Individual Reflection
Done by Mr. Aloysius Wong
YOUR CONTRIBUTION
How have you contributed to the team to prepare and complete the project?
Being a member of the Eagle Eye team, I have contributed to the team by researching on the various aspects of the project, providing new innovative ideas to the team, and helped in building the online portfolio to impress our company’s prospective clients. I have also assisted the group leader and the team with the assignment of tasks, the selection of flights for comparison, the crafting of the feedback questionnaire.
Firstly, for preparation, I have researched on the various Airlines, Ground handlers, Civil Aviation Authorities, Air Traffic Service, and the Governing Agencies of both Singapore Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which are the Key Airport Partners. After researching on them, I collate the information and list down the various key airport partners in the portfolio and compare the details of both airports finding out what are their similarities and differences.
Secondly, I also analysed the results of the Passenger Arrival Rates (PARs) for both flight SQ118 and TG404. Finding out what are the pre-dominant passengers for the flights, whether they are business travellers or leisure travellers by looking at the time the passengers arrive at the airport. By conducting a comprehensive comparison study on the Passenger Arrival Rates (PARs), I came out with the similarities and differences between the PARs. I thereafter justified the occurrences of these similarities and differences.
Thirdly, I have also worked on the “TEAM” page by helping in the planning of the project and worked on the group Gantt chart on Agantty making sure that we are on task which is very crucial and everyone is doing their part. By having a plan, it sets the direction and allows the team to complete the project within the dateline. As if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
Lastly, I have also brainstormed the team’s objective on gathering feedback as this would allow us to find our strengths and weakness from the client’s point of view, find out our mistakes and rectify them thereafter creating a better portfolio for our clients.
I have also designed and added relevant pictures to these sections to ensure that the website looks professional for our clients. I also ensured the quality of the content and images throughout the portfolio, making sure that all the information is relevant and cohesive. By checking on other group member’s work, ensuring that there is no missing information and I would advise my group members on the necessary changes if any.
(408 words)
TEAMWORK (POSITIVE)
What are the areas that you have observed which your team has done well during the project? What have you learned from these observations which you can apply in future?
Firstly, I have observed that my team has excellent communication during the whole project, as in our group, we have a culture of openness and mutual trust. I personally think that communication is the foundation of effective teamwork as this allows every group member to speak up their minds freely and voice their personal opinions and provide feedback to the team.
The group leader would also recognise our efforts by saying that one has done a good job and to keep up with the excellent work on their given task, and also provides us with constructive feedbacks this boost our confidence and morale overall.
For example, during the project, when we are deciding on which flights to choose for comparison, each of the group members takes turns to voice out their view thereafter we discuss which is the best flights to be used for comparison by weighing the pros and cons.
When we faced disagreements such as having a different view on the designs of the portfolio or whether is the content is relevant and if it should be added to the portfolio. We communicated expertly with one another by taking a vote in choosing the design, and we analyse as a group if the content is relevant.
Secondly, I have also observed that my team has good Organisational and Planning, as we have a master plan right from the start we did it by planning our Gantt chart on Agantty which show the respective tasks and datelines. The Gantt chart also shows how the tasks are interdependent; thus, every member plays an important role. The group leader allocated the tasks to each group member evenly according to each member’s strengths and weaknesses, allowing each member to use their unique set of skills to produce the best quality of work.
From these observations, I have learnt that effective communication in a team is very important as it allows each member to get their point across to the team, and this would prevent unnecessary conflicts from happening. This can be applied in my future projects and even in the future working environment when I work with my colleagues on major projects. I have also learnt that by having good organisational and planning skills, it allows the project to run smoothly as everyone is clear on the objectives and have a common goal, this can be applied in the future when I am working in a team environment, where I would always have a master plan beforehand and set goals and objectives for the project.
(423 words)
TEAMWORK (TO BE IMPROVED)
What are the areas that you have observed which your team could have improved? What have you learned from these observations which you could take note of when you work in teams in future?
Firstly, I have also observed some areas that my team could have improved on its that even though we have effective organisation and planning from the start and respective task are being allocated equally. However, we tend to procrastinate quite a lot as we are easily distracted when we meet-up both online and physically to discuss on the project. We would most of the time catch-up with one another first and sometimes get carried away by play games first before we even start doing the project itself. This led to lots of precious time being wasted, which could be used for effective discussions and the brainstorming of ideas.
For example, when we met up at our group leader’s house to discuss the project and consolidate what we have researched on, we spent a few hours catching up with one another before we started on the project itself, this caused us to be a little behind schedule.
Secondly, I have also observed another area that my team could have improved on is how we research and find our information as we tend to take a long time to search for the relevant information such as the information on the comparison of airports. And I think that we should help one another in finding the information, especially the one that is lacking behind.
From these observations, I have learnt that having proper time management is very crucial as in a group one can easily lose track of time causing time to be wasted and might cause the team to fall behind schedule. I have also learnt that researching skills are very important and that we should help each other at all times. This can be applied in my future projects by setting a specific time to start doing work to avoid losing precious time and always help any team member that is lacking behind.
(312 words)
SELF LEARNING EVALUATION
What are the key areas about Airport Operations and Management that you have learnt from the project?
Firstly the key area about Airport Operations and Management that I have learnt from the project is the importance of airport access and how the access modes vary for each airport. Airport access is crucial to the airport as if there are congestions or difficulties in accessing the airports; it will directly affect the airport’s passengers experience and reputation. If it is difficult to access the airport and there are congestions such as traffic jams passengers might miss their flight.
