In our latest webinar, industry experts from Aer Lingus (Gillian O’Brien, Head of Cloud Infrastructure and Operations) and AWS (Clare Ward, Global CIO of Travel & Hospitality) discuss the critical topic of IROPs and disruption management.
Below are the key talking points covered during the session.
- Definition and Impact of Irregular Operations: Understanding what constitutes irregular operations and their everyday impacts on airlines.
- Mitigation and Handling of Disruptions: Strategies to manage and mitigate disruptions, including leveraging cloud technologies.
- Cloud Transformation Benefits: Insights into the benefits of moving to the cloud and how it enhances operational efficiency.
- Operational Efficiency Post-Cloud Adoption: Exploring the efficiencies gained after adopting cloud solutions.
- Lessons Learned from Cloud Transformations: Experiences shared by industry leaders on their cloud transformation journeys.
- Future of Airline Operations with AI and Gen AI: How artificial intelligence and generative AI are shaping the future of airline operations.
Key Insights and Quotes from the Speakers:
Alan Raftery, our host, kicked off the webinar by welcoming participants and setting the agenda. He emphasized the importance of understanding and managing disruptions in the aviation industry:
“We live and die by the way we manage disruption and how we recover.”
Clare Ward, Global Tech Leader at AWS, provided a comprehensive definition of irregular operations and highlighted the daily challenges airlines face:
“Disruption happens almost every day. The plan you start with in the morning doesn’t always go as planned.”
She also shared her extensive experience in the airline industry, underscoring the necessity of resilient systems to handle unexpected events:
“The average traveler doesn’t realize that even small disruptions, like a flight arriving 30 minutes late, can cascade into significant operational challenges.”
Gillian O’Brien, Head of Cloud Infrastructure and Operations at Aer Lingus, shared their journey of digital transformation:
“In the last three years, we’ve been focused on moving everything into the cloud. We’re on target for H1 2025 to be entirely in the cloud.”
She highlighted the steps Aer Lingus has taken to enhance their operations:
“By moving critical systems to the cloud, we’ve improved our resilience and high availability, ensuring smoother operations even during peak disruptions.”
Andrew Logan, CEO of Amach, discussed the importance of legacy system modernization:
“Controlling the controllable is the first step. Addressing legacy IT systems gives you options and capabilities to handle disruptions.”
Andrew also emphasized the value of cloud transformation in providing airlines with operational flexibility:
“Cloud adoption allows airlines to pivot and adjust quickly, leveraging modern tools to optimize performance and cost.”
Key Discussions and Strategies
Handling Disruptions with Data-Driven Decisions:
Gillian O’Brien emphasized the significance of using data to manage disruptions effectively:
“We want to relieve our operations control center from making decisions based solely on experience by providing them with data-driven insights.”
Aer Lingus has implemented advanced monitoring and alerting systems to ensure rapid response to potential issues:
“Our monitoring tools give us real-time visibility, allowing us to address problems before they escalate.”
Benefits of Cloud Transformation:
Clare Ward shared examples of how cloud transformation can enhance operational efficiency:
“Moving to the cloud allows for better performance, resilience, and reliability, ultimately benefiting the travelers.”
She provided a case study of an airline that leveraged cloud solutions for disaster recovery:
“In less than three months, the airline set up a disaster recovery site, ensuring business continuity and enhancing their operational robustness.”
Operational Efficiencies Achieved Post-Cloud Adoption:
Andrew Logan highlighted the broad impact of cloud adoption:
“Cloud adoption improves how everyone in the organization works, from customer service to backend operations.”
He discussed the role of modern call centers in improving customer experience:
“Empowering call center agents with real-time data and automated tools helps them assist passengers more effectively during disruptions.”
Lessons Learned from Cloud Transformations:
The panelists discussed the importance of engaging the entire organization in the transformation journey. Gillian O’Brien noted:
“Bringing the business along on the journey earlier could have accelerated our transformation.”
She reflected on the importance of flexibility and readiness to adapt:
“You need to be prepared to pivot and learn throughout the migration process. It’s a continuous learning experience.”
Future with AI and Gen AI:
Clare Ward shared exciting developments in AI applications:
“AI models help airlines optimize fleet allocation and crew rostering, significantly improving operational regularity and customer satisfaction.”
She mentioned an innovative solution where AI is used for flight connection management:
“Connection Saver uses AI to decide whether to delay a departing flight slightly to allow more passengers to connect, maintaining schedule integrity without significant disruption.”
Conclusion
The webinar concluded with a Q&A session, where participants had the opportunity to delve deeper into specific aspects of irregular operations and cloud transformation.
As we move forward, the integration of AI and continuous improvement in cloud solutions will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of airline operations.
Stay tuned for our next webinar on July 17th, where we will explore AI, LLMS, and bots in more detail, and how these technologies are revolutionizing the aviation industry.
