Article on Information Technology in Airlines Industry

                    NEED OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN AIRLINES SECTOR

a.   ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
IT has change the way we live in this 20th century. There is a great need of information technology in today’s world. Information technology has changed the way we think and react today. The everyday advancements in technology have opened new ways. The airlines industry has benefited mankind a lot through the use of this technology. It makes our lives more easy and comfortable than ever before.

b.   INTRODUCTION
Information technology plays an important part in every aspect of today’s life. It also plays a vital and essential role in business as well. Technology has changed the way we think and react. With the use of this technology we are able to make our lives better. Information technology helps us to understand and run things better than ever in real time events. Every business in today’s world needs this information technology and with the help of this technology the businesses itself and the profits of the businesses are getting better and bigger. The role of information technology in airline sector is immense. IT plays a crucial part in this sector. From designing of the aircrafts and airports to maintenance and tracking of air routes, this information technology helps and plays important part.

           DOES AIRLINE INDUSTRY NEEDS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Answer to this question is “Yes” whether its airline industry or any other business, three is a great need of information technology. IT has changed everything in today’s dynamic world. Business cannot grow and flourish these days without Information technology. It helps every business to increase productivity, profits communication etc. In short, information technology helps in every aspect of business.
While talking about the need of information technology in airline industry particularly, we can say that IT is one of the main pillars of airline sector in the present world. Airline industry is said to be blind without the help of IT. Advancement in airline information system helps to optimize this industry and to provide better and comfortable service to the customers. IT not only increases the efficiency but also decreases the chances of error.

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN AIRLINES SECTOR
Importance of information technology in business is great. Without the help of IT the business cannot take accurate decisions in today’s world or maintain the data with ease as advancements are taking place at an immense rate. Business is changing rapidly. It has to compete with the rivals and to provide better services to its customers. Because of the dynamic environment of the business the decision making is also very complex as the decisions are to be made very quickly and accurately.  Without this the business cannot flourish easily.
Integration of information system in airlines has a great significance and importance. With the help of IT the airline industry is getting better and more reliable. It reduces the chances of errors during the flight operations which is the most important part. The safety of passengers is the top priority in this field and IT helped a lot to make it better and reliable. The importance of IT in airlines can be determined by seeing the number of passengers. In US airline industry, there are approximately 100 certified passenger airlines operators with 11 million departures per year, and these airlines carry nearly one-third of the world’s total passengers. The reported revenue of US airlines in (ATAG, 2008) is $170 billion. By seeing these facts one can determine the importance of information technology in this sector.

REQUIRMENT FOR THE APPLICATION OF IT IN AIRLINE SECTOR
There are lots of things that should be considered while applying IT in airline sector. It takes patience and planning to implement IT as it is a very large sector and the implication in various parts of airlines is a not easy.
Following are the requirements for the application of IT in airline sector.

a.   COST
Cost is one of the main factors that are involved while implementing IT. Cost refers to the amount required for the purchase of various information systems and resource programs and that are required for the application of information technology. Generally the cost is very high because the information system has to cover lot of aspects. The system of the airlines is very complex and complicated. Different softwares are required for different purposes. For example, the information system required for booking, processing and boarding, cost for the system of processing and transportation of baggage, systems required to carry the flight operations, all these systems costs high. Even after acquiring these information systems there is a cost for running and maintenance. Sometimes up-gradation of system is required to compete with the current scenario. These types of costs are required for implementing and applying IT in the airlines industry.  On the other hand cost of training which is given to the employees is also required.

b.   PLANNING
Planning is also an important step while applying IT in airline sector. Planning also plays an important part. Without proper planning any business can suffer losses. Proper planning includes everything from the purchasing, cost allocation till the reception and division of profits. Planning and decision making are two important factors of the business. With proper and right planning a business can achieve and meet the standards set.

