A Boeing 747-400 belonging to Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the UK's largest airlines.

An airline is an organization providing aviation services to passengers and/or cargo. It owns or leases aircraft such as airliners with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for reasons of mutual benefit. Download high resolution version (1500x1063, 137 KB) Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-400 (G-VBIG) landing at London (Heathrow) Airport, England. ... Download high resolution version (1500x1063, 137 KB) Virgin Atlantic Airways Boeing 747-400 (G-VBIG) landing at London (Heathrow) Airport, England. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 The Boeing 747, commonly called the Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable modern airliners and is the largest airliner currently in airline service. ... Virgin Atlantic Airways, usually referred to as Virgin Atlantic, is one of the airlines of Richard Bransons Virgin Group, operating long-haul routes between London and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Australia. ... Aviation or Air transport refers to the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ... This article or section should include material from Tenancy agreement A lease is a contract conveying from one person (the lessor) to another person (the lessee) the right to use and control some article of property for a specified period of time (the term), without conveying ownership, in exchange for... An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft (an aeroplane/airplane) initially designed for the transport of paying passengers, and usually operated by an airline company (which owns or leases the aircraft). ...

Industry overview

The scale and scope of airline companies are from those with a single airplane carrying mail or cargo, through full-service international airlines operating many hundreds of airplanes in various types. Airline services can be categorized as being intercontinental, intracontinental, regional or domestic and may be operated as scheduled services or charters. Regional airlines are a type of airline service that is intended to feed a larger airline or larger aircraft. ...

These variations in the types of airline companies, their operating scope, and the routes they serve makes analysis of the airline industry somewhat complex. Nevertheless, some patterns have emerged in the last 50 years of experience:

The headquarters of Air India in Mumbai

• The general pattern of ownership has gone from government owned or supported to independent, for-profit public companies. This occurs as regulators permit greater freedom, in steps that are usually decades apart. This pattern has not been completed for all airlines in all regions.

• The demand for air travel services is derived demand. That is, it depends on other things: business needs for cargo shipments, business passenger demand, leisure passenger demand, all influenced by macroeconomic activity in the markets under study. These patterns are highly seasonal, and often day-of-week, time-of-day, and even directionally variable.

• Notwithstanding these demand patterns, the overall trend of demand has been consistently increasing. In the 1950's and 1960's, annual growth rates of 15% or more were common. Annual growth of 5-6% persisted through the 1980's and 1990's. Growth rates are not consistent in all regions, but certainly areas where deregulation provided more competition and greater pricing freedom resulted in lower fares and sometimes dramatic spurts in traffic growth. The U.S., Australia, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, and other markets exhibited this trend.

• The industry is cyclical. Four or five years of poor performance are followed by five or six years of gradually improving good performance. But profitability in the good years is generally low, in the range of 2-3% net profit after interest and tax. It is in this time that airlines begin paying for new generations of airplanes and other service upgrades they ordered to respond to the increased demand. Since 1980, the industry as a whole has not even earned back the cost of capital during the best of times. Conversely, in bad times losses can be dramatically worse.

• As in many mature industries, consolidation is a trend, as airlines form new business combinations, ranging from loose, limited bilateral partnerships to long-term, multi-faceted alliances of groups of companies, to equity arrangements between companies, to actual mergers or takeovers. Since governments often restrict ownership and merger between companies in different countries, we see most consolidation taking place within a country. In the U.S., over 200 airlines have been merged, taken over, or simply gone out of business since deregulation began in 1978. Many international airline managers are actively lobbying their governments to permit greater consolidation, in order to achieve higher economies of scale and greater efficiencies.

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x664, 52 KB) Air India headquarters, Bombay Source: Taken by me on 11-Aug-2005 File links The following pages link to this file: Air India ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (500x664, 52 KB) Air India headquarters, Bombay Source: Taken by me on 11-Aug-2005 File links The following pages link to this file: Air India ... Air India (Hindi: एअर इंडिया) is the national flag carrier airline of India with a network of passenger and cargo services worldwide. ... Mumbai (Hindi / Marathi: मुंबई) (pronounced in Marathi, and in English), formerly known as Bombay is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, with a estimated population of about 18 million (2005). ... // Events and trends This map shows two essential global spheres during the Cold War in 1959. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, the last decade of the 20th Century. ... Motto: E pluribus unum (1789 to 1956) (Latin: Out of Many, One) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English de facto Government  â€¢ President  â€¢ Vice President Federal republic George... The phrase mergers and acquisitions or M&A refers to the aspect of corporate finance strategy and management dealing with the merging and acquiring of different companies as well as other assets. ... A takeover in commerce refers to one company (the acquirer) purchasing another (the target). ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ...

