchy
Manchester Airport has a role culture because everyone in the business has and knows their place in the hierarchy. They also know how much influence they have on the every day running of it
Dynamic/innovative culture – Energetic, enthusiastic employees and management, not afraid to venture into unknown technological and market areas. A lot of status is afforded to new development.
Manchester Airport has the Dynamic/innovative culture because they are constantly bringing new technology into the business such as the Flight Information Display System (FIDS) these are boards that are in Manchester Airport change every few seconds showing when the flights are due and when the passengers need to move to the departure lounge. Manchester Airport has also now introduced a new business passengers desk where they can sign in as soon as they get there with no hassle this is an easier way for the passengers travelling business class to make the whole process transaction a lot smoother and quicker. Also Manchester Airport has new text message service where they can text the passenger when the check in opens.
Power Culture – A Centralised firm, with the power and control exerted by a strong senior management team directing operations.
Manchester Airport use it because they wouldn’t be able to operate, as a business it would be too dangerous because if they didn’t have the centralised control the business would to pieces and lack of communication may cause a lot of accidents.
Risk averse culture – Employees and management are naturally suspicious of change and undertake careful planning before making decisions.
Manchester Airport has a risk averse culture because they analyse everything that has to be changed carefully to see how it would affect the other workers in the Airport and get views from a few of the employees to find out if things need to be changed in that designated area
