Why airlines make poor decisions under pressure (and how to avoid it)

In aviation, decisions are rarely made in calm conditions. They are made under pressure, with limited time and high stakes. The challenge is not the pressure itself, but the systems supporting decision-making.

The myth of the “expert team”

Experienced professionals are essential, but expertise alone is not enough when:

• Information is fragmented.
• There is no shared operational picture.
• Each department optimizes only its own objectives.

Experience without structure leads to fragile outcomes.

When everything goes wrong at once

During major disruptions:

• Teams focus on the most visible problem.
• Local decisions create global consequences.
• There is no time to document or learn.

As a result, the same operational failures repeat again and again.

The real enemy: lack of shared context

Most poor decisions are not irrational.

They are logical decisions made with incomplete visibility.

Without shared context, coordination turns into controlled chaos.

How high-performing airlines think differently

Efficient airlines do not eliminate pressure, they eliminate disorder:

• Centralized operational data.
• Clear visibility of decision impact.
• Reduced dependency on key individuals.
• Traceable and repeatable decisions.

The duerming approach

duerming is built around one core principle: support better thinking when thinking is hardest.

Less improvisation.

More clarity.

More operational control.

Under pressure, decision quality drops.

The difference lies in having a system that compensates for it instead of relying on luck.