Early development of airlines in the U.S.

Following World War I, the United States found itself swamped with aviators. Many decided to take their war-surplus aircraft on barnstorming campaigns, performing acrobatic maneuvers to woo crowds. In 1918, the United States Postal Service won the financial backing of Congress to begin experimenting with air mail service, initially using Curtiss Jenny aircraft that had been procured by the United States Army for reconnaissance missions on the Western Front. The Army was the first to fly these missions, but quickly lost the contract when they proved to be too unreliable. By the mid-1920s, the Postal Service had developed its own air mail network, based on a transcontinental backbone between New York, New York and San Francisco, California. To supplant this service, they offered twelve contracts for spur routes to independent bidders: the carriers that won these routes would, through time and mergers, evolve into Braniff Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines (originally a division of Boeing), Trans World Airlines, Northwest Airlines, and Eastern Airlines, to name a few. Combatants Entente Powers Central Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties > 5 million military deaths > 3 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War I, also known as the First World War and (before 1939) the Great War, the War of the Nations, War to End All Wars was a world... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ... A USPS truck in San Francisco A smaller truck (a Long Life Vehicle or LLV) used in suburban areas This article describes the United States Postal Service. ... A congress is a gathering of people, especially a gathering for a political purpose. ... Airmail (or air mail) is mail that is transported by aircraft. ... The Curtiss JN-4 biplane is possibly North Americas most famous World War I airplane. ... US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Sometimes referred to as the Jazz Age or primarily in North America and in Australia as the Roaring Twenties . In Europe it is sometimes refered to as the Golden Twenties. ... A USPS truck in San Francisco A smaller truck (a Long Life Vehicle or LLV) used in suburban areas This article describes the United States Postal Service. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... Nickname: The City by the Bay Motto: Official website: http://www. ... One of many different airplane livery designs of Braniff International Airlines. ... AA 777-200ER landing at London Heathrow Airport American Airlines and American Eagle aircraft at San Juan Note: For the arenas named after this company, see American Airlines Center (Dallas, Texas), or American Airlines Arena (Miami, Florida). ... United Airlines, the major subsidiary of UAL Corporation, is a major airline of the United States. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)(TYO: 7661 ) is the worlds leading aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington. ... A TWA airplane is prepared for takeoff from Columbus, Ohio in 1940. ... Northwest Airlines (IATA: NW, ICAO: NWA, and Callsign: Northwest) is an airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, with three major hubs in the United States: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and Memphis International Airport. ... For the Chinese airline, see China Eastern Airlines. ...

Passenger service during the early 1920s was sporadic at best: most airlines at the time were focused on carrying bags of mail. In 1925, however, Ford Motor Company bought out the Stout Aircraft Company and began construction of the all-metal Ford Trimotor, the first successful American airliner. With a 12-passenger capacity, it made passenger service potentially profitable. Air service was seen as a supplement to rail service in the American transportation network. Henry Ford (ca. ... The Ford Trimotor was a three engine civil transport aircraft first produced in 1926 by Henry Ford and continued until about 1933. ... Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ...

At the same time, Juan Trippe began a crusade to create an air network that would link America to the world, and he achieved this goal through his airline, Pan American World Airways, with a fleet of flying boats that linked Los Angeles to Shanghai and Boston to London. Pan Am was the only U.S. airline to go international before the 1940s, and quickly became a symbol of the potential of the American airline industry. Juan Terry Trippe (June 27, 1899 - April 3, 1981) was an airline entrepreneur and pioneer. ... Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991. ... Nickname: City of Angels Motto: Official website: http://www. ... Shanghai (Chinese: 上海 pinyin: (help· info); Shanghainese IPA: ; Shanghainese romanizations: Zanhe) , situated on the banks of the Yangtze River Delta, is Chinas largest city. ... Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Solar System), Athens of America Motto: Official website: www. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ...

