Senior management could learn much from spending the day following a crew around the network.
Its a VERY basic concept. Get out of the ivory tower, get out to the pointy end with the front line troops and observe in real time the core business. Whether on the flight deck, in the cabin, in the terminals or in the hangar etc...
No matter what the service industry, nothing substitutes for removing potentially sycophantic layers of mid and low-level management filters by visiting the coal face, unannounced, every once in a while.
In a previous company, it was done every 3 - 4 months. In the 5 years with my current employer I have never seen it (nor heard of it) ever happen.
And when there IS notice of a senior management visit, for say a meeting, then all the troops are deployed to make sure everything looks well oiled, and spick and span in the same way that the main street in a dusty, run-down country town will be spruced up to welcome the Queen!
PG