At Endeavor Air, safety is our key guiding principle. Maintaining a safe operation is at the center of all we do.

But with such a strong emphasis on safety, what happens when mistakes are made?

Endeavor’s Aviation Safety Action Plan (ASAP) program is an important resource for employees who see a safety concern or are involved in a safety-related event. Managed by a two-person team under the Safety Department umbrella, ASAP provides a reporting system and review process that is comprehensive, confidential, and non-punitive — offering protection and immunity to certificate holders who may have violated company policy or FAA regulations.

And, ASAP is 100% voluntary.

“So many things happen out on the line that would go unknown to anyone,” said Cara Randolph, Manager, ASAP. “It’s not a ‘get out of jail free card’ since there may be a corrective action that comes of it, but it’s not punitive because it’s a voluntary program. By filing a report, you have stepped up to the plate and have decided to be part of our safety culture, and you granted us access to information that we would never have had otherwise.”

Events reported to ASAP are reviewed, de-identified, and assessed for risk prior to a review by the Event Review Committee. The committee, which is comprised of one FAA representative, a company representative, and a union or employee representative, then reviews each report and discusses recommendations for mitigating future events.

“We track and trend each event that is submitted, so if we see the same issue over and over again, we are able to quickly identify the trend with our employee groups and make recommendations,” said Kate Keogh, Safety Investigator. “The corrective action might not be with the report submitter; it might be more of a systemic issue, a training concern, or even something we are seeing industry-wide.”

“ASAP is bigger than just protecting or correcting the behavior of an employee; we are looking at the broader perspective,” added Randolph, who said that ASAP reporting can even offer an industry advantage. “We have made improvements that affected other CRJ operators, and have been able to make changes by calling Jeppesen or other vendors. The ASAP program helps the company, and it helps the industry by bringing forward these safety-related concerns.”

Change, however, requires frequent and accurate reporting. While the ASAP team receives reports for approximately 140 events each month, they believe there is still room for growth, particularly within the Tech Ops and Dispatch groups. By increasing awareness and educating employees about the benefits of ASAP, the program can make an even bigger impact.

“It’s important for our front line employees to know we’re all human, mistakes are going to occur, but also that their company hears them and we are doing something about it,” said Randolph. “With the excitement and the fast-paced growth of the airline, it’s very important to make sure people are slowing down, taking the time they need to do their job, and providing us with feedback about safety concerns that are out there so we can be proactive in preventing any hazardous outcomes.”

For the ASAP team, ensuring operational safety and improvement is more than a job – it’s a passion. Both Cara and Kate bring extensive aviation backgrounds and industry experience to their ASAP roles, which makes their pursuit of safety even more meaningful.

“ASAP and ensuring the betterment of the company are really important to us,” said Keogh, who encourages employees to reach out with any safety-related question or concern. “Our main goal is to try to maintain a safe operation. Our jobs are not confined to this building; we are always trying to learn and improve as much as possible.”