With the introduction of the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-3 in the 1930s, the U.S. airline industry was generally profitable, even during the Great Depression. This trend continued until the beginning of World War II. Boeing 247 The Boeing 247 was one of the first modern passenger airliners. ... The Douglas DC-3 is a fixed-wing, propeller-driven aircraft which revolutionised air transport in the 1930s and 1940s, and is generally regarded as one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made (also see Boeing 707 and Boeing 747). ... Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California, centering on Florence Owens Thompson, a mother of seven children, age thirty-two, in Nipomo, California, March 1936. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties 17 million military deaths 7 million military deaths {{{notes}}} World War II, also known as the Second World War (sometimes WW2 or WWII or World War Two), was a mid-20th century conflict that engulfed much of the...

Early development of airlines in Europe

The Imperial Airways Empire Terminal, Victoria, London. Trains ran from here to flying boats in Southampton, and to Croydon Airport

The first countries in Europe to embrace air transport were France, Germany and the Netherlands. Download high resolution version (480x640, 29 KB)National Audit Office - Buckingham Palace Road - Victoria - - London - England - photo by and copyright Tagishsimon - 2nd May 2004 National Audit Office building, previously the Imperial Airways Empire Terminal. ... Download high resolution version (480x640, 29 KB)National Audit Office - Buckingham Palace Road - Victoria - - London - England - photo by and copyright Tagishsimon - 2nd May 2004 National Audit Office building, previously the Imperial Airways Empire Terminal. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Boeing 314 A flying boat is an aircraft that is designed to take off and land on water, in particular a type of seaplane which uses its fuselage as a floating hull (instead of pontoons mounted below the fuselage). ... Civic Centre, Southampton Southampton is a city and major port situated on the south coast of England. ... The control tower of Croydon Airport in 1939, with the BOAC de Havilland DH 91 Albatross Fortuna alongside Croydon Airport is in south London on the borders of the London Boroughs of Croydon and Sutton. ...

In 1919 KLM was founded, still the oldest carrier operating under its original name. The first flight transported two English passengers to Schiphol, Amsterdam from London in 1920. Like other major European airlines of the time (see France and the UK below), KLM's early growth depended heavily on the needs to service links with far-flung colonial possessions (Dutch Indies). It is only after the loss of the Dutch Empire that KLM found itself based at a small country with few potential passengers, depending heavily on transfer traffic, and was one of the first to introduce the hub-system to facilitate easy connections. 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its (agreed) take-over by Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ... Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs) at Schiphol Airport Schiphol (municipality Haarlemmermeer) is the Netherlands main airport. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country The Netherlands Province North Holland Population 742,951(1 January 2005) Coordinates 52°22′N 4°54′E Website www. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January January 7 - Forces of Russian White admiral Kolchak surrender in Krasnoyarsk. ... The Dutch East Indies, or Netherlands East Indies, (Dutch: Nederlands Indië) was the name of the colonies set up by the Dutch East India Company, which came under administration of the Netherlands during the 19th century (see Indonesia). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its (agreed) take-over by Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ...

France began an air mail service to Morocco in 1919 that was bought out in 1927, renamed Aéropostale, and injected with capital to become a major international carrier. In 1933, Aéropostale went bankrupt, was nationalized and merged with several other airlines into what became Air France. 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... Aéropostale (formally, Compagnie générale aéropostale) was a pioneering French aviation company. ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, administration - see text) in the UK. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. ... Air France Boeing 747 Air France (Compagnie Nationale Air France) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before the take-over of KLM, it was essentially the national airline of France, employing 71,654 people (at January 2005). ...

