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Essay on The American Airline Industry

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The American Airline Industry

The Airline Industry is a highly competitive industry with companies operating in domestic and/or international markets. Many airlines are stilled owned by their respective countries and have treaties between countries to allow airlines to land there. The industry has been taking a relatively shaky course as costs are rising and profits have been decreasing. This was further intensified with the recent terrorist attacks on US soil, which lead to higher costs as the need for more security arose. Recent financial statements of major airlines showing major losses reflect the problems that the industry is having.
Yet amidst the storm, some regional airlines such as Jet Blue Airlines have managed to …show more content…

Many airline companies found themselves with heavy losses that lead to layoffs and in some cases bankruptcy. The industry has turned to Congress to bail them out of hole that they are in. Some of these airlines have been granted loans, but others were not because it was deemed they would be unable to repay. The industry is unattractive at this time so new entrants are not a major threat. There has been an increase however in the use of regional carriers and larger companies have entered this focused market themselves. Examples are American Airlines which owns
American Eagle and Delta Airlines which owns Delta Express.

Rivalry

This is a fiercely competitive industry. There are several major carriers that all seem to have a large market share. Airlines are always looking for ways to gain market share and this is often done through price wars, improved quality and customer service. Some airlines that started alliances with other airlines such as Sky team, an alliance between six airlines. The goal is to gain market share by giving the customer more benefits such as more flights, more lounges, fare options and quality service. These wars are extremely critical in times of depression because it forces airlines to go into bankruptcy or to close down. Airlines also use incentives such as frequent flyer miles to promote customer loyalty and passenger volume.

Purchasing Power of Buyers

Because of the fierce competition in

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