Aerlines
maGazine Foundation
“Sharing international air transportation research: The short haul between academics, students and professionals�
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Table of Contents Introduction by the Chairman Background Luchtvaart Alumnikring “Aerius� Profile Organizational Structure The Magazine The Internet site Marketing & Funding Upcoming Challenges & Future Prospects
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Introduction by the Chairman
Dear Reader, I hereby present you with the first annual report of the Aerlines Magazine Foundation (Stichting Aerlines Magazine). It is an executive summary of what our foundation has done the past year and what we are planning to do next. The Aerlines Magazine Foundation was essentially started to facilitate the continuation of Aerlines Magazine after Aerius, which previously provided facilities for Aerlines, ceased to exist in the autumn of 2007. As a board it is our primary goal to provide the editorial boards with an infrastructure that enables them to produce Aerlines. Over the past six months we have made important steps in securing this infrastructure, particularly by attracting various sponsors and grants. The Board also serves a secondary goal: initiating growth. In 2007 we started various projects to expand the reach of Aerlines Magazine and improve the quality of its content. The successes are numerous: We attracted several academic institutions as endorsement partners, became media partner for a dozen of aviation business events and worked on the production of our first print book, which is due for publication this winter. For us, 2008 offers plenty of challenges, for example by attracting more editors and reviewers. We would also like to pay more attention to our marketing, as usage of Aerlines by its existing readers base is increasing rapidly, but the base itself isn’t. One of our top priorities for 2008 is finding a new ‘home base’. When Aerius as a student association ceased to exist, it forced the Universiteit van Amsterdam to withdraw its material support as of the summer of 2008. We are therefore on the lookout for a new ‘home’ and primary academic partner. Last, but not least I would like to remind our readers that although Aerlines has swapped its organizational ‘coat’, it has not swapped its core principals and beliefs. We are still a non-profit operation, run entirely by volunteers, that aims to provide free high quality content on aviation research to student, research and business communities worldwide. That did not change in 2007 and will not in 2008. Yours sincerely,
Daan de Jong Chairman of the Aerlines Magazine Foundation
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Background
Aerlines Magazine has been established as magazine of student’s association Aerius at the University of Amsterdam in 1994. Right from the beginning, Aerlines served as a relationship magazine for the association, informing its members and other relatives about the association, its activities combined with the publication of easily readable ‘scientific’ articles. Between 1994 en 2002, Aerlines was a traditional printed magazine. During the ‘90s, the magazine professionalized and got a more serious, a mature look and feel. In line with the scope of Aerius, the magazine was distributed internationally. Both suffering financial circumstances in the aftermath of 9-11 as well as strong opportunities that the internet offers for publishing and distributing content were drivers for the Aerlines to evaluate its way of publishing. After some brainstorm sessions within the editorial team and Aerius board during 2003, it was decided to continue Aerlines as an e-magazine with a dedicated website. Distributing Aerius via the internet proved highly successful, as recipient numbers soared from 800 during print publication to over 10.000 online. Meanwhile, Aerlines continued to improve the quality of its content. Mostly by attracting talented contributors and sophisticating the editorial process. In the autumn of 2006 a taskforce was created to explore the possibility to continue Aerlines as an independent entity. Aerius faced a continuing decline in member numbers and financial difficulties and by 2006 was obstructing rather than facilitating the growth of Aerlines. Early 2007, Aerius members voted for the enactment of the Aerlines Magazine Foundation (AMF) and transfer of ownership of Aerlines Magazine to this new entity. Six months later, with the foundation in full swing operation, the remaining Aerius members voted to disband Aerius. An act executed by the Aerius Board in October 2007. Prior to disbanding, members donated remaining (financial) means of Aerius to the Aerlines Magazine Foundation. 4
This section contains information for graduates of the Universiteit van Amsterdam who want to join our affiliate alumni club “Aerius”.