The German airline industry began with Lufthansa in 1926, which, unlike most other airlines at the time, became a major investor in airlines outside of Europe, founding Varig and Avianca. German airliners built by Junkers, Dornier, and Fokker were the most advanced in the world at the time. The peak of German air travel came in the mid-1930s, when Nazi propaganda ministers approved the start of commercial zeppelin service: the big airships were a symbol of industrial might, but the fact that they used flammable hydrogen gas raised safety concerns that culminated with the Hindenburg disaster of 1937. Lufthansa (Deutsche Lufthansa AG) is the largest German airline company, and one of the biggest in the world. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Varig (Viação Aerea RIo Grandense) is an airline based in Porto Alegre, Brazil. ... Avianca (Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A.) is an airline oficially headquartered in Barranquilla, Colombia but with its main base of operations located in Bogota, Colombia. ... For the Prussian/German landowning classes, see junker. The name Junkers (IPA: /ˈjunkeɺs/) is well known in connection with aircraft, which were produced under this name for the Luftwaffe during World War II. In particular the Ju 87 Stuka and Ju 52 Tante Ju were common symbols of the... Dornier logo. ... Fokker 100 of British Midland Airways Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. ... // Events and trends A public speech by Benito Mussolini, founder of the Fascist movement The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the global depression. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Nazism. ... LZ127 Graf Zeppelin, the most travelled airship in history A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship (or dirigible) pioneered by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century based on an earlier design by David Schwarz. ... USS Akron (ZRS-4) in flight, 2 November 1931 An airship is a buoyant aircraft that can be steered and propelled through the air. ... Hindenburg may refer to: Paul von Hindenburg, president of Germany Carl Friedrich Hindenburg, mathematician Hindenburg in Oberschlesien the former name of the city of Zabrze the zeppelin, see Hindenburg disaster This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... 1937 (MCMXXXVII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

United Kingdom's flag carrier during this period was Imperial Airways, which became BOAC (British Overseas Airlines Co.) in 1939. Imperial Airways used huge Handley-Page biplanes for routes between London, the Middle East, and India: images of Imperial aircraft in the middle of the Rub'al Khali, being maintained by Bedouins, are among the most famous pictures from the heyday of the British Empire. The Imperial Airways Empire Terminal, Victoria, London. ... After technical problems with the Comet, BOAC resumed jet service with imported Boeing 707s. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Handley Page Aircraft Company was founded by Frederick Handley Page in 1909. ... Hs123 biplane. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The Empty Quarter (Arabic: Rub al Khali الربع الخالي), is the largest sand desert in the world, encompassing the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, including southern Saudi Arabia, and areas of Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. ... Bedouin resting at Mount Sinai Bedouin, derived from the Arabic , a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Arab nomadic groups, who are found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev... The British Empire was, at one time, the foremost global power and the largest empire in history. ...

Development of airlines post-1945

As governments met to set the standards and scope for an emergent civil air industry toward the end of the war, it was no surprise that the U.S. took a position of maximum operating freedom. After all, U.S. airline companies were not devastated by the war, as European companies and the few Asian companies had been. This preference for "open skies" operating regimes continues, within limitations, to this day.

World War II, like World War I, brought new life to the airline industry. Many airlines in the Allied countries were flush from lease contracts to the military, and foresaw a future explosive demand for civil air transport, for both passengers and cargo. They were eager to invest in the newly emerging flagships of air travel such as the Boeing Stratocruiser, Lockheed Constellation, and Douglas DC-6. Most of these new aircraft were based on American bombers such as the B-29, which had spearheaded research into new technologies such as pressurization. Most offered increased efficiency from both added speed and greater payload. The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser was airliner version of the 367 Boeing Stratofreighter, which in turn was the transport version of B-29 Superfortress. ... Lockheed L-049 Constellation TWA was one of the best-known Constellation operators. ... The Douglas DC-6 is an aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1959. ... The Boeing B-29 Superfortress (Boeing Model 341/345) was a four-engine heavy bomber flown by the United States Army Air Force. ... Wiktionary has a definition of: Pressurization Pressurization generally refers to the application of pressure in a given situation or environment; and more specifically refers to the process by which atmospheric pressure is maintained in an isolated or semi-isolated atmospheric environment (for instance, in an aircraft, or whilst Scuba diving). ...

