Form 510 FAA Carrier Ops - Air Carrier Pilots Survey

DRAFT 5-21-12 VERSION CFI Group

Department of Transportation

Federal Aviation Administration

Air Carrier Operation Management

Satisfaction Survey 2012

Survey Introduction

Target respondents: Part 121 Air Carriers and Part 135 All-Cargo Operators

Pilots / Flight Crew Members

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this brief survey. CFI Group, an independent research and consulting firm, is conducting this study. Your responses will remain strictly confidential and anonymous. CFI Group will aggregate your responses with others before reporting the data to the FAA Department of Transportation.

This survey has been approved by the Office of Management and Budget Control and is authorized under number 1090-0007.

Qual1. Please indicate if you work for one of the following carriers. (Select one from the list.) (If they select NONE OF THE ABOVE – EXIT THE SURVEY)

ABX Air, Inc.

Aeko Kula Inc.

Aero Charter Express, Inc.

Aero Micronesia, Inc

Air Classic Cargo, Inc.

Air Routing International LP

Air Supply Alaska, Inc.

Air Tejas, Inc.

Air Transport International Limited Liability Co.

Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation

Airpac Airlines, Inc.

AirTran Airways, Inc.

Allegiant Air, LLC

Allwest Freight, Inc.

Alpine Aviation, Inc.

American Airlines, Inc.

American Eagle Airlines, Inc.

Amerijet International, Inc.

Ameristar Air Cargo, Inc.

Arizona Express Airlines Inc.

Arrow Air, Inc.

ASTAR Air Cargo, Inc.

ATA Airlines, Inc.

Atlantic Air Cargo, Inc.

Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc.

Basler Turbo Conversions, Inc.

Beverly Air Transport

Bishop Aviation, Inc.

Boston-Maine Airways Corp.

Bush Air Cargo, Inc.

Business Air, Inc.

Capital Cargo International Airlines, Inc.

Caribbean Sun Airlines, Inc.

Catalina Flying Boats, Inc.

Centurion Air Cargo, Inc.

Chautauqua Airlines, Inc

Cherry-Air, Inc.

Comair, Inc.

Continental Airlines, Inc.

Continental Micronesia, Inc.

CSA Air, Inc.

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Desert Air Transport, Inc.

Dodson International Corp.

Dynamic Aviation Group, Inc.

Eagle Air Cargo, Inc.

Empire Airlines, Inc.

Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.

Executive Airlines, Inc.

Expressair Messenger Inc.

ExpressJet Airlines, Inc.

ExtraordinAir Aviation & Charter, Inc.

Falcon Air Express, Inc.

Federal Express Corporation

Flight Express, Inc.

Florida Air Cargo Inc

Florida West International Airways, Inc.

Freedom Airlines, Inc.

Fresh Air Cargo, LLC

GB Airlink, Inc.

Gulf and Caribbean Cargo, Inc.

Gulfstream International Airlines Inc

Hangar 10, Inc.

Hawaii Island Air, Inc

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc.

Kalitta Air LLC

Kalitta Charters II LLC

Kamaka Air, Inc.

Kingfisher Air Services Air Safari

LSO Aviation, LLC

Lynden Air Cargo, LLC

Lynx Air International, Inc.

Martinaire Aviation LLC

Mercury Air Cargo, Inc.

Meridian Associates

Mesa Airlines, Inc.

Mesaba Aviation, Inc.

Miami Air International, Inc.

Midwest Airlines, Inc.

MN Airlines, LLC

Mountain Air Cargo, Inc.

National Air Cargo Group, Inc.

Navair, Inc.

Nord Aviation, Inc.

North Star Aero Services, Inc.

North Star Air Cargo, Inc.

Northeast Aviation, Inc.

Nothern Air Cargo, Inc.

Northwest Airlines, Inc.

Omni Air International, Inc.

Phoenix Air Transport, Inc.

Pioneer Air Service, LLC

Polar Air Cargo Worldwide, Inc.

Primaris Airlines, Inc.

Pro Aire Cargo & Consulting, Inc.

PSA Airlines, Inc.

RAM Air Freight, Inc.

Republic Airlines, Inc.

Roblex Aviation Company

Ryan International Airlines, Inc.