Luchtvaart Alumnikring “Aerius” De alumnikring voor oud-studenten van de Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) die geïnteresseerd zijn in de luchtvaartsector! Onze relatief jonge alumnikring is voortgekomen uit studievereniging “Aerius”, die in 1994 door studenten luchtvaarteconomie aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam is opgericht. Aerius is een levendige alumnikring van young professionals die werkzaam zijn in de luchtvaartindustrie, of daar meer dan gemiddelde interesse voor hebben. Aerius is gelieerd aan de Stichting Aerlines Magazine, waarvan het meest tastbare ‘product’ de uitgave is van een e-magazine die vier maal per jaar wordt verspreid onder ongeveer 9,000 ontvangers wereldwijd. In het verleden zijn door studenten en alumni van de Universiteit van Amsterdam een groot aantal aansprekende activiteiten georganiseerd. Een terugblik op een selectie van deze activiteiten is beschikbaar via www.aerlines.nl. Zo zijn er het afgelopen decennium interessante luchtvaartcongressen georganiseerd, alsmede excursies, lezingen en internationale studiereizen. Tegenwoordig houdt de alumnikring zich nog voornamelijk bezig met de uitgave van Aerlines Magazine. Aerlines is een unieke activiteit omdat we met onze artikelen de luchtvaartsector op een academische manier benaderen, waarmee we onze lezers inhoudelijk op de hoogte houden van de ontwikkelingen in de luchtvaart wereldwijd. Alumni die op een informele (café)setting mee willen discussieren over deze ontwikkelingen zijn van harte welkom om zo’n bijeenkomst bij te wonen.
Profile
The Aerlines Magazine Foundation is a non profit publisher of professional and academic aviation related content, with strong links to student, business and academic communities worldwide. Aerlines Magazine is our core brand: a free internet journal on academic air transport matters. The AMF facilitates the publication of Aerlines Magazine by all means possible, but primarily focuses on providing funds and (online) infrastructure. Aerlines Magazine can be considered a ‘spin-off’ of Student’s Association Aerius. The association seized its formal activities during the autumn of 2007. The Aerlines Magazine Foundation has no formal ties to the former association. Milestones of the Year • January 2007: Formation of the Task Force • February 1st 2007: Publication of Issue 35 • February 21st 2007: First Taskforce meeting; • March 22nd 2007: Publication of Issue 36 • March 28th 2007: Meeting with Scienceguide and decision to co-operate on the publication of a book • April 11th2007: Firm decision to establish the AMF; • May 11th 2007: Actual registration of the Foundation • May 24th 2007: actual registration of AMF at the Chamber of Commerce Amsterdam • June 20th 2007: Publication of Issue 37 • September 14th 2007: The NECTAR from Brazil becomes an Endorsement Partner
SPOTLIGHT: Wolfgang Grimme What’s your involvement or passion in the Aviation industry? With my job at DLR, I have turned my hobby into a profession - I have to admit that I am obsessed with almost all aspects of aviation. What are your goals for 2008? Finally finding some time to start my PhD thesis - but, above all, having fun at what I am doing. What was your connection with Aerlines Magazine in 2007? I highly appreciate that Aerlines gave me the opportunity to publish some of the work I did together with my colleagues at DLR. Which milestone do you think Aerlines Magazine should reach in 2008? Depending on the success of your first book publication, you should consider continuing these efforts. 5
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September 21st 2007: The German Aviation Research Society becomes an Endorsement Partner October 1st 2007: Publication of Issue 38 October 12th 2007: The University of Zilina Air Transport Department becomes an Endorsement Partner November 1st 2007: acquisition of a grant by the Dutch Ministry of Spatial Affairs and Environment. December 12th 2007: Publication of Issue 39
Mission Statement of Aerlines Magazine In Dutch: “Het publiceren en toegankelijk maken van academisch onderzoek over strategische en operationele onderwerpen binnen de burgerluchtvaart via een kwalitatief hoogwaardig en toegankelijk e-journal voor een breed internationaal publiek (sector, wetenschap, overheid). Hierbij wordt nadrukkelijk gestreefd naar het publiceren van artikelen geschreven door studenten op graduate level (MA/MSc) en academische onderzoekers over hun onderzoek”. In English: “To publish and make available academic research about strategic and operational air transport topics through a high quality e-journal for a broad international reading public (the industry, academia and public authorities). Within this framework, we want to publish articles that are predominantly written by students on a graduate level (M.A. / MS.c.) as well as academic researchers about their research”. Mission Statement of the Aerlines Magazine Foundation In Dutch: “Het behartigen van de belangen van tijdschrift ‘Aerlines’, de daaraan gelieerde website(s), mogelijk in de toekomst te ontwikkelen nevendiensten