In the 1950s, the De Havilland Comet, Boeing 707, Douglas DC-8, and Sud Aviation Caravelle became the first flagships of the Jet Age in the West, while the Soviet Union bloc countered with the Tupolev Tu-104 and Tupolev Tu-124 in the fleets of state-owned carriers such as Aeroflot and Interflug. The Vickers Viscount and Lockheed L-188 Electra inaugurated turboprop transport. This article deals with the de Havilland Comet jet airliner. ... BOAC 707 at London Heathrow Airport in 1964 The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined jet airliner, manufactured between 1959 and 1972. ... Sud Aviation Caravelle The SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner, produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 (when it was still known as SNCASE). ... The Tupolev Tu-104 (NATO reporting name: Camel) was a twin-engined medium-range turbojet-powered Soviet airliner. ... Tu-124, among the earliest known regional jets The Tupolev Tu-124 (NATO codename: Cookpot) is a Russian short range twinjet airliner capable of carrying 56 passengers. ... Aeroflot — Russian Airlines (Russian:Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии), or Aeroflot (Аэрофло́т; literally air fleet) , is the Russian national airline and is the biggest carrier in Russia. ... Interflug was the former state airline of the German Democratic Republic, until 1991, when it ceased operations following German reunification. ... The Viscount was a medium-range turboprop airliner introduced in 1953 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world. ... The Lockheed L-188 Electra first flew in 1957, and was the first turboprop airliner built in the USA. It delivered performance only slightly inferior to that of a full jet aircraft, at a lower operating cost. ...

The next big boost for the airlines would come in the 1970s, when the Boeing 747, McDonnell Douglas DC-10, and Lockheed L-1011 inaugurated widebody ("jumbo jet") service, which is still the standard in international travel. The Tupolev Tu-144 and its Western counterpart, Concorde, made supersonic travel a reality. In 1972, Airbus began producing Europe's most commercially successful line of airliners to date. The added efficiencies for these aircraft were often not in speed, but in passenger capacity, payload, and range. Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 The Boeing 747, commonly called the Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable modern airliners and is the largest airliner currently in airline service. ... Ghana Airways McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engined long-range airliner, with two engines mounted on underwing pylons and a third engine at the base of the vertical stabilizer. ... Orbital Sciences Stargazer Lockheed L-1011 aircraft which was modified in Cambridge, UK, by Marshall Aerospace The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar was the third widebody passenger jet airliner to reach the marketplace, following the Boeing 747 jumbo jet and the Douglas DC-10. ... Tupolev Tu-144LL The Tupolev Tu-144 (NATO reporting name: Charger) was a supersonic airliner constructed under management of the Soviet Tupolev design bureau headed by Alexei Tupolev (1925–2001). ... The Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde supersonic transport (SST) was one of only two models of supersonic passenger airliners to have seen commercial service. ... Airbus S.A.S. better known simply as Airbus, based in Toulouse, France, is the worlds top commercial aircraft manufacturer measured in terms of deliveries and number of sales. ...

With deregulation in the U.S. beginning in 1978, barriers to entry were lowered for new entrants. Typically, a new wave of start-ups would enter during downturns in the normal 8-10 year business cycle. At that time, they find aircraft, financing, hangar and maintenance services, training all relatively inexpensive, and laid off staff from other companies eager and willing to take a job with the new company.

Alas, as the business cycle returned to normalcy, major airlines were able to dominate their routes through aggressive pricing and additional capacity offerings, often swamping the new startup. Only America West Airlines (now known as USAirways) has remained as a significant survivor from this new entrant era, as dozens, even hundreds, have gone under. America West Airlines (IATA: HP, ICAO: AWE, and Callsign: Cactus), one of the United States ten major airlines, is based in Tempe, Arizona and is a part of US Airways Group. ...

In many ways, the biggest winner in the deregulated environment was the air passenger. Indeed, the U.S. witnessed an explosive growth in demand for air travel, as many millions who had never or rarely flown before became regular fliers, even joining frequent flyer loyalty programs and receiving free flights and other benefits from their flying. New services and higher frequencies meant that business fliers could fly to another city, do business, and return the same day, for almost any points in the country. Air travel's advantages put intercity bus lines under pressure, and most have withered away. A Frequent Flyer Program is a service offered by many airlines to reward customer loyalty. ...

By the 1980's, almost half of the total flying in the world took place in the U.S., and today the domestic industry operates over 10,000 daily departures nationwide.

