Do Economics Matter in the Flight Deck? A Statistical Analysis

Abstract

The aviation industry operates within a dynamic framework influenced by economic factors, safety concerns, and operational considerations. It is an industry easily influenced by global events and geopolitics, making airlines straddle a fine line between profitability and financial ruin. The purpose of this paper is to explore the importance of financial factors in the decision-making processes of flight crews. It aims to establish under what conditions these factors are considered essential and to what degree they influence the final decisions made in the flight deck.

Using literature on human factors, decision-making, and crew interaction and cooperation, this paper aims to understand the presence of economic factors in the flight deck. It also explored the relationship between safety and economy to dissect the intricate relationship these economic considerations have with safety and any implications. Furthermore, a questionnaire was sent to several organisations in the Scandinavian aviation industry, resulting in a sample of N = 38. The questionnaire measured several factors: the type of flight activity, experience in flight hours, performance and skill maintenance, financial factors, and job satisfaction. These variables were measured against two dependent variables: the importance of financial considerations and to what degree these considerations were the deciding factor in flight crews’ decisions. This was analysed statistically using Spearman rank correlation, independent sample t-test testing several hypotheses, and multiple regression analysis.

Results show that financial factors are important considerations among flight crew engaged in commercial flight activity. Furthermore, the degree of importance of these factors is influenced by the flight crew's experience, their perception of financial struggle in the companies they work for, and any financial restrictions that come with this. Pilots with high job satisfaction put less emphasis on economic considerations, while those looking to switch jobs do the opposite. Economic factors are shown to have a presence in the flight deck, as pilots report that they both evaluate and often place great importance on them, which may lead to safety concerns. However, the findings in this study suggest that when safety issues are present, economic concerns are no longer prioritised.