Friday, April 27, 2012

Airport governance model to establish leading position of airport company

How is your dialogue with your airport partners, in particular your hub carrier (or biggest carriers)?



In order to achieve and maintain a leading position it is important for the airport company to institutionalize contacts with partners on all management levels. Despite data sharing and the processes around it, a successful Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) model should also address performance management and a solid governance model.

Institutionalized meetings do not only ensure the dialogue between the airport and their partners but also between the partners. This dialogue has to be regular and structured. Separate, additional meetings with the hub carrier (or major carriers) have to be added to emphasize their importance and to allow the discussion of matters bilaterally.

Policies on the different subjects have to be formulated which will serve as guidelines in the CDM meetings. Deviations from these policies have to be authorized by top management. Every meeting between airport  with partners requires an internal preparatory meeting where every agenda point is discussed and possible compromises are reviewed.

This may all sound too logical and straightforward to you but rest assured, there are not many airports out there practicing these fundamentals.