Toward the end of the century, a new style of low cost airline was seen, offering a consistent, often high-quality product, using new aircraft models, at a price that was well-received. JetBlue, AirTran Airways, and other companies represented a serious challenge to legacy carriers, as their counterparts in Europe, Canada, and Asia did to legacy carriers in those regions. Their commercial viability also represented a serious cost threat to employees at legacy airlines, as they set the standard for wage rates in the industry that were a fraction of the prevailing wage. Boeing 737-200 of low-cost Irish airline Ryanair A low-cost carrier or low cost airline (also known as a no-frills or discount carrier / airline) is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. ... jetBlue Airways (NASDAQ: JBLU) is an American low-cost airline. ... An AirTran Airways Boeing 737-700 AirTran Airways (IATA: FL, ICAO: TRS, and Callsign: Citrus) is a low-cost airline based in Orlando, Florida, USA and is a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings. ...

Thus the last 50 years of the airline industry have varied from reasonably profitable, to devastatingly depressed. As the first major market to deregulate the industry in 1978, U.S. airlines have experienced more turbulence than almost any other country or region. Today, airlines representing approximately one-half of total U.S. seat capacity are operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy provisions.

Regulatory considerations

Government regulation

Many countries have national airlines that are owned and operated by the government. Even fully privatized airlines are subject to a great deal of government regulation for economic, political, and safety concerns. Airline labor actions, for instance, are often halted by government intervention in order to protect the free flow of people, communications, and goods between different regions without compromising safety. Afghanistan Ariana Afghan Airlines Albania Albanian Airlines Algeria Air Algérie Angola TAAG Argentina Aerolíneas Argentinas Armenia Armenian Airlines Australia Qantas Austria Austrian Airlines Azerbaijan Azerbaijan Airlines The Bahamas Bahamasair Bahrain Gulf Air (regional) Bangladesh Biman Bangladesh Belarus Belavia Belgium SN Brussels Airlines Sabena (former) Belize Maya Island Air...

The United States, Australia, and to a lesser extent Brazil, Mexico, the European Union, and Japan have "deregulated" their airlines. In the past, these governments dictated airfares, route networks, and other operational requirements for each airline. Since deregulation, airlines have been largely free to negotiate their own operating arrangements with different airports, enter and exit routes easily, and to levy airfares and supply flights according to market demand.

The entry barriers for new airlines are lower in a deregulated market, and so the U.S. has seen hundreds of airlines start up (sometimes for only a brief operating period). This has produced far greater competition than before deregulation in most markets, and average fares tend to drop 20% or more, spurring new sources of demand. The added competition, together with pricing freedom, means that new entrants often take market share with highly reduced rates that, to a limited degree, full service airlines must match. This is a major constraint on profitability for established carriers, which tend to have a higher cost base.

As a result, profitability in a deregulated market is uneven for most airlines. These forces have caused some major airlines to go out of business, in addition to most of the poorly established new entrants.

International regulation

Singapore Airlines Boeing 747

Groups such as the International Civil Aviation Organization establish worldwide standards for safety and other vital concerns. Most international air traffic is regulated by bilateral agreements between countries, which designate specific carriers to operate on specific routes. The model of such an agreement was the Bermuda Agreement between the US and UK following World War II, which designated airports to be used for transatlantic flights and gave each government the authority to nominate carriers to operate routes. Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 (9V-SPM), on the approach to London (Heathrow) Airport. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 (9V-SPM), on the approach to London (Heathrow) Airport. ... Singapore Airlines Limited (Abbreviated: SIA; Chinese: 新加坡航空公司, Pinyin: Xīnjīapō Hángkōng Gōngsī, abbreviated: 新航) (IATA: SQ, ICAO: SIA, and Callsign: Singapore) (SGX: S55) is the national airline of Singapore, and the leading and founding entity of the Singapore Airlines Group of companies. ... Singapore Airlines Boeing 747-412 The Boeing 747, commonly called the Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable modern airliners and is the largest airliner currently in airline service. ... The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, develops the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. ... In 1946, on the isle of Bermuda, U.S. and British negotiators reached the Bermuda Agreement, the first bilateral Air Transport Agreement regulating civil air transport. ...