en het faciliteren en in stand houden van deze media.” In English: “To promote the interests of Aerlines Magazine and its related website(s); and to facilitate the possible future development of side activities; to ensure the existence of these media” To fulfil these missions, the AMF and the editorial team of Aerlines aim to build bridges between educational and academic institutions on the one hand and the aviation industry, its individual actors, professionals and all who share the same interest in aviation on the other hand. The foundation aims to run a medium that offers high-quality information of predominantly academic quality for a large reading public. By means of the Internet, the AMF and Aerlines want to offer an independent platform where students, researchers and businessmen can come together to share knowledge and competencies, to read and submit relevant information and to actively use other related services as offered on our website. The target market of the AMF and Aerlines is not geographically limited. The sharing of information takes primarily place in the English language. Not for profit All of our online services are available on a no-charge basis. The AMF is a non-profit organization, Aerlines Magazine a 6
non-profit initiative. Editors and managerial staff work on a voluntary basis and all income is used to cover publication costs. Target Market & Readership Our visitor numbers vary from modest to good according to popular internet standards; our real strength lies in the background and interest of those visitors. Different readers of Aerlines Magazine can be identified: 1. Aviation business representatives; 2. Aviation Policy makers and governmental representatives; 3. Students (mainly on Bachelor and Masters level with various educational backgrounds); 4. Aviation researchers; 5. General visitors (belonging to none of the above).
Organizational Structure As a network organization, Aerlines Magazine fully depends on the input of volunteers. The Board of the Foundation is the only group with legal rights concerning day-to-day decisions as well as regarding the future direction. But the foundation cannot function properly without the invaluable assistance of many other volunteers in its network. The most important volunteer groups are highlighted in this chapter. Except for the Editorial Team, all other volunteer groups were formed in 2007. The chart below shows the two supporting teams on the left-hand and right-hand side of the Editorial Team. Board Aerlines Magazine Foundation
Informal Editorial Network
Editorial Team
Editorial Review Board
Board The Board of the AMF has been formed during the preparation period for the establishment of the Foundation. Naturally, most participants at the taskforce meetings agreed to join the Board and take their responsibility to move the Foundation forward. Members of the Board have agreed to serve the foundation for a period of at least 3 (three) years. Positions within the Board are as follows: Position
Name
Term
Chairman
Daan de Jong
11 May 2007 – 11 May 2010
Secretary
Willem-Jan Zondag
11 May 2007 – 11 May 2010
Treasurer
Wouter Wester
11 May 2007 – 11 May 2010
ICT
Frank van Soldt
11 May 2007 – 11 May 2010
General Affairs
Bram du Saar
11 May 2007 – 11 May 2010
SPOTLIGHT: Prof. Anderson Correia What’s your involvement or passion in the Aviation industry? I am professor at the Aeronautical Institute of Technology - Brazil, consultant and president of a scientific society. What are your goals for 2008? Help to integrate industry and university in terms of research and education. The Brazilian air transportation system needs more technology to accommodate future growth and maintain safety levels. The university plays a vital role for this technology advancement. What was your connection with Aerlines Magazine in 2007? I am both a reader and an author. Which milestone do you think Aerlines Magazine should reach in 2008? Aerlines should be more connected with other societies in order to have more visibility. This connection should help to evaluate articles. 7
Editorial Team The editorial Team is responsible for the whole editorial process of acquiring, writing, reviewing, editing and publishing articles. The Team consists of a number of experienced people. Some of the Editors are already six years involved in the Aerlines Magazine project while the involvement of Hubert Croes even dates back to 1994! Currently, six persons are a member of the editorial Team. Although the editorial Team members irregularly write articles themselves, most activities have a coordinating and executing character. Position
Name
Area of Expertise
Chief Editor
Willem-Jan Zondag
Airline and Airport Business, Air Cargo, New Business Development
Senior Editor
Bram du Saar
Public Policy, Airport Development, Spatial, urban and Environmental Planning
Editor
Neil Gouw
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Book Reviews Editor
Bram Kaashoek
New Business Development, (Service) Innovation Analysis, Quantitative Methods
Editor
Eelco Watzema
Airline and Airport Strategy, Air Transport in South-East Asia, Low Cost Carriers
