Giovanni Bisignani, former director general and chief executive officer of International Air Transport Association (IATA) and author of “Shaking the Skies,” paid a visit to Vaughn College on Friday, May 23. Bisignani was on site to tour the campus and speak to the students, faculty and staff about his international aviation background and his new book that focuses on an insiders look at how the aviation industry changed drastically in a post-9/11 world.

“I’m happy to be here at Vaughn College today to share my learnings, and answer questions from those studying aviation-related programs here at Vaughn,” said Bisignani.

The crowd heard about his tenure managing IATA, his role in reshaping the aviation industry and its governance, and his efforts to make the aviation industry safer and greener. One of the career highlights Bisignani discussed was his 2004 introduction of ‘The Simplifying the Business Initiative,’ which modernized the industry by improving customer convenience and reducing costs. His plan incorporated the elimination of paper tickets, the introduction of self-service kiosks at airports and made online check-in possible.

Bisignani has also been working on other activities. “Recently, I was able to introduce a new risk-based security concept which is focused on scrutinizing people rather than just objects,” he said. “The concept has now been accepted by the United States, the European Union and the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the ‘Checkpoint of the Future’ will be introduced in phases beginning in 2014.”

A book signing took place after the discussion for students and faculty. To see more information on Bisignani and “Shaking the Skies,” click here.

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