Modovolo shamelessly stole this from Southwest Airlines’ playbook. Forty years ago, Southwest discovered that people pay airlines to get them to their destinations.
It sounds simple, but it’s true. But this was a radical revelation because Southwest realized that if, for example, a plane could fly to 10 destinations a day instead of five, it would be like having two planes in one, and Southwest could sell it. More tickets – and more money to make.
The trick was to keep the plane in the air as much as possible.
That’s why Southwest developed a playbook for the “10-minute turnaround time.” Southwest’s thinking: Once a plane enters the jetway, passengers must be removed from the plane, seats and floors cleaned, the plane refueled, and new passengers put back on the plane. You can do all this in less than 10 minutes and then board your flight. Back into the air.
This meant the plane was in the air. many. Earn money.
And because Southwest’s planes fly much farther than its competitors, Southwest has always been profitable (except during COVID 2020) and has always grown its profits. A competitor’s planes spend more time on the runway, and that competitor’s profitability record is uncertain.
The lesson is: Airplanes in the air are making money. And the planes on the runway are losing money.
The same lessons apply to drone operations. Drones need to be in the air to take pictures, conduct inspections, spray pesticides and more. Like Southwest, the longer it stays in the air, the more profitable it becomes.
If you have a drone with a short flight time, you’re just like Southwest’s competitors. Your “plane is on the runway” and you are losing money.