Art Director
Hubert Croes
Air Transport in the Caribbean
Editor Airport of the World
Eduard Koekkoek
Airport Management & Operations
Editorial Review Board The editorial review board has been established to assist the editorial team in reviewing incoming manuscripts. This Board primarily consists of researchers working at universities around the world. The review board contains six members. It is our intention to gradually expand the Review Board in 2008 to in between 10 and 15 members who actively participate by reviewing at least two manuscripts per academic year. Name
Organization
Area of Expertise
Pablo Mendes de Leon
Universiteit Leiden / Institute of Air & Space Law
Private international air law, Competition law, International aviation developments
Frank Witlox
Ghent University
Transport economics and geography, economic geography, spatial modelling techniques, logistics, world cities and globalization, and urban planning
Angela Cheng-Jui Lu
U.S. Postal Services
Air Law, Airline Alliances
Lomme Devriendt
Ghent University
Spatiality of infrastructural networks
Hans Heerkens
Universiteit Twente
Decision processes, The aerospace industry, Methodology of research and problem solving
Blaise Phillip Waguespack, Jr.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Marketing
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Informal Editorial Network The Informal Editorial Network is a melting pot of people with a wide range of backgrounds who irregularly participate. Participation can take many forms. This can be either assistance with the development of the website, marketing activities, writing or reviewing articles, writing columns and so on. The Network is very dynamic; there is no membership required. The informal editorial network head count varies from 25 to 30. Name
Organization
Area of Expertise
Floris de Haan
FLT Consult
Revenue Management, Business, Air Cargo
Amrita Bose
Communication Specialst
Communications, Flight Simulation en Human Resource
Roger Cannegieter
Curacao Hato Airport
Carribean Aviation, Aerospace Market
Sowella Frieser
Freelance Grapichs Designer
Graphics Design
Airport
In fact, the Informal Editorial Network is open to all those people who are committed to regularly contribute to Aerlines Magazine in one or another way.
Human Resources Development Vision In the foreseeable future, the AMF will remain an informal global network of students, researchers and business professionals who share a passion or expertise on air transport. To fulfil our goal of collecting and disseminating relevant academic expertise on air transport matters, it is of utmost importance to have a continuous in-flow of academia within our organization. Given the fact that almost all current editorial- and board members are business professionals, it is important to try to attract more people studying or working in an academic environment.
SPOTLIGHT: Dr. Angela Cheng-Jui Lu What’s your involvement or passion in the Aviation industry? Aviation is what brings everything together in my life - a frequent flyer, an aviation researcher, and a program manager for air mail/cargo-related work at the U.S. Postal Service. What are your goals for 2008? Currently, as guest editor of a special cargo/mail issue for World Review of Intermodal Transport Research, I am eager to make this a good issue that meets readers’ expectations. What was your connection with Aerlines Magazine in 2007? I am a member of the editorial board of Aerlines Magazine and have been invited to write book reviews, columns and articles in the magazine several times since 2002. Which milestone do you think Aerlines Magazine should reach in 2008? It would be great for Aerlines Magazine to reach out to worldwide audiences and attract more scholars and practitioners in aviation-related industries to share their thoughts in the magazine. 9
The Magazine
Background information The sole reason for existence of the Foundation is the ‘magazine’ – as we still call it. Aerlines Magazine was founded in 1994 as the periodical of student’s association ‘Aerius’. It was distributed in print among 800 members and contacts. Content The content of Aerlines Magazine is an appealing mix of semiscientific articles, written by our editorial board, as well as by guest authors. Our website www.aerlines.nl not only offers the contents of our quarterly journal, but also numerous online services, such as an article archive, research paper extracts, forums, columns, editorial weblogs, a link directory and a thesis database. Each issue of Aerlines Magazine presents a broad range of topics related to civil aviation. We focus on fields of expertise like Airline Economics, Airport Economics, Spatial planning & environment, Aviation Policymaking, Air Law, Aviation Psychology, Aeropolitical Matters, Aviation Education, Aircraft Manufacturing, Engineering & Maintenance, Air Cargo, Human Factors and Air Safety. Process description The editorial process follows an input-throughput-output model: Input: From an editorial viewpoint, manuscripts are the primary input variable. Manuscripts are sometimes submitted spontaneously by authors, but in most cases, the Chief Editor approaches the author of a paper with a request to write an article based on her / his paper or thesis. The selection criterion for a paper is: (1) it is about a topic that fits our domains of interest, (2) has an academic research hypothesis, (3) is relevant for a broad reading public. Generally speaking, authors of papers are approached if their paper is about topic, relevant for a large part of our readership. Authors are seldom asked to write about a certain subject; in most cases the request refers to a paper that has already been written. 10
