In 1974 TWA flight 514 was flying into Washington Dulles airport. As it came into land the air traffic controller said “cleared for approach”. The flight crew thought it meant one thing (we will guide you in) but the control tower meant something ever so slightly different (guide yourself in). It was simple miscommunication. Flight […]
Boring but Deadly: Roles and Responsibilities
I am a good boss I run a fair-sized team. I like to think I am a good boss, reasonable, fair, open-minded. Perhaps I am kidding myself. There is however one thing I do that drives my team nuts, makes them apoplectic, I have an infuriating habit of asking two people to do the same […]
Customer Service the Virgin Atlantic Way
People love Virgin Atlantic. If you Google “I love Virgin Atlantic” you’ll get 79,000 hits, try doing that for British Airways and the number is 50,000. A number that isn’t too shocking until you realise that BA have ten times as many planes as Virgin. The “I hate” figures tell a very similar story. But […]
Do You Test and Learn or Just Fail?
Samuel Pierpont Langley dreamed of being the first man to fly an aeroplane. His approach was simple, build the most powerful engine he could. Strap a couple of wings to it and watch it go. He was well funded. He and a large staff focused all their attention on developing a big muscular engine, something […]
Swiss Cheese: It’s Bad for Your Health
Things go wrong: People sleep in Training isn’t acted on Doors get left open Staff members resent each other Taps get stuck open People put boxes on the wrong pile Shit, as they say, happens. Normally “things gone wrong” are just an irritant, a minor expense, nothing to get too worried about. Sometimes however, it […]