Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Flight Crew • Load Factor • Fuel Management

RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometers)

Term from Airlines industry explained for recruiters

RPK, or Revenue Passenger Kilometers, is a key measurement used in the airline industry to track how much business an airline is doing. Think of it as measuring how far paying customers travel - for example, if 100 passengers fly 1,000 kilometers, that's 100,000 RPKs. Airlines use this number to see how well they're filling their planes and making money. It's similar to how retail stores track sales per square foot, but for airlines. When you see this on a resume, it usually means the person understands airline business metrics and has experience working with passenger travel data.

Examples in Resumes

Increased RPK by 15% through strategic route planning and capacity optimization

Led team analyzing Revenue Passenger Kilometers trends to improve flight scheduling

Managed quarterly RPK reporting and forecasting for Asian routes

Typical job title: "Airline Analytics Professionals"

Also try searching for:

Route Planning Analyst Network Planning Manager Aviation Business Analyst Airline Revenue Manager Commercial Planning Specialist Aviation Data Analyst Capacity Planning Manager

Where to Find Airline Analytics Professionals

Professional Networks

Industry Organizations

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you use RPK data to optimize route profitability?

Expected Answer: The candidate should explain how RPK helps determine which routes are performing well, how to balance capacity with demand, and how this metric combines with others like load factor to make strategic decisions about routes and aircraft deployment.

Q: How do seasonal variations affect RPK, and how would you plan for them?

Expected Answer: Should demonstrate understanding of how holiday seasons, weather, and events affect passenger travel patterns, and how to adjust capacity and pricing accordingly to maintain profitable RPK levels.

Mid Level Questions

Q: What's the relationship between RPK and load factor?

Expected Answer: Should explain that load factor shows how full planes are, while RPK shows how far paying passengers fly, and how these metrics work together to show route performance.

Q: How do you calculate RPK and what does it tell you about airline performance?

Expected Answer: Should explain that RPK is calculated by multiplying the number of paying passengers by the distance flown, and how this helps measure the actual business volume of an airline.

Junior Level Questions

Q: What is RPK and why is it important for airlines?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain that RPK measures how many kilometers paying passengers fly, and why this is a basic measure of airline business volume.

Q: What's the difference between RPK and ASK (Available Seat Kilometers)?

Expected Answer: Should explain that RPK counts actual paying passengers, while ASK represents total available capacity, regardless of whether seats are filled.