Safewing Aviation, Inc.

Seaborne Virgin Islands, Inc.

Seven Stars Air Cargo

Shuttle America Corporation

Sierra Pacific Airlines, Inc.

Sky King, Inc.

Sky Lease I, Inc.

SkyLink Express, Inc.

South Aero, Inc.

Southern Air, Inc.

Southwest Airlines Co.

Special Aviation Systems, Inc.

Spirit Airlines, Inc

STAT! LLC

Supreme Air Cargo

TEM Enterprises

The Mills Air Service, Inc.

TMF Aircraft, Inc.

TriCoastal Air, Inc.

United Air Lines, Inc.

United Parcel Service Co.

Universal Airways, Inc.

Vent Airlines, Inc.

Virgin America, Inc.

West Air, Inc.

Western Air Express, Inc.

World Airways, Inc.

Demographics

Q1. Under which of the following is your company certified? (Select all that apply)

1. Part 121 Passenger

2. Part 121 Cargo

3. Part 121/135 All Cargo

4. Part 135 All Cargo

5. Don’t Know

Q2. Has your company been conducting operations under its current certificate for less than 5 years (i.e. new entrant)?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t Know

Q3. How long have you been employed by your company?

1. Less than one year

2. More than one year but less than 3 years

3. More than three years but less than 7 years

4. At least 7 years or more

FAA Oversight Effectiveness

ASK Q4 ONLY TO 121 CARRIERS (ASK IF Q1=1, 2 or 3)

Q4. Do you have familiarity with FAA oversight activities?

1. Yes

2. No

Q5. Please rate how much FAA oversight programs, such as the Air Transportation Oversight System (ATOS), have contributed to improving operational safety within your company. Use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Did not contribute very much and 10 means Contributed a great deal.

Q6. Please rate how well the results of these FAA oversight programs (e.g. ATOS findings) are communicated to the line pilots / flight crew members within your company. Use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Not communicated at all and 10 means Very clearly.

Q7. During the past 12 months, have operations at your company…?

1. Expanded

2. Contracted

3. Remained the same

4. Don’t Know

Certifications/Policies, Standards, Regulations

Please rate the policies, standards, regulations, and other guidance vehicles from the FAA on the following areas. Use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Poor and 10 means Excellent.

Q8. Consistency

Q9. Written in clear and understandable manner

Q10. Usefulness to your operations and planning

Q11. Providing your organization tools for enhancing safety in today’s aviation environment

Q12. Keeping pace with changes in your industry

Q13. How much impact do you believe FAA programs and/or guidance have had on economic efficiencies in your company? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Very little impact and 10 means A great deal of impact.

Q14. Deleted

Q15. Do you receive / read FAA SAFOs (Safety Alerts for Operators) and InFOs (Information for Operators)?

1. Yes (ASK Q16)

2. No (SKIP TO Q17)

3. Don’t Know what a SAFO or InFO is (SKIP TO Q17)

Q16. Do you feel that SAFOs and InFOs are effective vehicles to convey useful information to air carrier management (Director of Ops, Director of Safety, etc) / decision makers?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t Know what effect they have

Q17. Are FAA Advisory Circulars useful in complying with FAA regulation and policy?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t Know

FAA Organizations/Personnel

Q18. At which level are most of your interactions with FAA? (Select one)

1. Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI)

2. FSDO (Flight Standards District Office) / CMO (Certificate Management Office)

3. Regional Office

4. Headquarters

Think about your primary FAA service contact when you request clarification of regulations and policies. Please rate your primary contact on the following. Use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Poor and 10 means Excellent.

Please bear in mind that requests may involve further coordination between your primary contact and the FAA to obtain the answer and your answer should only reflect your opinion of your primary contact.

Q19. Level of personal interface

Q20. Quality of service

Q21. Providing answers/responses in a timely manner

Q22. Providing technically accurate information

Q23. Resolving your issues

Please rate the support you received from FAA in the following areas. Use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Poor and 10 means Excellent.

Q24. Deleted

Q25. Airman certification issues

Q26. Airmen medical issues

Q27. Improving safety with respect to standards and operations

Q28. How frequently do you visit www.faa.gov ?