Bilateral agreements are based on the "freedoms of the air," a group of generalized traffic rights ranging from the freedom to overfly a country to the freedom to provide domestic flights within a country (a very rarely granted right known as cabotage). Most agreements permit airlines to fly from their home country to designated airports in the other country: some also extend the freedom to provide continuing service to a third country, or to another destination in the other country while carrying passengers from overseas. The Freedoms of the air are a set of commercial aviation rights granting a countrys airline(s) the privilege to enter and land in another countrys airspace. ... Cabotage is the regulation of transport services between two points in the same country, restricting it to carriers from that country. ...

In the 1990s, "open skies" agreements became more common, which take many of these regulatory powers from state governments and open up international routes to further competition. Open skies agreements have met some criticism, particularly within the European Union, whose airlines would be at a comparative disadvantage with the United States' because of cabotage restrictions. The term open skies refers to either to a bilateral or multilateral Air Transport Agreement which: liberalises the rules for international aviation markets and minimises government intervention — the provisions apply to passenger, all-cargo and combination air transportation and encompass both scheduled and charter services; or adjusts the regime under...

Economic considerations

Although many countries continue to operate state-owned or parastatal airlines, most large airlines today are privately-owned and are therefore governed by microeconomic principles in order to maximize shareholder profit.

Financing

Airline financing is quite complex, since airlines are highly leveraged operations. Not only must they purchase (or lease) new airline bodies and engines regularly, they must make major long-term fleet decisions with the goal of meeting the demands of their markets while producing a fleet that is relatively economical to operate and maintain. Compare Southwest Airlines and their reliance on a single airplane type (the Boeing 737 and derivatives), with the now bankrupt Eastern Airlines which operated 17 different aircraft types, each with varying pilot, engine, maintenance, and support needs. Southwest Airlines, Inc. ... The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA)(TYO: 7661 ) is the worlds leading aircraft and aerospace manufacturer, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its largest production facilities in Everett, Washington, about 30 miles north of Seattle, Washington. ... For the Chinese airline, see China Eastern Airlines. ...

A second financial issue is that of hedging oil and fuel purchases, usually second only to labor in its relative cost to the company but with the fuel price touching $70/barrel it has become biggest part of total airlines expenses.While hedging instruments can be expensive, they can easily pay for themselves many times over in periods of increasing fuel costs, such as in the 2000-2005 period. Pumpjack pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario Petroleum (from Greek petra – rock and elaion – oil or Latin oleum – oil ), crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish liquid. ... For the workstation, see SGI Fuel. ...

Operating costs

In a mature industry with low fare new entrants and tiny operating margins, it is imperative that airline managers identify controllable costs.

Full-service airlines have a high level of fixed and operating costs in order to establish and maintain air services: labor, fuel, airplanes, engines, spares and parts, IT services and networks, airport equipment, airport handling services, sales distribution, catering, training, insurance, and other costs. Thus all but a few cents on the dollar in ticket sales is paid out to a wide variety of external providers or internal cost centers.

Moreover, the industry is structured so that airlines often act as tax collectors. Airline fuel is untaxed however due to a series of treaties existing between countries. Ticket prices include a number of fees, taxes, and surcharges they have little or no control over, and these are passed through to various providers. Airlines are also responsible for enforcing government regulations. If airlines carry passengers without proper documentation on an international flight, they are responsible for returning them back to the originating country.

Analysis of the 1992-1996 period shows that every player in the air transport chain is far more profitable than the airlines, who collect and pass through fees and revenues to them from ticket sales. While airlines as a whole earned 6% return on capital employed (2-3.5% less than the cost of capital), airports earned 10%, catering companies 10-13%, handling companies 11-14%, aircraft lessors 15%, aircraft manufacturers 16%, and global distribution companies more than 30%. (Source: Spinetta, 2000, quoted in Doganis, 2002)

In contrast, Southwest Airlines has been the most profitable of airline companies since 1970. Indeed, some sources have calculated Southwest to be the best performing stock over the period, outperforming Microsoft and many other high performing companies. The chief reasons for this are their product consistency and cost control. Southwest Airlines, Inc. ... Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKEx: 4338) is the worlds largest software company, with 2005 global annual sales of almost $40 billion USD and nearly 60,000 employees in 85 countries and regions. ...

