Publications

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

22 Aug 2005
Research & Ideas

Restoring a Global Economy, 1950–1980

attracted many U.S. companies to Western Europe. Technology made it easier than ever before for companies to move people, knowledge, and goods around the world. There were new waves of innovations in transport and communications. In 1958... View Details

Keywords: by Geoffrey Jones

16 Mar 2023
Research & Ideas

Why Business Travel Still Matters in a Zoom World

Nonstop flights generally make traveling more pleasant—but can they lead to innovation, too, especially in the global context? Research suggests that they can, with important takeaways for managers reinstating business travel in a world emerging from the pandemic. In a... View Details

Keywords: by Kara Baskin; Air Transportation

November 2016
Supplement

United Airlines Operations

By: Ryan W. Buell, Willy C. Shih and Michael W. Toffel

This video is a collection of clips that highlight aspects of United Airlines' operations View Details

Keywords: Service; Service Delivery; Service Management; Service Operations; Service Quality; Operating Systems; Operational Complexity; Operational Disruptions; Operational Effectiveness; Operational Efficiency; Air Transportation; Operations; Air Transportation Industry

January 2011 (Revised March 2011)
Teaching Note

The Wright Brothers and their Flying Machines (TN)

By: Tom Nicholas

Teaching Note for 811-034. View Details

Keywords: History; Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry; United States

April 2007
Supplement

Lobbying for Love? Southwest Airlines and the Wright Amendments (CW)

By: Felix Oberholzer-Gee

Keywords: Air Transportation; Law; Air Transportation Industry

April 1996 (Revised November 1996)
Case

BAE Automated Systems (A): Denver International Airport Baggage-Handling System

By: Lynda M. Applegate, Ramiro Montealegre, Carin-Isabel Knoop and H. James Nelson

Describes the events surrounding the construction of the BAE baggage-handling system at the Denver International Airport. It looks specifically at project management, including decisions regarding budget, scheduling, and the overall management structure. Also examines... View Details

Keywords: Management; Decisions; Contracts; Time Management; Problems and Challenges; Projects; Budgets and Budgeting; Air Transportation Industry; Air Transportation Industry; Colorado

June 1970
Background Note

Note on the Light Aircraft Industry

By: Malcolm S. Salter

Keywords: Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry

Find at Harvard

April 2007
Supplement

Continental Airlines - 1992 (Abridged) (CW)

By: Stuart C. Gilson

Keywords: Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry

01 Sep 2023
News

Made in Italy

Verticale (Vertical Forest) residential towers have plantings designed to enhance the air quality. Milan’s Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest) residential towers have plantings designed to enhance the air... View Details

Keywords: April White

April 2013 (Revised April 2014)
Case

The Miracle of Japan Airlines

By: Hirotaka Takeuchi and Victor Stone

Keywords: Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry; Japan

Web

Events - Business & Environment

provide a unique opportunity for Harvard students and alumni to connect, share ideas, and build meaningful professional relationships in climate and sustainability fields. The Salata Institute is providing roundtrip transportation via a... View Details

March 2024 (Revised February 2025)
Case

Doing Business in Buenos Aires, Argentina

By: Joseph B. Fuller, Alan D. MacCormack, Nori Gerardo Lietz, Leonard A. Schlesinger, Karina Souza and Zeke Gillman

This case examines the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Argentina. It highlights Argentina's economic and political transformation in the decades leading up to 2024. The case gives an overview of some of the main obstacles faced by businesses operating... View Details

Keywords: Business History; Business and Government Relations; Corporate Strategy; Transformation; Economy; Air Transportation; Air Transportation Industry; Transportation Industry; Argentina; Latin America; Buenos Aires

15 Jun 2021
News

Zone Defense

Brandon Tseng (MBA 2017) remembers his aha moment. It was April 2015, and Tseng was a US Navy SEAL approaching the end of seven years’ service; his next step would be Harvard Business School. Tseng was reading about a military effort to create robotic armor, a project... View Details

Keywords: April White; drone technology; military; security; entrepreneurship; leadership; Air Transportation; Air Transportation

January 1989
Case

Cathay Pacific Airways (A): Globalization of Airline Reservation and Distribution Systems Technology

By: James I. Cash Jr.

Keywords: Air Transportation; Information Technology; Air Transportation Industry

Find at Harvard

September 2006 (Revised November 2013)
Case

Airbus vs. Boeing (A)

By: Ramon Casadesus-Masanell, Erich Alexander Voigt and Jordan Mitchell

Looks at the development of the competitive actions between Airbus and Boeing from 1992 to 2006. Begins with the question of whether Airbus and Boeing should collaborate on the development of a VLCT (Very Large Commercial Transport) or whether Airbus should develop... View Details

Keywords: Business Model; Decision Choices and Conditions; Competition; Cooperation; Air Transportation Industry

October 1990 (Revised September 1993)
Case

Changing the Culture at British Airways

By: John P. Kotter

In just 10 years, 1980-1990, British Airways turned around both its declining image and financial situation. Focusing on the paramount importance of customer service, British Airways went from "bloody awful" to "bloody awesome." Experiencing a financial crisis in 1981... View Details

Keywords: Organizational Change and Adaptation; Organizational Culture; Problems and Challenges; Customer Relationship Management; Corporate Strategy; Privatization; Air Transportation Industry; United Kingdom