c.   DESIGNING
Designing of the information system needed to run the airline business is also has its own significance. The information system should be designed according to the need and to make the operations more easy and reliable. The design of the system should be compatible and easy to understand. The user interface should be friendly so that the person can use and understand the system with ease and can work on it comfortably.

d.   EQUIPMENT & INSTALLATION
The equipments that is required for the application and implementation of IT in airline sector also necessary for proper installation. Equipments should be purchased that are compatible with the system purchased. After purchasing the required information system and equipments that are necessary for implementation and paying the cost of these things the next step is installation. Proper implementation and installation can bring the system alive and ready to work.

e.   TRAINING
After all the steps mentioned above comes the training which is equally important as the other parts. Without proper training the system is of no use. The employees should be trained properly so that they can understand and handle the system easily and efficiently. Without proper training the system is of no use. Regular training sessions should be arranged for the employees so that they remain up to date and cater the need of the hour.

USE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN AIRLINES
Information technology can be used in various ways in the airline system.

a)   INTERNAL USE OF IT
IT can help in organizing and arranging the staff and employees. Information technology can be used for recruiting purposes. Information system helps in recruiting better and smarter employees. It also helps to maintain the attendance data more efficiently.

b)  EXTERNAL USE OF IT
IT can also help in maintaining the suppliers and customer’s data in many ways. With the help of information technology the customers can book the tickets efficiently in different ways e.g. online, by landline or by visiting and after booking the system will save the data in its database for further processing. The same data will be used when the flight arrival or departure will take place. Customer satisfaction can be increased with the help of this system. Customers are the main stack holders of any business therefore; there satisfaction means a lot to the business. It helped a lot from designing a plane and manufacturing it to reserving a ticket, it has made everything more easy and efficient.

ADVANTAGES/BENEFITS  OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN AIRLINES
The impact of information technology on airlines is immense. It would not be wrong to say that the airlines industry is totally dependent on technology these days. This industry has change the way people live. It has converted long distances into short, brought people closer than ever before. It has converted the months into weeks, weeks into days and days into hours. This industry has introduced new ways of business to the world. It has greatly benefited the mankind.
Use of IT technology in this sector brings many benefit and advantages to airlines. It has given strength to the business and smoothes the operations as never before. It only helps the industry to carry its operations with easy but also helps to increases the customer satisfaction. It helps to collect, analyze and summarize the data but also help to make decisions on the basis of the data with accuracy and efficiency. It also increases the revenue graph of the business which is one of the main factors for any business. With the help of information technology the airline business has efficiently reduced the cost of business and the cost of operations as well. Hence, we can say that IT helps this business to flourish and to reach the heights.

RISK INVOLVED IN AIRLINES THROUGH THE USE OF IT
Risk factors that are involved through the implementation of IT are also part of it. Where there are great benefits of this technology in the airlines sector there are also some disadvantages as well. One of the main risks involved in it is the security threat. The confidentially of the information is always at risk. Various types of cyber threats are always with it. Information system is always vulnerable to the hackers, they can attack any time. Therefore, proper procedures and SOP’s should be developed to tackle such situation. Privacy of the data is one of the main issues in today’s world. The data of the airlines should be kept in high security because there are enormous threats to this sector after the attacks of 9/11 at the US. The system should be rechecked and overhauled regularly. New and better technologies should be introduced with the passage of time in order to cop the current security threats and confidentially of the data.

MAINTANENCE AND MONITORING OF IT IN AIRLINES
Maintenance and monitoring of information in airlines industry plays an important part. It should be done on regular basis so that the risk of threats and risk of security could be minimized and the business could run smoothly and with flexibility. After the 9/11 attacks the things have changed. Now the information systems are developed by considering the threats associated in this sectors. Governments are trying to improve the system by monitoring the data and improving the systems as well.

CONCLUSION
By seeing and considering the above factors we can say that the information technology has changed the dynamics of the airlines industry. We can travel with greater easy and quickly with the help of technology. The industry is still getting better day by day through the use of technology and in near future it will dramatically change the way we travel and think today.

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