Straight and Level: Practical Airline Economics

by Stephen Holloway

This third edition of Straight and Level thoroughly updates the previous edition with extensive comments on recent industry developments and emerging business models. The discussion is illustrated by current examples drawn from all sectors of the industry and every region of the world. The fundamental structure of earlier editions, now widely used as a framework for air transport management courses, nonetheless remains unchanged. Part 1 of the book provides a strategic context within which to consider the industry's economics. Part 2 is built around a simple yet powerful model that relates operating revenue to operating cost; it examines the most important elements in demand and traffic, price and yield, output and unit cost. Part 3 probes more deeply into three critical aspects of capacity network management; fleet management; and revenue management. Part 4 concludes the book by exploring relationships between unit revenue, unit cost, yield, and load factor. Straight and Level has been written primarily for masters-level students on aviation management courses. The book should also be useful to final year undergraduates wanting to prepare for more advanced study. Amongst practitioners, it will appeal to established managers moving from functional posts into general management. More broadly, anyone with knowledge of the airline industry who wants to gain a deeper understanding of its economics at a practical level and an insight into the reasons for its financial volatility should find the book of interest.

Genres: Aviation

Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Alex Campbell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any textbook that's over 500 pages will inevitably drag for the reader at some point, but in general I found this to be information-dense whilst not sacrificing readability too much. There is rather a lot in here, much of which can be skimmed in the search for gems - which do appear, though more often in the early parts of the book that discuss competition.
In any case, Holloway neatly summarises the competitive history of airlines and selects some defensive moats - operating at slot-constrained airports or being the lowest cost - none of which are that difficult for prospective investors to work out.

[Ks Pillai · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Dry book, but if you are Aviation Economist, should not miss it