Cowboy Safety

ICE Air Does Not Practice Cowboy Safety

This case study may seem facetious. It is not meant to be nor is meant to be political commentary. It is an illustration of problems of a similar nature that exist in every organization. Here there is not just the issue of the details of ICE Air but also the matter of why we have the service. Cowboy Safety looks at problems and solutions at an enterprise level rather than at the departmental or operation step level. By expanding the scope of safety and by making it a higher level function safety becomes more effective and efficient.

Under a Cowboy Safety plan there would not be so many illegal immigrants to return and there might be some different ways to handle some of the details. There would be respect for the people involved but it would not cost $620 per seat.

ICE Air, owned by the U.S. Government has doubled its fleet of airplanes in the last year to fly illegal immigrants back home. ICE Air has hubs in such places as Mesa Arizona and Alexandria Louisiana. The average ticket is $620 one-way paid for by the taxpayers. It serves free meals, there is no charge for excess checked luggage, and there is a great customer service attitude. According to Michael J Pitts Chief of Flight Operations, “This is going to be the last impression of the United States. We want to provide good service.” One of their planes is a “swanky Boeing 737-800” that is leased from Miami Air International with 172 leather seats with the ICE logo and seal. According to Thomas Hall, a co-pilot, they fly heavyweights like Bill Clinton and George Bush. Also according to Hall, “this is one of our newest planes.” According to the Miami Air website, provision is for “incomparable service” for corporations, sports teams and political candidates who “trust us to get them where they need to go, when they need to be there.” ICE Air does overbook though and some people get bumped.

ICE Air has three flights daily to Guatemala City, Guatemala and two flights daily to Tegucigalpa, Honduras. ICE Air recently launched service to the Philippines, Indonesia and Cambodia.

The article in the New York Times mentions Veronica Garcia, age 20, who is a “repeat customer.” Years ago New York City decided to do something like this for welfare people. They would give one way tickets on commercial flights to Puerto Rico. What happened though was that these folk would use the ticket to help them be able to have their winter vacation in the Caribbean. They would come back in the Spring! Maybe that’s why Veronica Garcia is a “repeat customer” on ICE Air!

Valera Global

Valera Global is the premier provider of executive transportation solutions, taking ground transportation to a new level of luxury.

Valera Global creates an experience that is unmatched in the luxury transportation industry. Chauffeurs are impeccably groomed and well-trained in all aspects of their profession. The vehicles are spotlessly maintained and possess all of the first-class amenities one expects when traveling in a chauffeured vehicle. From a client’s first interaction with a sales representative to arriving promptly at the final destination, Valera Global has considered each detail of the transportation experience, and is committed to providing service with elegance and discretion.

Valera Global has a home-grown safety program that involves its approximately 200 drivers in New York City. Safety is a selling point and there is an incentive program that is based on accidents, cleanliness of car and driver and other factors. Each driver starts with 180 hours of classroom training taught by three instructors that the company has on staff. In addition, since 2004 the company's cars have been equipped with a DriveCam, a device that combines a digital camera and a G-force meter. Ten seconds of footage before and after any "G-force incident" from hard braking to a sudden swerve to a crash is recorded. The instructors review and then discuss incidents with the drivers. While continued poor driving habits can lead to dismissal, the focus is on improving skills, not punishment. From 2004 to 2007 accidents have dropped 20% and the severity rate - an insurance term that relates the number of dollars per mile that Valera Global's claims represent has dropped from $0.13 to $0.02, an 81% decrease.

The company feels that this program, which has been in place for 18 years, in addition to safety and peace of mind for drivers and customers, lowers insurance rates, car repairs, maintenance costs, interruptions to service, liabilities, lost productivity, sick leave, temporary staff, third party vendors and fuel costs.