airlines - Publications - Faculty & Research

04 Dec 2000
What Do You Think?

Have We Overdone Deregulation and Privatization?

consumers were that deregulation: (1) unleashes the power of a self-correcting free market (Jeff Struck), giving customers services at prices they are willing to pay and quality levels that they are willing to pay for (at least in the View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

22 Jul 2024
News

Viral Marketing’s Early Muse

Illustration by John Weber In 2008, Canadian musician Dave Carroll saw United Airlines employees manhandling his $3,500 Taylor guitar on the tarmac in Chicago. When he arrived at his destination, the guitar was in pieces. Carroll contacted United customer service... View Details

25 Aug 2022
News

The Great Priority Reset

future, airlines will have to make some major operational moves, from reconfiguring cabins to examining the economics of certain routes. Those traveling for pleasure, meanwhile, aren’t waiting—and they are driving change at the airport.... View Details

14 Oct 2014
First Look

First Look: October 14

Business School Case 615-009 American Airlines in 2011 (A) The "American Airlines in 2011" case set was developed to provide a setting for the comparative analysis of two very different business... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

13 Dec 2004
Research & Ideas

How Leaders Create Winning Streaks

Continental Airlines. Prior to 1994, Continental had been on a ten-year losing streak, having been through ten CEOs during this time. The culture was dysfunctional with secrecy and infighting. When Gordon Bethune became CEO, he set a goal of becoming one of the top... View Details

Keywords: by Rosabeth Moss Kanter & Walter Kiechel

25 Oct 2004
Research & Ideas

Planning for Surprises

many U.S. airlines, the debt owed to customers in the form of miles is a value significantly larger than the airlines' market capitalization. This is simply not sustainable. Airlines have already reduced the value of miles by making seats... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

01 Sep 2010
News

Reinventing the Annual Report

in this effort, including Southwest Airlines (with its Southwest Airlines One Report), United Technologies Corporation (UTC), the Dutch electronics and health-care giant Philips, the German chemical company... View Details

Keywords: Robert G. Eccles

28 Feb 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research, February 28

company, DO & CO, growing geographically with its existing businesses while also adding new brands to its portfolio. The company had $1 billion in revenues in 2015 from its three divisions: airline catering; international event... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

25 Aug 2003
Research & Ideas

Should You Sell Your Digital Privacy?

identity/privacy in terms of being an asset? A: I want Amazon to know my identity, in particular my taste in books and music. I know that they respect the value of that knowledge so that the issue of sharing the data won't ever come up. I want American View Details

Keywords: by Manda Salls & Sean Silverthorne; Advertising

12 Nov 2021
Op-Ed

Can Our Parenting Struggles Make Us Better Leaders?

they have an obligation to work proactively to further the company’s mission. Alaska Airlines, likewise, has become one of the most successful and well-regarded airlines by giving its frontline workers much more control over customer... View Details

Keywords: by Ranjay Gulati; Air Transportation

01 Jun 2009
News

Crisis and Creativity

fundamental decisions for any business: where to play, how to deliver, and how to win. Where to Play. Entrepreneurs must target downturn needs such as superior value relative to existing players or provide good substitutes for the necessities that consumers have to... View Details

Keywords: Bhaskar Chakravorti

01 Feb 2000
News

Breaking Down Barriers: The Electronic Wallet

airline ticket, or renewing a car registration - users activate their wallets, which then enter credit card, billing, and shipping information onto a point-of-sale form with a single click. But even the most basic wallet doesn't stop... View Details

Keywords: Judith A. Ross

01 Mar 2014
News

Feedback

they gave was of a European hospital that changed scheduling to be patient-centric. The entire patient experience was vastly improved and did not hurt the hospital's income. Other than the airline industry it is hard to find an industry... View Details

Keywords: Health, Social Assistance

01 May 2009
What Do You Think?

Do Innovation and Entrepreneurship Have to Be Incompatible with Organization Size?

still come from one source, search and advertising, despite the organization's emphasis on providing time and an organization for innovation among its associates. I remembered the airline Song, which had introduced service innovations... View Details

Keywords: by Jim Heskett

Profile

Mariano Bomaggio

during my undergraduate career, I became more interested in the business side of things. It seemed more complex; there were more dimensions you cannot control compared to a standard engineering problem." After graduation, Mariano spent a couple of years in the... View Details

Keywords: Tech; Manufacturing/Energy

01 Oct 1996
News

"Service-Profit Chain" Links Members of Service Management Unit

The following article is the sixth in a series on the activities and research taking place in each academic unit at HBS. Why was Southwest Airlines the only U.S. airline to realize a profit in 1992? What has... View Details

Keywords: Susan Young

04 Sep 2019
News

Ask the Expert: Bounce Back

newsletter advertising can be extended to many industries: hotels or airlines can embed ads for attractions near featured destinations or travel accessories, entertainment venues can embed ads for local restaurants and bars, retailers... View Details

Keywords: Jen McFarland Flint

01 Dec 2017
News

Enhancing Students’ Cultural Intelligence

travel stores to help the airline enhance customer satisfaction—provided insight on Mexico’s travel industry and, equally important, a new perspective on teamwork. “There were no designated leaders in the teams we were assigned to in... View Details

01 Feb 1997
News

OPM Reunion Snapshots

notes Kathy. Bernard Foulquies (3rd OPM) Representing the fifth generation of his family in the industrial textile business in England and France, Bernard Foulquies attended OPM after filling out an application he found in an airline... View Details

01 Dec 2004
News

Himalayan Journey

Travel in still-developing Bhutan requires flexibility — flights may be delayed (there is only one airline and one airstrip), and the power sometimes goes out. No matter — a few candlelit evenings only added to our experience. The... View Details

Keywords: Janet Sanders; Hospitality

Publications