Forming branded alliances has become a common strategy in the airline industry. These can be defined as ‘multilateral alliances’ as opposed to bilateral alliances. Limited attention has been paid to assessing the impact of multilateral alliances on complex sub-networks, such as...

This paper explores multilateral airline alliances through the lenses of structural holes and network closure. The structural holes theory sees network ties as opportunities linking together separate network segments through brokers and weak ties. The opposing view argues that network closure...

Many new-entrant carriers enjoyed fast growth and by the same token sudden failure, therefore raising interest in the characteristics of their life cycles. The article proposes a different approach to life-cycle analysis of airlines by integrating an ‘evolution path’ based on size...

Since American Airlines launched the first frequent flyer program in the US on May 1, 1981, the programs have ballooned in size leading to skepticism around the airlines' ability to manage both liabilities and members' satisfaction. Over time program changes have addressed a number of...

The paper maps the difference between European and US airline management practice. The research was based on a questionnaire survey among airline managers of new-entrant airlines in the USA and Europe. The main findings were that European new-entrant carriers are trying to shed the...