1. Visit regularly, at least a few times per month

2. Visit occasionally, at least a few times in the past 12 months

3. Aware there is a website, but have not visited in past 12 months (SKIP TO Q31)

4. Did not know there was a website for FAA (SKIP TO Q31)

ASK Q29-30 ONLY IF Q28=1 or 2

Please rate how useful the information on the FAA website is for the following. Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is Not Very Useful and 10 is Very Useful.

Q29. Support/enable compliance with FAA regulations, policies and guidance

Q30. Support/enable effective operational and / or management processes

Safety trends/Programs

Q31. Which of the following voluntary safety programs does your organization use as a source for risk indicators? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)

1. Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP)

2. Voluntary Disclosure Reporting Program (VDRP)

3. Flight Operational Quality Assurance Program (FOQA)

4. I don’t know if we have any of these (SKIP TO Q41)

Q32. Please rate the extent to which you think these programs have improved aviation safety. Use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Did not contribute much and 10 means Contributed a great deal.

Q33. Delete

Q34. Do you feel that safety monitoring, surveillance and assessment programs provide effective, predictive tools for the design and implementation of safety management programs?

1. Yes

2. No

3. No Opinion

Q35. Do you feel that safety monitoring; surveillance and assessment programs assist in focusing your company’s oversight of operations or priorities?

1. Yes

2. No

3. No Opinion

Q36. To what extent do you believe your company safety office is informed of safety issues identified in its program? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Not very much and 10 means A great deal.

Q37. To what extent has your airline made procedural changes based on information from these or other safety related programs? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Not very much and 10 means A great deal.

Q38. To what extent have safety issues identified in these or other safety related programs been publicized to the pilots or flight crew members? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Not very much and 10 means A great deal.

Q39. Are you familiar with the new Safety Management System (SMS) initiative?

1. Yes, I am familiar with SMS (ASK Q40)

2. I’ve heard of the term SMS but am not familiar with what it is (SKIP TO Q41)

3. I have not heard of SMS (SKIP TO Q41)

Q40. Do you feel that the implementation of SMS will enhance the operational safety of your airline?

1. Yes

2. No

3. No Opinion

Industry Challenges and Issues

To what extent do you believe each of the following have impacted operational safety at your company during the past year? Please use a scale from 1 to 10, where 1 means Not very much and 10 means A great deal.

Q41. An increase in human fatigue due to current economic conditions (e.g. fewer personnel doing the same amount or more work)

Q42. Overall economic conditions, issues, concerns

Q43. Employee moral

Q44. Does your company have a Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS)?

1. Yes (ASK Q45a)

2. No (ASK Q45b)

3. Not familiar with the term FRMS (Skip to Q46)

Q45a. Do you believe that your FRMS program enhances operational safety?

1. Yes

2. No

3. No Opinion

Q45b. Do you think that your company would benefit from having a FRMS?

1. Yes

2. No

3. No Opinion

ACSI Benchmarks

Now, please consider your overall satisfaction with the FAA. Satisfaction includes many things, so please reflect on all your experiences to date with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Q46. First, please consider all your experiences to date with the Federal Aviation Administration. Using a 10-point scale on which "1" means "Very Dissatisfied" and "10" means "Very Satisfied," how satisfied are you with the FAA?

Q47. Considering all your expectations, to what extent has the FAA fallen short of or exceeded your expectations? Using a 10-point scale on which "1" means "Falls Short of Expectations" and "10" means "Exceeds Expectations," to what extent has the FAA fallen short of or exceeded your expectations?

Q48. Forget about the FAA for a moment. Now, imagine an ideal agency promoting safety in the aviation industry. How well do you think the FAA compares to that ideal agency? Please use a 10-point scale on which "1" means "Not Very Close to Ideal" and "10" means "Very Close to Ideal."

Outcome Measures

Now, please think about any communication you may have had with the FAA over the past year regarding complaints about your experience(s) with the FAA.

Q49. Have you complained to the FAA within the past year?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t Recall

Q50. How confident are you that the Federal Aviation Administration will do a good job in the future of promoting the safety of civil aviation? Using a 10-point scale on which "1" means "Not at all Confident" and "10" means "Very Confident," how sure are you that the FAA will do a good job in the future of promoting the safety of civil aviation?

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Questionnaire – Page 16