Management Research Report
What has British Airways done during the recession to be competitive against Ryanair and Easyjet?
Table of Contents
1. Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
2. Methodology …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4
3. Short History
3.1 British Airways ……………………………………………………………….……………………5
3.2 Easyjet and Ryanair………………………………………………………………………………..6
4. Prior to the Recession
4.1 British Airways ……………………………………………………………………………………..7
4.2 Easyjet …………….………………………………………………………………………………...8
4.3 Ryanair ……………………………………………………………………………………………... 9
5. Recession and Airline Industry
5.1 Impact of current recession on the airline industry
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The company’s main centres of operation are London Heathrow Airport and London Gatwick Airport. The company was founded in 1972, when the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British European Airways Corporation (BEA) managements were combined under the newly formed British Airways Board, effectively making it the national airline for the United Kingdom (BA, 1)
BA enjoyed great success during the 1980s and early 1990s, and as a result, became the world 's most profitable airline for the most part of the 1990s, representing itself under the slogan "The World 's Favourite Airline". (BA, 1)
3.2 Easyjet
Easyjet is a popular low cost airline, which was established in 1995 . The company started extremely modestly, possessing a meager two aircrafts, and travelled only domestically. However, the company gained popularity in the years that followed, and on April 1996, and started travelling internationally, choosing Amsterdam as its first international destination. (Easyjet, 1)
Despite its modest start, Easyjet still managed to grow into one of the most popular airlines in the world. Its current slogan reflects its status (“the web 's favourite airline") and as its popularity grew, so did the number of aircrafts under its name, amounting to 174 operating aircrafts as of March 2010, with 54 more in order. (Gerry, 2009)
3.3 Ryanair
Ryanair, similar to Easyjet, started their business providing only
It is important to examine Easyjet’s strategy due to the changing financial climate in the UK and Europe such as the 2008/9 recession and Brexit.
This report illustrates an in-depth look of easyJet and will also discuss an analytic research that was made to demonstrate aspects of the history of the airline, along with the marketing strategy and brand strategy used and implemented by the low-budget airline. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, known as SWOT analysis, will also be illustrated along with the external environment better known as PEST analysis which consists of the political, environmental, social/cultural and technology factors of easyJet. In addition an analysis of the competitive market environment of easyJet will be shown, which includes an overview of easyJet’s main competitors and the nature of business in which they operate
British Airways is one of the largest international airlines in the world. It is based in the United Kingdom. It has a global flight network through partners such as American Airways in
A major operational cost saving involved entering the major air industry with a new fleet of Airbus aircraft. Although European made, Airbus was chosen due to their fuel efficiency, easier maintenance, and five-year warranty (Gajilan, 2003). Neeleman realized that quick turnaround time was a crucial factor in maximizing profits by simply keeping the new planes in the air longer than the competition. Because JetBlue worked largely out of secondary airports (Midway vs. O’Hare), its flights avoided more
United Airlines Inc ( United ) is ranked as the world’s largest airline based on the number of destinations flown. United is represented by “ Fly The Friendly Skies” slogan and the “ Rhapsody In Blue” theme song. ( Berryman, Marvin E, 2014 ).
The essay will firstly introduce the organisation easyJet. Secondly the essay will explain about how easyJet uses its operation strategies and its competitive priorities. Finally the essay will discuss the most important operation decision and explain it further in detail. easyJet is a well known low-cost airline which operates in several European countries and has been founded by serial entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou in 1995. easyJet undertook intensive research of a United States owned low-cost airline ‘Southwest Airline’. Most of the concepts for easyJet were adopted from Southwest airline; however easyJet added its own touch which reduced operating costs even further. EasyJet was strategically located at London's Luton airport.
The company mostly focuses on direct selling as a key part of controlling cost. It has the company’s URL painted on both sides of the Jets in its trademark orange. Easy Jet bases its idea on the principle that the determining factor in air transport is price elasticity. Initially, airlines operated on the assumption that the number of passengers grows in line with the economy and cutting of conveyance fees will result to reduced revenue. Easy Jet operates on 125 routes from 39 European airports. Its main airports are Luton, Liverpool, Geneva, and Amsterdam and were operating 72 aircrafts by November 2003 (Easy Jet Airline Company).
The airline business is an industry that is competitive and unique, focussing on consumer choice and the responsiveness of airlines to changes in the external business environment. For any airline, this environment can be very complex as it is ‘hard for them to fully understand and impossible for them to fully control’ (The Times, n.d. p1). Virgin Atlantic is an international airline that is based in the UK. It was started by the entrepreneur Richard Branson in 1982 and now flies to 30 destinations around the world (Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd, 2011). By looking at
British Airline PLC (BA) is the largest international airline that operates out of the Heathrow airport in London. The company recently merged Iberia which was initially proposed in 2009 and was approved by the European Commission in 2010. A new organization was created known as International Airlines Group (IAG) which is the world's third largest airline in regards to total revenue as well as the second largest airline group in Europe. British Airways was the creator of the Oneworld airline alliance in which it has formed a strategic partnership with other industry players such as American Airlines in the U.S. and Qantas Airlines in Australia. Given the size and breadth of the company, a stakeholder analysis must cover a lot of ground. This analysis will look at the different groups of stakeholders that are concerned with the performance of this organization.
With regards to competition within the industry, British Airways' position is strong, even though competition if very strong in the short route sector due to a larger number of smaller competitors and the consolidation of certain competitors. Over time, in the long route sector there is very little difference in prices between the company and its competitors.
Prior to the marketing campaign touting BA as “The World’s Favorite Airline,” BA was often referred to as “bloody awful.” The company suffered from poor performance, inefficiencies, an older fleet, and substantial financial losses. Following passage of the Civil Aviation Act in 1971, BA assumed control of two state-run airlines, British European Airlines (BEA) and British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), under the name British Airways. However, BEA and BOAC operated autonomously with separate boards, chairman, and chief executive officer that provided a challenge in making change. The level of
British Airways (BA) was formed in 1974 by the merger of the British Overseas Airways Corp (BOAC) and the British European Airways (BEA). BA’s integration did not come without problems. By the early 1980’s BA generated debs in excess of £500m, staff discontent and customer dissatisfaction were common denominators across the operational equation and in 1980 the airline topped a list of airlines to be avoided at all costs.
The new group will combine the two companies in the UK and Spain and will enhance their presence in the international long haul markets while retaining the individual brands and current positions of each airline. British Airways and Iberia hope their new company International Airlines Group, International Airlines Group, will position the pair for further consolidation in the global airline sector as it emerges from a prolonged industry downturn and hope to compete with multinational rivals Air-France-KLM and Lufthansa.
British Airways is the one of the largest airline companies, and the passengers carry overall in the fifth largest in the world. Most of plans are stay in Heathrow Airport which is the highest of main international airport. The British Airways has a long history and airlines cover 133 countries; include 373 airplanes. The BA Company includes 50,086 workers to be in the service, which is one of the largest employers and employees in the United Kingdom.
It has announced that 2011-2012 was a 24th consecutive year of profit for the Emirates Airline and the group. At present, the airline covers 72 countries with 122 destinations and has around 190 aircraft, while it network is escalating continuously. More than 1,200 flights leave to destinations into six continents.