Frequent flying made easier
Airlines are doing all they can these days to combat a recent spate of bad press over late flights and disgruntled passengers.
To enhance service and ensure customer loyalty, Continental Airlines, for example, has launched a new asset information management system for its OnePass frequent flyer program. The new application includes implementation of eB and eB Workflow from Altris to handle all the correspondence generated and received within the OnePass Service Center.
The decision follows migration in recent months of Continental’s aircraft maintenance records management application from an Altris legacy product to eB. Next year the system will be expanded further by Continental’s Technology Division using eB SDK (Software Developers Kit) and Staffware Enterprise Objects to incorporate many of the organization’s existing system.
Joel Hochstetler, director of application development for Continental Airlines, says the new solution is robust enough and scalable to handle the wide array of documents generated and received in the OnePass program. “eB will allow us to increase our responsiveness to our customers, ensuring that we satisfy their needs faster and more effectively,” he says.
The aircraft maintenance documents being handled by the Altris system number more than 12 million pages, with a growth rate of 130,000 pages per month. The records often must be kept for the operational life of the asset. The eB system is also managing human resources records for Continental, bringing the total number of pages to 20 million.
Rodger Ernst, project manager with Continental Airlines, says that by using eB SDK along with Staffware Enterprise Objects, Continental can deliver aircraft maintenance documents immediately to the appropriate user’s workstation, and automate multiple internal processes relating to those documents.
“Processing time has improved,” Ernst says, “resulting in a more timely and accurate product; we have overall improved quality enabling documents to go to the correct person the first time; required documents are now input, processed and retained in a timely manner; and there is an increase in knowledge sharing--knowledge contained within maintenance documents can now be readily shared with the appropriate work groups for evaluation and follow-up action.”