I understand that there are different types of access modes from road access, rail access and other access modes, in which road access which plays a significant role in airport access as most passengers arrive at the airport by a road vehicle. And by researching on the airport access of Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), I have learnt that most passengers use a road vehicle to and from KLIA, as it is easily accessible by road with the multiple expressways that would connect the city to the airport itself. I have also learnt how to evaluate the different airport access modes and compare them by using the 3 key considerations of airport access which is the length of access time, the reliability of the access mode itself and also the relevant check-in requirements.
By doing so, I have learnt that for Kuala Lumpur International Airport, rail access is the best airport access mode compared to road access. It is similar for most airports, especially those located in busy cities as traffic jams are common, which would result in a considerable delay compared to rail, which is a faster and more reliable option.
There are also different types of parking facilities at the airport from short-term parking which are for short visits to the airport, and they are usually located near the terminal building which provides greater conveniences even though it is pricier. To long term remote parking which is located away from the terminal building however it is the least expensive, and a shuttle service connects it, KLIA has such a parking facility catered to passengers with extended stays.
And by looking at the other online portfolios, I have learnt that most airports around the world try to provide the best accessibility to the airport. One of it I found interesting is from Narita International Airport in which for the other access modes they even have chartered helicopter service, which is a unique alternative for one to access the airport.
Another key area about Airport Operations and Management that I have learnt from the project is the operations model of airports when we compare the background information of both Singapore Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Through this project, it also deepens my understanding of the 4 different ownership and operations models which are the government-owned and control, government-owned with decentralised control, mixed public/private ownership control and the privately owned and operated.
For Singapore Changi Airport the operation model is government-owned with decentralised control in which the airport is managed by Changi Airport Group (CAG) in which the Singapore government delegates control and operations to Changi airport group. By comparing with Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which is the destination airport of flight SQ118, it has the same operational model which is government-owned with decentralised control as the airport is operated by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) which is similar to Singapore's Changi Airport Group (CAG). As MAHB is a publicly-traded government-linked company in which the government still has significant control.
After going through the other online portfolio done by the other classes, I have also learnt more about the operation model’s of all the different airports around the world. One of it that is special would be London Heathrow, in which the operation model of the airport is unlike Singapore Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport as it is privately owned and operated by Heathrow Airport Holdings. It is unique and rare as having exclusive private ownership as most airports the government have the ultimate control of the airport as it is a complex and vital infrastructure.
Lastly, a key area about airport operations that I have learnt from the project is the key airport partners who are an important source of revenue for the airports and for an airport to be successful they need to establish great working partnerships with the different airport partners. By researching on the various airport partners of both Singapore Changi Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport, I have learnt the different airport partners for each airport understand their similarities and differences.
For the airlines, they are essential to the airport as they pay aeronautical fees to the airport and also rent offices at the airport for their operations especially local carriers which have their main hub located at the airport, for example, Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines. The ground handlers are also important airport partners as they provide essential services to the airlines from passenger handling to baggage handling. With reliable ground handlers, it allows effective ground handling to be carried out. This will reduce the turnaround time for the aircraft saving time on the ground, which would benefit both the airline and the airport.
The Civil Aviation Authorities are also key airlines partners as they regulate the aviation industry and are the ones responsible for overseeing the airspace of the country.
Another key airport partner is the different government agencies which ensure that the airport can run smoothly and effectively as the Immigrations and customs department is responsible for safeguarding the borders of the country against the entry of any undesirable people, cargo through the airport. And also the police and airport security which is responsible for preventing any unlawful acts at the airport and keeping the airport safe and secure. It is important that both the government agencies and airport work closely together as this will ensure the airport is secured and the country’s border is protected.
The ministry of health is also a very crucial government agency as they are responsible for ensuring that passengers entering the country via the airport do not carry any contagious diseases such as SARS and COVID-19. It is especially important during global pandemics as they need to work closely with airport authorities to make sure that the chances of the virus and diseases entering our country is reduced to the minimal. This can be seen now during this COVID-19 Pandemic situation, whereby the airport works closely with the ministry of health by having temperature screening points all around the airport and enforce on border control measures keeping the country safe from the virus.
(1103 words)
PROJECT EVALUATION
How do you find the project? Is there anything you will like to feedback to improve the project?
Personally, I find the project very interesting and challenging at the same time as this is my very first time creating an online portfolio (website) from scratch. My groupmates and I had to figure out how to use the software Wix and the different features that come with it. It was a struggle at the start as we are all unfamiliar with the software and needed some time to figure out how to use it.
Sometimes I get annoyed with Wix as the software only allows one person to edit it at a time which a trouble as we could not work on the website all at the same time and I find it challenging to add in my contents and pictures to the website as it is quite laggy. However, I have learnt a lot from creating an online portfolio as it allows me to learn a new skill which I might use in the future even when I enter the workforce.
I also find that the project has also allowed me to gained new knowledge, such as the various key airport partners and how they differ from each airport. And also applied what I have learnt from airport operations and management to provide a comprehensive comparison on the existing airport operations. By going through the other portfolios done by other teams, it also allows me to have a better understanding and gain more knowledge on the airport operations at the various airport around the world. And the individual report also deepens my understanding of airport access, understanding that there are multiple access modes and parking facilities and they differ from airport to airport.
Overall I feel that this project is a delightful one, and I hope to do exciting project like this in the future. For feedbacks, I feel that some aesthetic marks should be given for the portfolio as with an excellent design and good organisation of content clients would be more interested in the portfolio.
(329 words)