Flying through a disruptive summer; thoughts on operating safely...
Paul Reuter, FRAeS
Captain Boeing 737 NG at Luxair / Vice-President European Cockpit Association / EVP Europe IFALPA
(Note: some of the material comes from a 2020 article on Operations during Covid. I believe it is still applicable today…)
As we move into what might quickly become the “Summer of Chaos”, with ATC delays, staffing issues, long queues throughout airports putting pressure on the aviation system and playing havoc with airlines schedules, travel plans and crew rosters alike, ECA has issued its “Defensive Flying Checklist” to give??support and advice to Captains, team leaders as well as team members in general, on how to address and incorporate the realities?of the chaotic operation?into their “team-building”.
In?general, operators give us very little guidance on how to “build a team”. Generally,??manuals are very procedural on what to brief but very short on the relationship side of team building.
The aim of the?captain,?crew/team leader?is?to create an environment where crew members feel psychologically safe while also clearly setting boundaries and focusing the team on the mission.
There is no silver bullet for achieving this but here are a number of thoughts that might help you with this:
The challenges resulting from this post-pandemic rebound have affected and will not only affect you, your colleagues as well as your passengers but also the other staff that work with you, such as dispatchers or ramp handlers and crew chiefs.
Like you, they have been under pressure for some time and have to make up for the inadequacies of the system and might share the same frustrations that you might have.
A quick “mood check” with your crew on how everybody is doing will help your crew feel confident that their worries are taken seriously. By sharing that you, as senior members of the crew are also impacted by the uncertain consequences might help junior crew members to “open up” about their worries.
While a quick “temperature check” on how your crew is doing is sensible, this might lead to quite a lot of “venting” and might distract you and your crew from concentrating on the preparation of the flight.?If?the??topic comes up during briefing, acknowledge and address it, try to put it into context but then refocus your crew on the mission at hand, reminding them that we can not let events over which we have no control affect the way we perform.
The sometimes-dismal conditions at certain airports, the hour-long queues at check-in or security and other constraints that make the passenger experience less than agreeable will have an effect on the passenger’s state of mind and behavior once they are on board. Possible departure delays will not help to soothe some passengers and unruly passenger situations might escalate both in number and in intensity.
Your cabin crew will?be confronted with a number of situations where the current?situation?might spark additional tensions. We can also assume that the sense of entitlement and self-centeredness that some show on social media when it comes to “their?rights” will spill over into the cabin…
Now, more than ever, it is important to stress to your cabin crew that any issue they face in the cabin is an issue that you will solve as crew and that you as a commander and the cockpit crew will be actively involved in finding a solution.
Remember that as a Captain, you may project the necessary authority to defuse situations in the cabin by simply addressing the passengers via public address!
Keep not only your crew but also your passengers informed an abreast of events. This will potentially ease a lot of frustrations and avoid situations which your cabin crew might be faced with during the flight.
Another issue you might want to consider is that some of your crew might be grateful for a little “time out” or a “safe space” during the duty where they can relax and recuperate a little.
There is no need to chase the schedule and on turnaround it might be advisable to ensure that your crew gets a couple of minutes alone without cleaning personnel or passengers in the cabin to “chill out” and refocus.
This will go a long way in creating trust and confidence within your crew and ensuring that you have a dedicated and fit crew to operate the next sector(s).
A well-functioning and resilient team is a team where people are not afraid to voice concern or acknowledge vulnerabilities. A team leader needs to try to ensure and foster such an atmosphere.
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Your team should understand that as a team you have each other’s back and to be able to do so, people need to have trust that they can speak up and be honest about their feelings. That goes for the team leader as well. Never forget that in order for your team to perform and “have your back”, you will need to be honest with them. Even as a leader, you are allowed to feel unsure, have doubts and voice them. No one expects you to have all the answers.
As crews, we are “mission-oriented”, meaning that we pride ourselves in adapting to unforeseen situations and use our experience and creative option-generation to successfully complete our mission and bring our passengers safely from A to B.
While this is an attitude that is commendable and usually deeply ingrained in our DNA, during these times where all the complex disruptions affect multiple parts of the system, we need to?act with extra caution.
Remember that?YOU OWN THE CLOCK!?
You carry the responsibility and you have the authority to decide how far you can go.?The only pressure that can bear on you, be it slots, duty time constraints, ATC requests, management pushes or others,?are the pressures that?you allow?to bear on you.?
Include possible time and other pressures into the briefing, articulate them clearly?instead of leaving them unsaid.
?Encourage your copilot and the rest of your crew to actively speak their mind?on their perceived threats and pressures.
Be conscious that you take special care into preparing your flights, starting approaches, flying into busy airports or avoiding weather.?Don’t let disruptions get the best of you!
Stick to Standard Operational Procedures?and don’t let yourself and your crewmembers be pressures into taking well-meant but ill-advised shortcuts.
With so many variables that risk to influence your flight from slots to airspace restrictions and re-routings, don’t add the unnecessary pressure of having not?enough fuel?margin. Remember, fuel is time and time allows you to make sound decisions.
Finally, use your company’s or EASA’s reporting system to?report issues! Without reports, the system can not be improved.
In these strange times, where some operators?push the use of “Captain’s discretion” to make up for unstable rosters or?add to the uncertainties by using sickness as redundancy parameters, some, especially junior crew members might feel obliged to show up for duties when not fit?to fly.
?We all are eager to help, to go the “extra mile” and not to let our colleagues or our passengers down.
That is fine and commendable, however, fatigue is notoriously hard to self-diagnose, so be aware of this when you are faced with decisions about reducing rest or going into discretion.
If you have any doubts about the fitness of one of your crew members,?you will need to raise the issue.?Make sure that this is not coming across as overly inquisitive or negative. Refusing a crew member who is unfit for duty is for the crew member’s and your team’s best. As a team leader, you should help the crew member come to a realistic assessment of their fitness and you should make it absolutely clear that you will back up the crew member further down the line if you swap him out. Similarly, should your crew voice concerns concerning your own fitness, don’t be taken aback but address it honestly and in a constructive way and if needed, step back from your duty.
Remember, Fatigue kills?!
With some operators you might meet your cabin crew only in the shuttle or at the aircraft, nevertheless, it is advisable to take 2 minutes to gather your crew and to briefly address the topics that you believe need addressing.
As a captain, you not only hold ultimate responsibility for your crew but you should also see yourself at the center of that team, giving support and helping your team and your team members to learn and grow. A proper debrief after a flight or even an open discussion on the events of the day and how they were handled should be seen by everyone as an opportunity to learn and perfect their game, yourself included.
While we may feel that sometimes the challenges and hurdles that this crisis is facing us with are huge, we should acknowledge that there are opportunities as well.?
One opportunity might be to refocus our efforts on how as a crew, we are a team, bigger than the sum of its parts and how important it is to foster relationships with/within this team.?
We might rediscover how empathy, mutual respect and support, as well as transparent communications, can make us, as individuals and our teams more resilient, better performing and ultimately bring back?some job satisfaction?to our?industry.
Safe flights!