Throughput: When the articles are collected, the editorial team coordinates the review of the manuscripts. This is either done by one of the editors or by a member of the Editorial Review Board, depending on the topic of the paper and the available expertise of editors and members of the Review Board. The review process is conducted according to clear guidelines culminating in comments which are shared with the author. When the author has changed his manuscript and this change has been approved by the responsible editor, the articles is checked on grammar and then will undergo a lay-out process. The outcome is an article that is ready for publication. Output: The output is clear and simple: the publication of an article in the issue of our e-magazine. Magazine format Aerlines Magazine is published four times per year and distributed electronically to all members in the database. Every issue contains eight articles; 5-6 have scientific background and 2 others are book reviews. To remain the link with our readership of students and enthusiasts, we also intend to publish 1 article per issue covering an airline or an airport (called ‘Airline of the World’ / ‘Airport of the World’). The scientific articles are attracted from researchers and students from all around the world. A main differentiator of Aerlines Magazine compared with other periodicals on air transport is the publication of articles about MSc / PhD theses. For this reason, we try to attract articles written by students who have finished their research. Publication list 2007 In 2007 Aerlines Magazine was published 5 times. In January, March, June, October and December of that year. Normally this would be 4 times a year, as it will in 2008. But, due to changes in the circulation planning implemented in August 2007, the planning of several issues moved a little forward.
In the course of 2008, we intend to publish four regular issues; two in the Spring period and two in the autumn period. As mentioned later in the report ( see chapter “The Internet”), the number of visits to www.aerlines.nl during the summer or
holiday period – when Aerlines Magazine isn’t published – are still very high. Because of this demand the editorial staff is considering to launch an intermediate or summer edition in 2008. Although the format and character of this edition are still under discussion within the editorial staff, it will not become an integral part of the regular Aerlines Magazine issues. The edition will have its own setup and quality. The next authors published in 2007 the following articles with Aerlines Magazine: First name
Surname
Farhan
Abdi
Issue 39
Article
Ruwantissa
Abeyratne
36
Benedikt
Badanik
38
Michelle P.
Bandeira
37
Peter
Berster
39
Kang
Bin Lee
35
Menno
Bobbink
36
Amrita
Bose
36
Frank
Breja
35
An Investigation of Potential Brand Conflicts Between Air France and KLM National Interest and International Aviation (Book Review) Airlines’ Point of View as a New Approach to Measuring Quality of Service at Airports Degree of Importance of Airport Passenger Terminal Components and their Attributes The Impact of New Type Air Services, i.e. Low Cost Services; on the Transfer Passengers Market in Germany The Liability System of the Air Carrier for Damage Caused by Aircraft to Third Parties Online Marketing in the Airline Industry: Expectations about Future Developments Cognition and Safety: An Integrated Approach to Systems Design and Assessment (Book Review) The Development of Civil Aviation in Slovakia
Christian
Bröer
38
Noise Annoyance - A Socio-Political Approach
Roger
Cannegieter
38
Caribbean Aviation: ’Moving Forward?’
Nadége
Chapier-Granier
37
Angela
Cheng-Jui Lu
39
Cheng
Chien-Hang
36
Anderson
Ribeiro Correia
37
Anderson
Ribeiro Correia
39
Great Britain: Regulation and Break-up of the BAA “London Monopoly” Airline Choices for the Future - From Alliances to Mergers (Book Review) Analyzing the Strategies of LCCs and FSCs in Southeast Asia Degree of Importance of Airport Passenger Terminal Components and their Attributes Using Analytic Hierarchy Process for Analysis and Choice of Brazilian Cargo Airlines
Clarissa
Côrtes Pires
39
Hubert
Croes
36
Daan
De Jong
35
Daan
De Jong
39
Bumpy road towards expansion: Ninoy Aquino International Policy Opportunities in Civil Aviation (Book Preview)
Lomme
Devriendt
38
Globalization and Regional Integration (Book Review)
Alexander
Eisenkopf
38
How Sustainable is Emirates’ Business Model?
