By its inherent structure, aviation is a risky business. This cash-guzzling industry is heavily capital-intensive and operates in tightly regulated environments and has a long gestation period. Pioneering airlines in almost all countries were state-promoted enterprises at the start and it was only decades later that they could be run on professional lines. The endemic problems of aviation manifest themselves explicitly when faced with occasional crises. The oil scare in the seventies brought forth the need to plan well ahead for fuel requirements and hedge against future price hikes. Progressive deregulation of the sector, while liberating airlines from some operational constraints, brought in its wake competition (severe in some cases). Limited choice in sourcing aircraft from manufacturers (limited to just a few), high manpower costs and flight restrictions due to bilateral treaties were the challenges faced by airlines the world over. September 11, 2001 altered the business horizon almost permanently. Bankruptcies, mergers, acquisitions, retrenchments, aggressive wage negotiations, altering of business models – all these changed the aviation business significantly. Different airlines, depending on whether they were long-haul full-service providers or Low-Cost Carriers (LCCs), faced up to the challenges in their own way. This book captures the experiences, transformations, growth/decline and responses of nine airlines, strategies of two leading aircraft manufacturers and the Indian LCC scenario. Issues covered in the cases include brand management, leadership, change management, a tryst with bankruptcy, handling a turnaround and a business model innovation. The following are the case studies included in the book: Singapore Airlines; British Airways; Southwest Airlines; Jet Airways; Indian Airlines; AirTran Airways; Air Deccan; Boeing and Airbus; Lufthansa Cargo AG; Indian LCCs.
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