Checklist for new Opportunities

On culture for this week.

At leadership level, saying yes to an opportunity too quickly can be career-limiting. 

Saying no strategically can be career-defining.

Here are 15 sharp questions to assess any senior opportunity before you sign on the dotted line:

1. What problem am I really being hired to solve?

Not the polished job description. 

The messy, real issue.

2. Who truly owns the decision-making power?

Org charts are fantasy. 

Influence maps reveal reality.

3. Is the CEO or executive team aligned on expectations?

Conflicted leadership = constant firefighting.

4. Does the culture support transformation?

Airlines, OEMs, space ventures — culture eats strategy for breakfast.

5. What does success look like in 12 months?

Vague answers? 

Red flag.

6. Are resources, budget, and talent proportional to ambition?

High targets + low support = stress and failure.

7. Who are the hidden blockers?

Sometimes the “problem” is politics, not strategy.

8. What happened to the last person in this seat?

Turnover tells a story that job descriptions hide.

9. How do teams handle bad news?

If honesty is punished, innovation dies.

10. Who do I need to influence outside my direct team?

Cross-functional alignment is everything.

11. Is there clarity on authority vs. autonomy?

Decision-making without empowerment is window dressing.

12. Does the market care about what the company is solving?

If the answer is “we hope so,” your impact will be limited.

13. Will this role stretch my leadership — or just fill my calendar?

Senior roles should amplify your influence.

Not just your tasks.

14. Does this opportunity align with my personal energy and values?

Passion matters — the aerospace sector is high-pressure and unforgiving.

15. How will this role define the next 5 years of my career?

Always think beyond the immediate. 

Senior decisions compound.

At leadership levels, every opportunity is a high-stakes decision. 

The wrong role doesn’t just cost you a job.

It costs years of impact, your reputation, and the energy you’ll never get back.

♻️ Share this to help your network.

#culturematters #hiring #aviation

From Blogger iPhone client

Core competencies in Data Engineering

Two Data Engineers interviewed at FAANG for a Data Engineering role.

One got rejected.

One got hired.

Same interviews.

Different grasp of fundamental data concepts.

Meta tests foundations because their stack is proprietary.

You can't learn their tools before joining. But you can master the core principles that translate to any data system.

Here's the fundamental Data Engineering stack you need to master, no matter the company you're aiming for.

Layer 1: Data Modeling & Schema Design

The foundation everything builds on.

- Normalization vs denormalization tradeoffs.

- Star and snowflake schemas.

- Slowly changing dimensions.

- Partitioning and bucketing strategies.

Poor modeling? Your queries will never scale.

Layer 2: SQL & Query Optimization

Your primary language for data.

- Complex joins and window functions.

- Query execution plans and indexes.

- Subquery vs CTE performance.

- Aggregation optimization techniques.

Can't write efficient SQL? You won't pass the technical.

Layer 3: Distributed Systems Fundamentals

How data systems actually work at scale.

- CAP theorem and consistency models.

- Partitioning and replication strategies.

- Distributed query processing.

- Fault tolerance and recovery.

Miss these concepts? You can't reason about production issues.

Layer 4: Data Pipeline Architecture

Moving data reliably at scale.

- Batch vs streaming tradeoffs.

- Idempotency and exactly-once processing.

- Backfill strategies and data quality.

- Orchestration and dependency management.

Bad pipelines? Data teams lose trust in your work.

Layer 5: Storage Systems & Formats

Where and how you store matters.

- Row vs columnar storage tradeoffs.

- Parquet, ORC, Avro characteristics.

- Data lake vs warehouse patterns.

- Compression and encoding strategies.

Wrong storage choices kill query performance.

Layer 6: Data Quality & Observability

Production data is messy.

- Schema validation and evolution.

- Data lineage and impact analysis.

- Monitoring pipeline health.

- SLA definition and alerting.

No observability? You're flying blind in production.

Layer 7: Performance & Scalability

The difference between junior and senior.

- Understanding data skew and hotspots.

- Memory vs disk tradeoffs.

- Caching strategies and materialization.

- Cost optimization techniques.

Can't optimize? Your pipelines won't survive scale

From Blogger iPhone client

British Airways Strategic Challenges

strategic, executive-level articulation of British Airways’ greatest strategic challenges for the next 3 years (2025–2028). This will help you prepare for interviews, assessments, or application questions.

Greatest Strategic Challenges for British Airways (Next 3 Years)

1. Modernising an Ageing Fleet While Controlling Costs

British Airways has one of the oldest fleets in Europe among major carriers.

Over the next three years, BA must:

• Replace ageing aircraft to reduce fuel burn, maintenance costs, and emissions.
• Manage long lead times for new aircraft (A350s, 787s, 777Xs) and supply-chain delays.
• Fund these investments while maintaining profitability and keeping fares competitive.

Why it’s a challenge: Fleet renewal is capital-intensive and constrained by global aircraft shortages.

2. Improving Operational Reliability and Customer Experience

BA has faced:

• Operational disruptions (cancellations, IT outages, ground-handling inconsistencies),
• Lower customer satisfaction versus leading European and Gulf competitors.

Next 3 years will require:

• Stabilising operations through better staffing, technology, and baggage/ground handling automation.
• Enhancing digital touchpoints (app, check-in, disruption management).
• Rebuilding trust and improving NPS.

Why it’s a challenge: Customer expectations are rising while BA’s legacy systems and workflows need major overhaul.

3. Digital Transformation + Legacy IT Replacement

BA is still heavily reliant on legacy IT systems across reservations, ops control, crew management, and MRO.

