Siobhan Evans – VIP Operations Executive

SiobhanName: Siobhan Evans
Date Completed UKOMA Course: Nov 2013
Employer: Thomson Airways
Job Title: VIP Operations Executive

What does your current job entail?

I am responsible for the management, development and delivery of the VIP operational programme on behalf of our North American charterer.  Duties include the development of the onboard guest experience, day to day operation of the programme and forward planning of new and exciting destinations.

What did you enjoy about the UKOMA course?

Where do I start?! The wide variety of subjects contained within the lectures ensured that I came away from the course with a significantly increased understanding of Operations and the factors which impact a flying programme.  In addition, the demographic of the group meant that we were able to share experiences and key challenges, fully appreciating how each airline/company and individual role can affect the operational environment and each other.  Finally, the lecturers who delivered the sessions came with a wealth of experience and knowledge making the learning so much easy to do.

After the UKOMA course how did your career progress (former jobs, companies, milestones, etc)?

Successfully completing the UKOMA course has allowed me to build and expand on what was predominantly a commercial operational role.  The course has armed me with a great depth of knowledge which has made me more confident in my decision making and has allowed me to pro-actively problem solve within my current role.  I am less blinkered when making decisions and am able to balance the commercial need and the operational delivery.   The UKOMA course has certainly reassured me that Operations is my calling!

What would be your advice for anyone wanting to get into Operations Control?

Don’t even hesitate, just do it!  If you are someone likes me who likes every day to be different, thrives off the unknown and enjoys the technical aspect of getting an aircraft off the ground and safely to its destination then Operations Control is just for you.  Take time to build your knowledge and experience and remember that working in Operations becomes more of a way of life rather than just a job!

Karl Kimber – Commercial Executive

Karl KimberName: Karl Kimber
Date Completed UKOMA Course: 2001
Employer: Titan Airways
Job Title: Commercial Executive

What does your current job entail?

I work as part of the Commercial team working in both the wet lease and charter markets.  No day is ever the same –  one day I might  be speaking to an airline who have an AOG aircraft where they need us to operate their service, this may involve launching any aircraft in the fleet in 60 minutes which we call a Go Now. The next day I may be working on an ad hoc charter either pricing new requests or looking after a booked flight. This can be anything from our weekly Dalaman service flying passengers to their holiday resort to flying a film crew and equipment to a set anywhere in the world. Even on quieter days the phone can ring and suddenly you are involved in launching an aircraft into a trouble spot to evacuate British Nationals.

What did you enjoy about the UKOMA course?

I had already worked for Air 2000 as a Ground Operations Coordinator before attending the UKOMA course. The course gave me a much wider view of the Operational side of the airline business and filled a number of knowledge gaps that I had at the time.  Also the networking was a fantastic part of the course, meeting other operations staff from other airlines some of which I am still in contact with today.

After the UKOMA course how did your career progress (former jobs, companies, milestones, etc)?

After UKOMA I continued to work for Monarch as an Operation Assistant for 2 years supporting the Ops Controller as well as flight planning, including ETOPs dispatch.

In 2002 I left Monarch to join Easyjet as a Fleet Controller. This was at the time of the Easyjet / Go-Fly merger and I found myself seconded to the Go-Fly operations team.  This was an exciting time in the low cost industry which was growing at an unprecedented rate, as I joined the fleet size was just 27 aircraft which had increased to over 200 by the time I left the airline in 2011.

In 2008 I transferred from Fleet Control and Flight Planning to Operations Planning. Here I was responsible for the midterm program ensuring a well optimized program was delivered to the day to day Operations staff.  This involved working with many departments of the airline including Engineering, Commercial and the Operations Management team.  In 2011 I left Easyjet to join Titan Airways in my current role as a Commercial Executive.

What would be your advice for anyone wanting to get into Operations Control?

The UKOMA course is a great foundation to a career in Operations. In any airline I would try and have an understanding of each department’s role for example crewing, engineering planning and flight planning. Having an understanding of the various roles allows you to make much better operational decisions with a bigger picture in mind.

Duncan Philip – Ops Control Centre Support Manager

Duncan PhilipName: Duncan Philip
Date completed the UKOMA course: February 2007
Employer: easyJet Airline Co. Ltd.
Job Title: Operations Control Centre Support Manager

What does your current job entail?

Management of several teams within the Operations Control Centre: Operations Planning – controlling the programme from around three weeks out to the day before the operation, balancing maintenance requirements with operational needs whilst minimising costs; Flight Planning – Ensuring safe and efficient routings are planned for each and every flight whilst minimising Air Traffic Flow Management delay; Network Performance – analysing operational performance to allow the operation to learn from issues and increase efficiency; Emergency Response – Ensuring that the company is constantly prepared for an emergency event.

What did you enjoy about the UKOMA course?

Networking with colleagues from other operations; learning about alternative solutions to common problems and even problems that are unlikely happen in my own operation that are still good learning points.

After the UKOMA course how did your career progress (former jobs, companies, milestones, etc)?

2006-2009 increased seniority in OCC Operations team, 2009-2012 Flight Planning Supervisor – looking after all day-to-day Flight Planning issues in terms of training, safety management and compliance.

What would be your advice for anyone wanting to get into Operations Control?

Operations Control is an intensely fascinating and rewarding area of the industry. Each day there might well be a multitude of new problems to solve and doing this in the most safe and efficient way that will ultimately ensure the best level of service to our customers means that you always leave work with a smile on your face. It is also a fantastic way to really understand how an airline works and to use as an important step into progressing into other, diverse areas of the business.

The most common entry is via ground handling agents where there is lots of opportunity to learn about a variety of different carriers, aircraft types, passenger demographics and challenges !

Craig Skipper – Duty Operations Manager

Duncan PhilipName: Craig Skipper
Date completed the UKOMA course: November 2004
Employer: Monarch Airlines
Job Title: Duty Operations Manager

What does your current job entail?

Ensuring the safety and security of Monarch’s operations and personnel at all times. Ensuring the legal and regulatory compliance of Monarch’s operations to meet all applicable regulations of the UK CAA and all foreign regulatory bodies where Monarch operations take place. Accountable for all aspects of the ‘live’ operating programme, including the leadership and co-ordination of aircraft assignment, crew allocations, airport slots, airport operations, flight plans and catering. Maintain liaison with MAEL Maintenance Operations Control for aircraft serviceability and operational defects. In the event of ‘off programme events’, responsible for programme recovery, balancing the implications for future operations, customer service and cost.

What did you enjoy about the UKOMA course?

Meeting new people from other airlines and swapping stories about the daily dramas of the operations environment. The modules of the course were informative and well constructed. Being fairly new to the job at the time, it gave me the extra confidence in what I was doing on a day to day basis.

After the UKOMA course how did your career progress?

I joined Monarch in June 2004 as an Operations Assistant, during which time I changed roles for 2 years to a Customer Services Officer managing passenger welfare and general enquires within the operations dept covering maternity leave. Then back again with the operations team as an assistant where in March this year (2013), I was promoted to Duty Manager.

What would be your advice for anyone wanting to get into Operations Control?

I started at Monarch from being a dispatcher for a handling agent which helped a lot having the ramp experience, knowing the issues that occur on a day to day basis but there is always something new round the corner that we have to deal with. No day is ever the same which is why this job is so addictive.