Driving Clarity and Collaboration in Aviation Fueling

From your perspective, what makes the collaboration between SAIM, Argus, and the airline consortiums so valuable to the aviation fueling industry?

The collaboration is especially valuable because it brings together aligned stakeholders across fuel operations, data, and industry coordination. This alignment helps strengthen consistency and transparency in aviation fueling practices while supporting better decision-making across organizations.

Thomas Drakeley, Fuel Strategy at United Airlines and a member of SAIM’s advisory committee, reflects on how shared insights, modern platforms, and cross‑consortium collaboration are helping operators make smarter, safer, and more strategic fueling decisions.

As someone who works closely with fuel infrastructure and strategy, where have you seen SAIM make the biggest impact for airline operators and owners?

When it comes to impact, I’ve seen SAIM make a meaningful difference for operators and consortiums by improving visibility into fuel infrastructure and day-to-day operations. This enhanced clarity supports more efficient planning and enables more informed strategic decisions. I look forward to building on from the data in the system to make even more impactful decisions.

As SAIM continues to grow and evolve, what excites you most about the platform’s potential over the next several years?  

What stands out most is how it creates a structured channel for industry voices to actively influence the platform’s evolution. That collaborative input is exciting, particularly given its potential to drive continued innovation and scalability over the coming years. Being able to see the health of our fuel facilities even when we are not on site helps our teams drive toward the same common goals. 

Can you share an example of how collaboration among consortiums has helped improve operations, safety, compliance, or decision-making?

In terms of cross-consortium collaboration, I’ve seen real value when shared learnings help teams refine operational processes, strengthen safety culture, improve compliance alignment, and ultimately make faster, more confident decisions. The SAIM Connect conference was a great event to hear these cross-collaboration stories. Hearing SFO’s Nicole Stewart share her experiences helped drive change at the cities I chair.

Your career has included roles in both military and commercial aviation operations. What lessons from those experiences do you believe will be most important as the industry prepares for the next generation of fueling infrastructure and asset management? 

Drawing from experience across both military and commercial aviation environments, one consistent lesson is the importance of combining disciplined processes with adaptability, especially as the industry continues moving toward more advanced fueling infrastructure and increasingly data-driven asset management systems. When I first entered the fuel space, all processes were manual and written on paper. The streamlining SAIM provides will allow future generations more success.