airline - Publications - Faculty & Research

01 Mar 2025
News

Agenda: Frank Lorenzo (MBA 1963)

In the early 1970s, Frank Lorenzo (MBA 1963) was CEO of Texas International Airlines, a struggling regional operation. There were whispers of change coming for the airline industry as Washington considered the pros and cons of ending... View Details

Keywords: April White

07 Nov 2007
Op-Ed

How Marketing Hype Hurt Boeing and Apple

and brand-building can boost stock prices by raising customer and investor expectations. But the penalties for not delivering on marketing promises are fast becoming as significant as not meeting quarterly earnings targets. Boeing had banked over 700 orders from... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Aerospace; Consumer Products

John W. Marriott

Marriott built the fastest growing, most diversified and most profitable lodging company in the United States. By 1964, it had approximately $85 million in annual sales with 122 units in 14 states. Its business lines included 73 restaurants and cafeterias, 14 fast-food... View Details

Keywords: Restaurants & Lodging

10 Oct 2007
Research & Ideas

“Blank” Inside: Branding Ingredients

aftermarket. Think cars with Michelin tires, Dolby stereo systems and Champion spark plugs. Today, the most impressive—and unlikely—ingredient brand promises to be the Boeing 787. On July 8, 2007, Boeing unveiled the 787 to the public. Over 650 orders have already been... View Details

Keywords: by John Quelch; Aerospace; Consumer Products

25 Aug 2022
News

Comfort Zone

industry, most recently as CEO of the Swiss/Chilean company Aport SA. Airlines have since abandoned all aspirations of luxury to focus on reducing operational expenses. It’s the reason we’re seeing a bumper crop of low-cost carriers,... View Details

01 Jun 1997
News

A Better Way to Go on Strike

W hen President Clinton imposed a cooling-down period in the American Airlines pilots' strike, he recognized that a strike would impose huge costs on those not involved in the labor dispute - from travelers and airfreight shippers to... View Details

Keywords: David Lax and Professor James K. Sebenius

01 Apr 2000
News

The World at a Click

services for leisure and small-business travelers. Consumers enjoy one-stop shopping for airline tickets, car rentals, vacation packages, hotels, and cruises, as well as a wealth of travel news and merchandise. "Preview Travel and... View Details

Keywords: Margie Kelly

03 Oct 2005
What Do You Think?

What’s the Future of Globally Organized Labor?

What do you think? Original Article Two contrasting news stories caught my eye over the past couple of months. The first involved the strike, at least initially unsuccessful, by the mechanics' union at Northwest Airlines in an attempt to... View Details

Keywords: by James Heskett

08 Jun 2016
Blog Post

Meet The Aerospace and Aviation Club

professional insights, personal stories, and advice for students considering entering these fields. During the 2015-2016 academic year, we hosted NASA astronaut Terry Virts, Turkish Airlines CEO Temel Kotil, former Boeing Chairman Jim... View Details

Keywords: Manufacturing

21 Oct 2002
Research & Ideas

The Parable of the Bungled Baggage And the Unhappy Customer

in favor of your best customers? Can you use that information? You're not bothered by that? She was trained to handle this service. She was pumped because she had degrees of freedom. She could have rented a limo, written a ticket for another View Details

Keywords: by W. Earl Sasser

08 May 2006
Research & Ideas

The Cost of Cutting in Line

standing in line at the airport, it occurred to me that waiting lines appeared to be another example for a missing-markets problem. Why do I have to wait at airports? Why don't the airlines offer a service that would allow me to pay $20... View Details

Keywords: by Sean Silverthorne

23 Jul 2016
News

The Art of Persuasion

When Radhika Piramal (MBA 2006) returned to India in 2009, she noted two developing trends with direct implications for VIP Industries, her family’s luggage and bag business. First, air traffic was increasing rapidly with the introduction of new View Details

11 May 2015
Research & Ideas

A Road Map to Fix America’s Transportation Infrastructure

Any highway commuter who has wasted hours stuck in traffic can see the cracks in the United States' transportation system, as can any airline passenger who has been stranded overnight in an airport. Yet while many agree that the need for infrastructure change is... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Transportation

10 Jul 2000
Research & Ideas

Privatization and the New European Economy

From France to Italy, Germany to Denmark, chances are good that if you pick a country in Europe, you can match it with its state-owned airline. But as Europe unites, barriers come down, and competition heats up, cross-border mergers have become fair game for View Details

Keywords: by James E. Aisner; Air Transportation; Transportation

30 Oct 2006
First Look

First Look: October 31, 2006

accounting, improve price and volatility discovery, and expand international risk intermediation activities. Download working paper: http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/07-026.pdf Cases & Course MaterialsC. R. Smith and the Birth of American View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

01 Sep 2014
News

HBS Faculty Explore Ideas Around the World

responsibility shared by so many business leaders in countries with great income disparities. Learn more at www.hbs.edu/businesshistory/emerging-markets Global Case Writing Shaped by Faculty Interests Assistant Professor Doug Chung’s interest in the View Details

Keywords: faculty research

Elmer A. Sperry

A prolific inventor, Sperry was instrumental in creating technological advances in navigation. He invented gyroscopic compasses and stabilizers that became fundamental components for both ships and airplanes. His inventions were adopted by the United States Navy and... View Details

Keywords: Fabricated Goods

01 Apr 2001
News

Harvard MBAs Rule?

strengths has been to furnish corporate America with executive leadership at the highest levels. Seeking perspective on this flurry of HBS alumni promotions, the magazine asked Continental Airlines president Gregory Brenneman (MBA 1988)... View Details

Donald W. Nyrop

After a distinguished career in law, which led him to the top positions at both the Civil Aeronautics Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, Nyrop joined the ailing Northwest Airlines with hopes of turning it around. Instituting... View Details

Keywords: Transportation

Robert L. Crandall

Crandall is credited with several innovations in the airline industry including introducing the original “Super Saver” fares, launching the first frequent flyer program, and developing the first yield management system for maximizing... View Details