A Typical Work Week – Day by Day

A Revenue Analyst is responsible for the revenue optimization of the flights under their control. In order to do that requires a disciplined and systematic approach to the tasks on a daily and weekly basis.

I have documented a typical week below to highlight the tasks, analysis, and evaluation required. In addition, there are a number of team players, and communication is key to keeping all the components in synch and strategies aligned.

It is especially critical to be action oriented and to follow-up on those actions with ongoing performance evaluation and adjustment.

Monday

Monday is a data preparation day. I look at historical data for the last six weeks which gives me my final booked numbers by flight, day-of-week, and booking class. I also look at spoilage and denied boarding performance, as well as business mix components on my flights. I can categorize my flights with this information, using definitions based on BLF and booking class distribution. The categories include: Prime, High, Medium, and Low. This information helps me to set-up the inventory controls on my flights, and to manage them on a weekly basis. These controls are documented and communicated to my Manager as well, in order to ensure our strategies are aligned.

I also look forward with reports on advance bookings, seat allocations, remaining booking class availability, and overbooking levels. I compare my allocation distribution year-over-year, considering my fare structure and changes to the previous year. Our advance booking reports by route give us an indication of our distribution by booking class along with average fares and then estimated revenues. Our forward looking analysis is a validation that all is as expected based on the budget or plan.

One of the biggest challenges is bringing historical and forward looking data together in order to identify patterns and trends going forward in key performance indicators like: Spill, stifle, revenue dilution, spoilage, and denied boardings. Capturing and correcting any of these potential KPIs prior to flight departure can really improve performance.

Tuesday

Today I download the latest schedule reports looking for changes to my scheduled capacity and frequencies. I look at three things: Additions, deletions, and changes to the schedule. With that information, I evaluate how the changes will impact my passenger demand and if I will “spill” demand on alternate flights or even to the competition. I also identify passenger protection recommendations to the schedule change group who move the bookings off cancelled flights onto alternate remaining flights based on my suggestions.

I identify any issues that I have with the schedule going forward and request evaluations. Any trends or patterns that highlight opportunities are also identified for evaluation.

Upcoming holidays and special events are also evaluated on a weekly basis to ensure that bookings are coming in as expected and that we have appropriate capacity in place. Flight additions or cancellations are usually looked at a couple of months in advance and then monitored as the date approaches. Inventory controls are adjusted to capture revenue opportunity and to ensure that days where demand is soft are open for sale.

Wednesday

I have weekly competitive web fare comparison reports scheduled to be available on Wednesdays. I print these reports and meet with my team Market Manager and Pricing Analyst to discuss our position and any opportunities or threats. We make adjustments to the fares or inventory as required. This analysis and evaluation can be increased to daily if there is dynamic competitive action taking place in the market.

Thursday

On Thursday, our entire team meets for a Route Management meeting. We review current and future booking levels, the fare structures, and any schedule changes. We also talk about competitive pricing, schedules, and market share changes. Current trends or patterns in booking levels as well as distribution are examined and evaluated. Changes in fare structures and inventory management are actioned as required coming out of this meeting.

Friday

A close look at overbooking levels for the next thirty days in comparison to the no-show levels for the last sixty days is conducted at a flight and day-of-week level. Any flights with an oversell level below the no-show level are investigated for a possible increase. The reverse is also examined for oversell levels that are causing excessive denied boardings.

I try to have all my flights updated based on the week’s analysis, evaluation, and any action steps identified at the Route Management meeting. In this way, on Monday morning, when I create new reports, all my actions should be evident and I can follow-up on the results.

In Summary

This review of a typical work week is definitely not exhaustive, but only an overview of some of the tasks conducted by a Revenue Analyst. I would be very happy to hear your comments or suggestions of other tasks or approaches to ensure all opportunity is captured and any risks are minimized.