Ethics Within the Aviation Industry

    Ethics is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “a set of moral principles: a theory or system of moral values.” Essentially, ethics are the set of morals and rules that each of us personally and unconsciously abide by to govern our daily lives and affect each decision that we make. Ethics, as it pertains to the aviation industry, is similar in the nature that there are a set of moral “rules” companies in the aviation industry must follow in order to maintain a healthy clientele and the trust of said clients in order to thrive. Such ethics may include keeping patron’s personal information private, being transparent with the public in how the company is run and explaining issues such as flight delays and cancellations, or even simply treating all passengers fairly and equally, devoid of discrimination. Maintaining proper ethics while pursuing a career in aviation is vital to one’s success. If the morals displayed are inherently good, and actions follow those same morals, then the public will be more inclined to trust you, and therefore, more likely to give their business to you.  

    Maintaining ethical behavior while running or managing a business is also very important. Ethical behavior can be displayed through how ethical problems are treated and what solutions are presented. For example, a common ethical dilemma that is prevalent within the aviation industry is the idea of decreasing leg room in favor of cramming more seats into an aircraft in order to maximize profit.

Note. Aviointeriors Skyrider 2.0. (2019).

[photograph]

 https://aviointeriors.it/portfolio/skyrider-2-0/

    A new airline seat concept, shown right, offers airlines the option to push “rows 25% closer together” in order to fit even more people on each airplane (Chino,2010). The seat manufacturer claims that the seats will make flying much cheaper for the average person, but at the cost of comfort as passengers will practically be standing for the duration of the flight. Naturally, it is the airline’s primary goal to increase profits, but is it ethical to cram passengers into ill-fitting spaces in the name of profit? Should passenger comfort be compromised in favor of making more money by fitting more people on each flight? As a 6’ 2” guy who flies economy class, I certainly do not wish to be squished into one of those seats. However, it is questions like these that people in the aviation industry must answer with their personal ethical code to determine the proper solution, and the decided solution can either make or break the airlines’ business in the future. 

Citations:

Hu, N., & Krause, A. (2019, April 5). A new airplane seat that the manufacturer says would make flights cheaper would basically require passengers to stand up. Insider. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://www.insider.com/skyrider-standing-airplane-seats-claims-makes-flights-cheaper-2018-4

Chino, M. (2010, September 13). New Ultra-Compact airplane seats pack in the passengers. Inhabitat. Retrieved August 8, 2022, from https://inhabitat.com/new-ultra-compact-airplane-seats-pack-in-the-passengers/#popup-160882