Publications

April 2003 (Revised May 2003)
Case

Valuation Ratios in the Airline Industry

By: Paul M. Healy, Krishna G. Palepu and Jonathan Barnett

Four firms in the airline industry illustrate the underlying differences in valuation multiples (price-earnings and price-to-book). View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Activity Based Costing and Management; Accounting Audits; Air Transportation Industry

March 1995 (Revised October 1995)
Case

U.S. Airline Industry in 1995, The

Describes the economic logic leading to the deregulation of the U.S. airline industry in 1978 and subsequent competitive developments. The roles of computerized reservation systems, airport hubs, route strategies, and fleet management are raised as unanticipated... View Details

Keywords: Industry Growth; Competitive Advantage; Air Transportation Industry; United States

August 2022
Case

Air Wars: Deregulating the U.S. Airline Industry

By: Tom Nicholas and James Weber

In the early decades of the twentieth century, the U.S. government assisted in the development of an airline industry by subsidizing the delivery of mail and allowing mail carriers to also fly passengers. Because the government awarded mail routes to the lowest... View Details

July 2014 (Revised November 2015)
Case

American Airlines in 2011

By: Willy Shih

The American Airlines in 2011 case was developed to provide a setting for the comparative analysis of two very different business models in the U.S. domestic airline industry—the network carrier and the low cost carrier (LCC). These models offer very different value... View Details

Keywords: American Airlines; Network Carrier; Low-cost Carrier; LCC; Business Model; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Competition; Competitive Strategy; Disruption; Transportation Industry; Transportation Industry; Transportation Industry; United States

November 2014
Teaching Note

American Airlines in 2011

By: Willy Shih

The American Airlines in 2011 case set was developed to provide a setting for the comparative analysis of two very different business models in the U.S. domestic airline industry—the network carrier and the low cost carrier (LCC). These models offer very different... View Details

Keywords: American Airlines; Network Carrier; Low-cost Carrier; LCC; Air Transportation; Business Model; Restructuring; Adaptation; Competitive Strategy; Competitive Advantage; Corporate Strategy; Transportation Industry; United States

May 2016 (Revised August 2022)
Case

RegionFly: Cutting Costs in the Airline Industry

By: Susanna Gallani and Eva Labro

RegionFly is a small, private airline specializing in ultra-premium services. Founded shortly after the "Golden Age of airline travel," RegionFly's financial performance had been strong for several decades. More recently, however, the results have taken a downward... View Details

Keywords: Recession; Downsizing; Profitability; Cost Management; Profit; Luxury; Competitive Strategy; Mergers and Acquisitions; Business Divisions; Logistics; Decision Making; Strategic Planning; Air Transportation Industry

January 2017 (Revised December 2017)
Case

Merging American Airlines and US Airways (A)

By: David G. Fubini, David A. Garvin and Carin-Isabel Knoop

In February 2013, US Airways announced that it would merge with American Airlines to create the world’s largest airline. Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways, would become CEO of the new American Airlines Group (AAL). The case describes a number of critical decisions... View Details

Keywords: Airlines; Merger; Takeover; Integration Strategy; Merger Integration; Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Making; Governance; Management Teams; Operations; Organizational Culture; Air Transportation Industry; United States

2021
Working Paper

Accounting for Product Impact in the Airlines Industry

By: George Serafeim and Katie Trinh

We apply the product impact measurement framework of the Impact-Weighted Accounts Initiative (IWAI) in two competitor companies within the airlines industry. We design a monetization methodology that allows us to calculate monetary impact estimates of fare... View Details

SSRN

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23 Mar 2017
Cold Call Podcast

Cost-cutting Leads to Turbulence in the Airline Industry

Keywords: Re: Susanna Gallani; Air Transportation; Travel

11 Jan 2021
Working Paper Summaries

Accounting for Product Impact in the Airlines Industry

Keywords: by George Serafeim and Katie Trinh; Air Transportation; Transportation

January 2003 (Revised March 2003)
Case

Southwest Airlines 2002: An Industry Under Siege

By: James L. Heskett

The company's management is faced with long-term questions regarding the rate and manner of growth in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and general industry malaise. View Details

Keywords: Cost; Product; Risk and Uncertainty; Growth and Development; Air Transportation Industry

November 2017
Supplement

Merging American Airlines and US Airways (B)

By: David G. Fubini, David A. Garvin and Carin-Isabel Knoop

Exhibit to Merging American Airlines and US Airways (A) case. In February 2013, US Airways announced that it would merge with American Airlines to create the world’s largest airline. Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways, would become CEO of the new American Airlines... View Details

Keywords: Airlines; Merger; Takeover; Integration Strategy; Merger Integration; Mergers and Acquisitions; Decision Making; Governance; Management Teams; Operations; Organizational Culture; Air Transportation Industry; United States

May 2016 (Revised November 2022)
Teaching Note

RegionFly: Cutting Costs in the Airline Industry

By: Susanna Gallani and Eva Labro

Teaching Note for HBS No. 116-047. View Details

23 Mar 2017
News

Cost-cutting Leads to Turbulence in the Airline Industry

April 1983
Background Note

Domestic Airline Industry and Information Technology

Find at Harvard

August 2003
Teaching Note

Valuation Ratios in the Airline Industry (TN)

By: Paul M. Healy

Teaching Note for (9-103-002). View Details

Keywords: Valuation; Air Transportation Industry

2000
Other Unpublished Work

Fettered Flight: Globalization and the Airline Industry

By: Richard H. K. Vietor, Daniel Yergin and Peter C. Evans

Keywords: Air Transportation; Globalized Markets and Industries; Air Transportation Industry

2002
Case

Southwest Airlines

By: Vijay Govindarajan and Julie Lang

Southwest used its short-haul and point-to-point strategy to achieve the lowest operating cost structure in the domestic airline industry. Flexible contracts and a rigorous peer recruiting process aligned its 35,000 employees with this strategy. View Details

Keywords: Cost; Air Transportation; Business Strategy; Air Transportation Industry