Graham
Francis
36
Current Issues in Civil Aviation in New Zealand
Miguelangelo
Geimba de Lima
39
Paul
Gemmel
37
Moshe
Givoni
37
Stephen
Gong
37
Wolfgang
Grimme
36
Using Analytic Hierarchy Process for Analysis and Choice of Brazilian Cargo Airlines Delivering Excellent Service Quality: a Practical Guide for Internal and External Service Providers by Mario Kossmann (Book Review) Global Airlines: Competition in a Transnational Industry by Pat Hanlon (Book Review) Bankruptcy Protection and Stock Market Behaviour in the U.S. Airline Industry European Commission Plans Emissions Trading for Aviation Industry
Using Analytic Hierarchy Process for Analysis and Choice of Brazilian Cargo Airlines Airport of the World: Suvarnabhumi Airport
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Hans
Heerkens
39
Buying the Big Jets (Book Review)
Hans
Huber
38
Bram
Kaashoek
35
Bram
Kaashoek
39
Spatial Concentration in Europe Versus the US: From Gini Analysis to Strategic Assessment Do global critical events impact organizational sustainability attitudes of organizations? The case of the airline industry Policy Opportunities in Civil Aviation (Book Preview)
Vanessa
Kamp
36
Andreas
Knorr
38
Airport Benchmarking - An Empirical Research on the Performance Measurement of German Airports with Data Envelopment Analysis How Sustainable is Emirates’ Business Model?
Alex
Kuhlman
38
Peak Oil - Impacts on Commercial Aviation
Jan
Kwakkel
39
David
Lyon
36
The Problem of Uncertainty in Airport Master Planning Current Issues in Civil Aviation in New Zealand
Wilfred
Manuela
36
The Evolution of the Philippine Airline Industry
Francois
Metrot
35
Hans
Mohrmann
35
Mischel Carmen Stephan
Neyra Belderrain
39
Peters
35
Claudio Luis
Piratelli
39
Oscar van
Reisen
35
The Energy Dilemma: European Air Transport Growth Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea Developing Strategies for the Modern International Airport by Alan Williams (Book Review) Using Analytic Hierarchy Process for Analysis and Choice of Brazilian Cargo Airlines Managing Maintenance Error – A Practical Guide by James Reason & Alan Hobbs (Book Review) Using Analytic Hierarchy Process for Analysis and Choice of Brazilian Cargo Airlines Do global critical events impact organizational sustainability attitudes of organizations? The case of the airline industry An Overview of Development and Traffic Flow at Bandaranaike International Airport in Sri Lanka The Impact of New Type Air Services, i.e. Low Cost Services; on the Transfer Passengers Market in Germany Airline Network Development in Europe (Book review) Do global critical events impact organizational sustainability attitudes of organizations? The case of the airline industry
A.K.
39
Dieter
Wilken
39
Frank
Witlox
38
Bastiaan
Zoeteman
35
Willem-Jan
Zondag
39
Policy Opportunities in Civil Aviation (Book Preview)
Aerlines Magazine regularly publishes a ‘column’ on the frontpage of its website. After some weeks, the column will move to the column section of the site and will be replaced by a new column. The strength our columns is that we select them on in-depth argumentation.
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First name
Surmane
Date
Column
Angela
Cheng-Jui Lu
30-04-07
International Strategic Airline Alliances
Angela
Cheng-Jui Lu
31-01-07
Shall We Dance? Airline Alliances between LCCs
Peter van
Fenema
24-05-07
‘Open Skies’ or ‘Open Aviation Area’: what’s in a name?
