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Airline Automation
Overview
A major U.S. airline relied on a legacy tablet application used by ground crews to calculate aircraft center of gravity (COG) and relay load information to pilots. The outdated system created delays, required manual paperwork, provided limited insight to pilots, and couldn’t scale to meet the airline’s growing operational goals.
SEQTEK was engaged to realign leadership around a unified vision, modernize the technology, and create a seamless workflow between ground operations and the cockpit.
Legacy System Limitations
The previous application performed only basic COG
(Center of Gravity) calculations, lacked modern features, and couldn’t support new operational requirements. Ground crews had to print COG reports, pilots had to re-enter data manually, and the system struggled under real-world demands.
Ground crew and air crew operated in silos. Critical information moved slowly - or on paper, creating communication delays and increasing risk during a time-sensitive phase of aircraft preparation.
Different departments had different expectations for the new system:
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Ground operations wanted speed and simplicity
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Pilots wanted more accurate cargo visibility
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Safety teams wanted consistency and error reduction
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Technology leadership wanted scalability and modernization
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Misalignment defining priorities and features
The interface was slow, unintuitive, and not built around actual crew workflows. Users needed a modern tool that supported the way they worked - not the other way around.
Solutions & Impact
SEQTEK facilitated alignment sessions across flight operations, ground operations, safety, and IT leadership. We unified priorities, clarified success metrics, and established a shared operational vision. This ensured the solution supported strategic goals while meeting tactical crew needs.
Stakeholder-Driven Application Design
We interviewed pilots, load masters, and ground crew to understand real workflows and built the entire application around their feedback. This included:
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User-centered prototypes
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Workflow diagrams
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Rapid validation cycles
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Alignment between leadership goals and frontline needs
This approach ensured the tool delivered real operational value, not just technical modernization.
Modernized, Fully Integrated Application
SEQTEK rebuilt the entire COG platform with:
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Automated center-of-gravity calculations
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Real-time sync between ground crew and cockpit
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Cargo mapping showing load distribution throughout the plane
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A completely new UI/UX optimized for speed, safety, and clarity
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14 additional features including automated weight checks, discrepancy alerts, and pilot-ready reporting
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Digital workflows replacing printed reports
The new solution became a real-time operational platform, not just a calculator.
Impact
The modernized system delivered transformational results:
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Faster flight prep through real-time crew communication
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Elimination of paper processes
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Improved accuracy with automated calculations and validations
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Better pilot decision-making with full cargo visibility
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Increased safety and compliance
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Higher user satisfaction due to modern UI/UX
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Alignment across leadership around a scalable, future-ready solution
The airline now operates on a modern, efficient platform built around the needs of both leaders and crews - setting the stage for continued innovation.
