This is likely to cause delays and unsatisfied customers, as the servicing of the aircraft can’t commence until a departure gate is available for the aircraft. McKinsey & Company argues that a leaner approach would be to perform some of the service tasks at the remote station:

»Lean airlines break the process into pieces: performing general tasks (such as grooming the cabin and servicing the fresh- and wastewater tanks) at the remote stand and flight-specific tasks (such as loading catering supplies) at the gate,« the report concludes.

4. Do flight attendants still count passengers?

Lowering your operational costs is about minimising unnecessary processes and having a flight attendant count passengers is, indeed, just that. It adds several minutes to the turnaround of an aircraft.

Eliminating this simple process can save airlines hours upon hours of extra time throughout a year. Getting past the gate queue without having your passport scanned is, after all, a very difficult task.

If you insist on counting passengers, then attendants should always be counting empty seats, not the passengers themselves, which is surprisingly not always the case.

»We found that in the vast majority of cases when a flight attendant’s count differs from the count of the departure-control system, the flight attendant is wrong,« McKinsey & Company concludes. So even if you’re using passenger count to double check the control system, the data from the flight attendant is often inaccurate.

5. Consider eliminating check-in

Check-in has, for many years, been an inevitable part of flying. However, the rise of new technologies has, in many ways, made the traditional check-in process redundant. Any airline should, according to the report from McKinsey & Company, ask themselves what value having a check-in desk really brings?

»Several lean tools can improve the speed and reduce the variability of check-in. Nonetheless, it is the poster child for a process that adds no value for customers. If anything, it detracts value—who wants to stand in line instead of relaxing in the lounge or a shop? Besides, the process costs airlines money. For people who do check in bags, dropping them off can be completed as a separate, lean process,« the authors of the report argue.

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