Justin
O’Brien
27-11-07
Bells and Whistles or Back to Basics ? Emerging Airport Competition
Steve
Swidler
25-03-07
Investing in U.S. Airline Stocks (Part 1)
Steve
Swidler
10-04-07
Investing in U.S. Airline Stocks (Part 2)
Frederico
Turolla
26-06-07
Varig and competition in South American skies
Willem-Jan
Zondag
21-11-07
DCA Unveils its Aviation Agenda (Conference Report)
Willem-Jan
Zondag
11-12-07
Global Airport Development 2007 (Conference Report)
The Internet Aerlines Magazine is published exclusively on the internet as an e-zine. With diagnostic tools the Foundsation keeps track of its track record. The Aerlines’ web site is monitored by two diagnostic tools; Webalizer and Google’ Analytics. The number of times the Aerlines web site is requested for a web page or a file is measured in ‘hits’. In total 1,4 million hits were generated on www.aerlines in 2007. This is a growth of approximately 400.000 hits compared to 2006. In December 2007 we registered a record of nearly 150.000 hits in one month. The daily hit rate is on average 3.914 hits.
brand awareness of the trade name “Aerlines” and “Aerlines Magazine”. 35 percent are referrals via search engines. The bulk is provided by Goolge.com, followed by Yahoo.com and Microsoft’ Live. This amount of referrals also increases our rating with search engines; especially Google. Despite this year’s calibration of Google’ PageRank1 system, which led to lower rankings for many site worldwide, Aerlines maintained its website popularity ranking of 4 on a scale to 10. This ranking is considered average on a worldwide scale.
During the summer period, when the academic year is closed, a minimum of around 100.000 hits were counted. Because of this (still) high ‘demand’ the editorial staff considers to publish a special summer edition of Aerlines magazine. The quantity of visitors visiting www.aerlines is measured in the number of ‘unique visitors’. This describes the traffic to the web site and counts each visitor only once in a give time frame; in this case per month. In July 2007 we had a record of 28.800 visitors. Alas, in the second half of 2007 this number decreased to approximately 13.000 visitors in December. In view of the rapid growth in hits, it can be concluded that the site has a growing number of frequent visitors. Mainly our registered readers; over 10.000 on December 31st 2007.
The name “Aerlines” was the most frequent used keyword or tag. As the AMF is a network organization we are also often hit via keywords and tags of other (partnering) organizations. This also positively influences our rating.
The number of recorded unique IP-addresses (a unique address to an electronic device, in this case a computer) increased from 5.000 in 2006 to 6.000 per month in 2007. In 2008 we expect a growth of visitors because of the increasing number of partnerships that the AMF closes with other organizations and link exchanges with other web sites.
Our hosting, hardware and software infrastructure is already equipped for handling the higher traffic we expect for 2008.
Visitors of www.aerlines.nl reach the web site for the greater part by direct request. This is a good indication for the
As a result of further professionalizing of Aerlines Magazine, a restyling of the web site and introducing several new online web services for our visitors, the traffic generated from our servers ranges between 1.7 and 3.4 GB per month. In 2007 we had an average of 2.45 GB per month.
1 PageRank is a numeric value that represents how important according to Google - a page is on the web. In simple terms: This parameter reflects the popularity of the site. 13
Marketing and Funding As a young organization, it is of the utmost importance to underline the relevance of our unique identity to all relevant stakeholders. In 2007, a number of marketing initiatives have been launched. These initiatives share the common goal to improve the brand awareness and market position of the Aerlines Magazine. Endorsements Partnerships During the year, Aerlines Magazine has established an ‘Endorsement Partnership Program’ that aims to attract related organizations by agreeing to cooperate on a non-monetary basis supplying Aerlines with content. By entering our Endorsement Programme, institutions recognize Aerlines Magazine as a valuable source for their students and fellow-colleagues. The free-of-charge Programme has a strong emphasis on mutual benefits: Aerlines Magazine offers the institution free publicity by putting the name and logo of the institution on (the frontpage of) the website, together with a one-page the institution can use to promote its aviation courses / services. In return, Aerlines Magazine encourages students and employees of the institution to read our e-magazine or even participate! Aerlines Magazine is currently endorsed by the NECTAR - Center for Studies of Airline Competition and Regulation, the German Aviation Research Society and the University of Zilina. Name
Short Description
German Aviation Research Society
GARS is an informal network of academics, consultants and aviation executives founded in 2002. It provides academics and practitioners working in aviation with a common platform. It also acts as a forum to discuss recent developments in aviation and promotes the dialog between Research, Industry and Regulators Supporting academic talent in the field of aviation research.
NECTAR - Center for Studies of Airline Competition and Regulation
NECTAR is the Center for Studies of Airline Competition and Regulation (CSACR). We are a Brazilian research center focused on air transportation and based at Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) in São José dos Campos - São Paulo state.
