Apr 08, 2022

Chapter 6

Where Do We Go From Here?

“The worst pandemic in modern history was the Spanish flu of 1918, which killed tens of millions of people. Today with how interconnected the world is, it would spread faster.” – Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft. (2015)

Since its inception in the mid-1930s, the airline industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs. Much of these crises are self-inflicted others are imposed on it by market forces, governmental organizations and unforeseen events such as terrorist activities, major accidents, and most recently a worldwide pandemic, the likes of which have not been seen since 1918.

There is no doubt that the airline industry is long overdue for an overhaul, both industry-wide and individual airlines themselves.

There's a significant need for the industry to rethink how it does its business. How does it handle profitability and sustainability? How it deals with the instability that comes with doing business in a space that is cross borders and somewhat unpredictable. There's a significant need to try to have a grasp of all the financial conditions, whether the Financial markets are going well or poorly.

As it relates to pilots and crews, there needs to be better organization between the airlines and government entities to ensure that while protecting the lives and livelihoods of those who have to work in the airline industry, those regulations are not in such a way to jeopardize the overall operations of the industry.

There needs to be a way for the industry to deal with the shocks that come its way. It is very clear that the industry has had a lot of experience dealing with external shocks and eventualities, therefore, it should be better equipped to deal with these unforeseen events as they arise.

With all that being said, it is this author's belief that the airline industry will become stronger than ever over the next years and decades to come, the industry itself is going nowhere. In fact, this author believes that the airline industry will become even more significant, and all-important in an increasingly globalized world.  

It is therefore up to the individual players in the airline industry, governmental entities, and a traveling public at large to work together to create a more robust and responsive industry that can weather the shocks that will inevitably come in the future.

So, as we look out to the horizon, and take flight into an unpredictable future, we must be aware that there are things that we cannot know at this moment that will happen, yet, it is up to the men and women working within and without the airline industry with the necessary influences over it, to prepare it to be robust, agile, and adaptive, so that it is better equipped for what is inevitably to come…

In the final account, all that happened to us in the past, no matter how hard or how deep, seems to fade away and all that is left is the peace of that very thing. No matter the joy or the pain; the excitement or anxiety; the love or hurt, as time passes looking back they seem so peaceful, those deep emotions are no longer, the only thing that is left is a feeling of peace with one’s self about those events long past. Thus, we can say that even in the moment, no matter what the cause and the emotion, seek the peace, it is there for the taking, so take it now or take it later you will take that peace of mind. So I dare to say take it now, and throughout the emotional rollercoaster that the vicissitudes of life inevitably brings, you always will and must find peace. (Orlando O. Spencer - c. 2020)

About The Author

Orlando O. Spencer is a commercial pilot, entrepreneur, and student of life. He is a deep observer of all things, a lover of all mankind, and one who places God in the center of all he does. As he once wrote:

“I aim to be a man of character that can never be bought or sold. Whose security, guidance, wisdom, and power come from a place so deep within him, neither society nor other men can thwart. His unwavering faith is steel, tempered by an eternity of fire. His heart is love, truth is in him as he is eternally connected to his soul. Men may try him, yet fail they must. He has Temperance in all things, Justice for all men, true Courage and an everlasting Wisdom. He who sees him sees something in him that is so profound and divine, yet that thing they can not tell, for he is only a conduit for an ever-flowing stream from God. It is this part apparently of him, yet not his, that radiates throughout his entire being, and moves societies, companies, and all men hither and thither.”  (Orlando O. Spencer - c. 2017)

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