Strategic priorities:

• Migrating to cloud-based, integrated ops systems,
• Using predictive analytics for maintenance, crew planning, fuel efficiency and supply chain,
• Deploying AI and automation to reduce turnaround times and irregular operations impact.

Why it’s a challenge: Transformation at this scale risks disruption if poorly managed and requires major cultural and process change.

4. Workforce Relations, Skills Shortages & Cultural Shift

BA must address:

• Talent shortages in engineering, pilots, cyber, and operations.
• Post-pandemic labour relations tensions, pay negotiations, and union constraints.
• Need for a digitally-skilled workforce as BA modernises.

Why it’s a challenge: Airline performance depends on high workforce stability and alignment across diverse employee groups.

5. Margin Pressure From Competition

BA faces intense competition from:

• Gulf carriers (Qatar Airways, Emirates) on long-haul premium,
• Low-cost carriers (easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz) on short-haul,
• European flag carriers improving (Lufthansa Group, AF-KLM).

BA must:

• Differentiate on service, digital experience, loyalty, and connectivity.
• Maintain Heathrow slots while optimising yields.

Why it’s a challenge: Competition exerts pressure on both ends of BA’s product spectrum—premium long-haul and value short-haul.

6. Sustainability Commitments & Net-Zero Pressure

IAG/BA committed to:

• Net-zero by 2050
• 10% SAF by 2030
• This requires huge investment and regulatory coordination.

Challenges include:

• Limited SAF supply and high prices
• Slow global policy alignment
• Balancing sustainability with affordability

The Single Greatest Strategic Challenge

Synchronising fleet renewal, digital transformation, and operational reliability—while improving the customer experience in a highly competitive market.

BA must modernise fast enough to stay competitive, but not so fast that disruption, cost overruns, or service instability undermine performance.

This challenge is cross-functional and affects cost structure, customer trust, employee satisfaction, and long-term brand equity.

From Blogger iPhone client

British Airways Analysis on Performance

Based on public data (especially IAG’s most recent results, since IAG is BA’s parent), here’s a breakdown of which segments look to be outperforming for British Airways / IAG, and where they may be underperforming — plus some risks.

What Segments Are 

Outperforming

1. Transatlantic Premium / Long-Haul Premium
3. IAG points to very strong demand on North Atlantic / transatlantic routes, especially in premium cabins.  
4. In Q1 2025, IAG said unit revenue was strong, helped by “high yields … in our core markets” and specifically highlighted good performance in long-haul premium.  
5. The Guardian also notes that BA (via IAG) benefited from increased transatlantic ticket sales in 2024.  
6. This premium demand is likely contributing disproportionately to profit growth, given margins on premium long-haul are generally higher.
7. 
   
8. Leisure Travel / Premium Leisure
10. IAG says that while corporate (business) travel is recovering, the “premium leisure” segment is particularly strong.  
11. In its capital-return and financial planning, IAG emphasizes that “leisure demand remains robust.”  
12. BA Holidays (part of IAG Loyalty) is also growing: in H1 2025, revenue from BA Holidays grew, and a large portion is from “Club” (frequent) customers whose average booking revenue is notably higher than non-members.  
13. 
    
14. Cargo
16. Cargo revenues for IAG rose in 2024: Morningstar reports a 6.7% increase.  
17. This helps diversify BA/IAG beyond purely passenger business and captures upsides in freight demand.
18. 
    
19. Other Revenue: Loyalty, MRO, Holidays
21. “Other Revenue” (which includes IAG Loyalty, BA Holidays, maintenance, etc.) grew in IAG’s 2024 results.  
22. IAG Loyalty (Avios program) seems resilient: in H1 2025, Avios issuance and redemption both climbed, helping drive profitability.  
23. 
    

What Segments Are 

Underperforming / Facing Risk

1. Corporate / Business Travel (Especially Short-Haul)
3. IAG has explicitly said that business travel “will not fully recover to pre-pandemic levels, particularly for short-duration and short-haul trips.”  
4. In Q2 2025, IAG reported that corporate (business) volume declined ~8% YoY; BA’s revenue from corporate bookings was almost flat, but volume dropped.  
5. This suggests that while premium long-haul might be recovering (or even growing), lower-margin business travel (especially short trips) is more challenged.
6. 
   
7. North Atlantic Economy (or Weaker Transatlantic Unit Revenue)
9. Despite strong premium transatlantic demand, there is some reported weakness: Bloomberg reports that IAG said “some softness” in North Atlantic routes, with a 7.1% decline in unit revenue on those routes.  
10. So, while premium may be doing well, certain economy segments (or key origin market softness) could be dragging.
11. 
    
12. Cost Pressures / FX Risk
14. Non-fuel unit costs are increasing, and IAG flags foreign exchange (FX) as a negative factor.  
15. Even if revenue is strong, rising costs could squeeze margins in some segments.
16. 
    

Interpretation: Why This Matters for British Airways

• Strength in premium long-haul and transatlantic is a big positive for BA: these are high-margin routes, and the demand recovery here supports BA’s profitability strategy.
• Leisure travelers trading up (to premium leisure) is a favorable trend: they are likely contributing more revenue per seat.
• Corporate short-haul is not fully back: if business travel doesn’t rebound fully, that could limit BA’s upside in some premium / mid-premium segments.
• Revenue volatility on key long-haul economy markets (like North Atlantic) could be a risk if pricing power weakens or competition intensifies.
• Diversification (cargo, loyalty, holidays) is helping BA / IAG hedge against cyclical passenger demand risks.

From Blogger iPhone client

Fastest drones reshaping future

https://youtube.com/shorts/I3VnnueRHN4?si=nX5LJCTVTQ3TzSU3

From Blogger iPhone client