University of Zilina
The Air Transport Department of the University of Zilina provides study programs at three levels: bachelor, engineer and P.hD. Research activities of the staff are oriented to solving tasks related to air transport safety, management of air traffic services, standardisation of airborne alert and warning systems.
Event Partnerships One of the major marketing activities initiated this year are Event Partnerships. These partnerships always have a ‘barter deal’ character as no monetary costs are needed. Basically, the partnership provides Aerlines Magazine with valuable public relations opportunities at selected aviation events around the world. This enhances the brand awareness of Aerlines Magazine among industry professionals as the logo of Aerlines is often printed on conference brochures and put on dedicated conference websites. In return, Aerlines Magazine offers the event partners free banner slots on our website as well as in the e-newsletter.
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Organizations that have agreed to become an event partner are: the ICAO, EUROMONEY PLC and ICBI.
Upcoming Challenges and Future Prospects
This chapter highlights the most important challenges and future prospects for the year 2008. 1.
2.
3.
Relocation of Head Office / Finding a new academic partner; As the University of Amsterdam has decided to seize the licence to operate room E.1-27 at the Economic Faculty as of spring 2008, the Foundation has to search and find a new administrative head quarter. As AMF has evolved into almost a 100 % network organization, is not as much needed as before. Although we continue our affiliation with the UvA through our alumni club affiliation, a number of considerations have to be included in the evaluation: Some kind of physical work / storage space (a postal address and archive locker) remains desirable – preferably at an easy accessible and central location; Affiliation with a relevant academic institute remains of the utmost importance; We prefer the storage space and the academic institute to be located in the Netherlands. Successful execution of the VROM project; The Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM) has committed to sponsor AMF for a full year. In return, AMF pays attention in its publication to relevant policy areas, particularly in the field of airport planning although it remains its independent status. As this project is the first of its kind in AMF’s history, it is highly important to make this project a success. Successful execution of the book project in cooperation with Scienceguide; During the second half of 2007, AMF commenced its first book publication project in cooperation with scienceguide.nl / Dutch University Press. The book will highlight four perspectives of air transport policy in an international context. The book consists of 22 essays written by guest writers from all over the world. Apart from compiling the book, we also intend to sell the book to our readership.
4.
Attracting 5 - 10 new Endorsement partners; Endorsement partners are preferably relevant academic institutions. Such an institution is considered to be relevant if it offers courses on air transport and / or has researchers conducting research in this field.
5.
Attracting more Editorial members and Editorial Review Board Members; • Two new members of the Editorial Team; • 1 to 5 new members of the Editorial Review Board;
6.
Attracting at least 1 – 3 new substantial sponsorships; The obtained VROM sponsorship is insufficient to keep AMF going the longer term. It is therefore required to attract 1 – 3 sponsorships involving the same amount.
7.
Restyling of the website and the lay-out of the articles; In 2007, we have restyled the frontpage of aerlinesmagazine.com. The frontpage got an improved look & feel, putting more emphasis on the core content. However, the restyling remains work in progress as some ideas still have to be implemented. We have also started a project to restyle the lay-out of the articles as well. Our new graphics designer has rigorously revamped the style, which will be implemented in the first quarter of 2008.
8.
Publishing an intermediate or summer edition; The editorial staff considers the publication of an intermediate or summer edition. Although the setup and character are still under discussion, it will not become an integral part of the regular Aerlines Magazine issues. It will have its own format and quality.
9.
Hosting an international conference; Aerius hosted several successful national and international seminars and conferences. The Aerlines Magazine Foundation want to continue this. The Foundation looks for partnering organizations to jointly undertake the organization of an conference to be held end 2008/beginning 2009. 15
Colofon
This annual was created through the help of many people. Aerlines being a network organization, this netwerk helped the the broad in an inmense way to come to this result. Therefore, the board want to thank all people involved! Text: Daan de Jong Bram du Saar Willem-Jan Zondag Comments and second opinions: Bram Kaashoek Neil Gouw Wouter Wester Interviews: Wolfgang Grimme Angela Cheng-Jui Lu Anderson Correia Layout: Sowella Frieser Bram du Saar Willem-Jan Zondag 16