Name: 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.