The widespread entrance of a new breed of low cost airlines beginning at the turn of the century has accelerated the demand that full service carriers control costs. Many of these low cost companies emulate Southwest Airlines in various respects, and like Southwest, they are able to eke out a consistent profit throughout all phases of the business cycle. Southwest Airlines, Inc. ...

As a result, a shakeout of airlines is occurring in the U.S. and elsewhere. United Airlines, US Airways (twice), Delta Air Lines, and Northwest Airlines have all declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and American has barely avoided doing so. Alitalia, Scandinavian Airlines System, SABENA, Japan Air System, Air Canada, Ansett Australia, and others have flirted with or declared bankruptcy since 2000, as low cost entrants enter their home markets as well. Some argue that it would be far better for the industry as a whole if a wave of actual closures were to reduce the number of "undead" airlines competing with healthy airlines while being artificially protected from creditors via bankruptcy law. United Airlines, the major subsidiary of UAL Corporation, is a major airline of the United States. ... A US Airways 737 at Chicago OHare US Airways is an airline based in Tempe, Arizona that is owned by US Airways Group, Inc. ... Delta Boeing 757-232 at LAX in August 2003. ... Northwest Airlines (IATA: NW, ICAO: NWA, and Callsign: Northwest) is an airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, with three major hubs in the United States: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and Memphis International Airport. ... Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code governs the process of reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. ... Alitalia (Linee Aeree Italiane) (IATA: AZ, ICAO: AZA, and Callsign: Alitalia) is the national budget airline of Italy. ... SAS Airbus A340-300 SAS MD-82 SAS Boeing 737-600 Scandinavian Airlines System, now SAS AB, is an airline based in Stockholm, Sweden. ... Sabena was the former national airline of Belgium, mainly operating from Brussels National Airport, now replaced by SN Brussels Airlines. ... Japan Air System (JAS, 日本エアシステム) was the smallest of the Big 3 Japanese airlines. ... Air Canada Boeing 767-300 (C-GGFJ) in current livery. ... Ansett aircraft at Melbourne Airport after the airlines collapse in 2001 Ansett Australia, or Ansett, was a dominant Australian domestic and international airline, which is in liquidation as of mid_2004. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, administration - see text) in the UK. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. ...

Ticket sales

Airlines assign prices to their services in an attempt to maximize profitability. To do this well requires yield management technology and pricing flexibility. Yield management, also known as revenue management, is the process of understanding, anticipating and reacting to consumer behaviour in order to maximise revenue. ...

They use differentiated pricing, a form of price discrimination, in order to sell air services at varying prices simultaneously to different segments. Factors influencing the price include the days remaining until departure, the current booked load factor, the forecast of total demand by price point, competitive pricing in force, and variations by day of week of departure and by time of day. For other pricing strategies and policies see: Pricing Strategies Price discrimination exists when sales of identical goods or services are transacted at different prices from the same provider. ...

A complicating factor is that of origin-destination control ("O&D control"). Someone purchasing a ticket from say, Melbourne to Sydney for $A200 is competing with someone else who wants to fly Melbourne to Los Angeles through Sydney on the same airplane, and who is willing to pay $A1400. Should the airline prefer the $A1400 passenger, or the $A200 passenger + a possible Sydney-Los Angeles passenger willing to pay $A1300? Airlines have to make hundreds of thousands of similar pricing decisions daily in their markets.

In contrast, low fare carriers usually offer straightforward, preannounced, simple prices. They can do this by quoting prices for each leg of a trip; passengers simply add them together to construct a full journey.

The advent of advanced computerized reservations systems in the late 1970s, most notably Sabre, allowed airlines to easily perform cost-benefit analyses on different pricing structures, leading to almost perfect price discrimination in some cases (that is, filling each seat on an aircraft at the highest price that can be charged without driving the consumer elsewhere). The intense nature of airfare pricing has led to the term "fare war" to describe efforts by airlines to undercut other airlines on competitive routes. Sabre is a computer reservations system used by airlines, railways, hotels, and other travel companies. ... Cost-benefit analysis is the process of weighing the total expected costs vs. ...

Computers also allow airlines to predict, with some accuracy, how many passengers will actually fly after making a reservation to fly. This allows airlines to overbook their flights enough to fill the aircraft while accounting for "no-shows," but not enough (in most cases) to force paying passengers off the aircraft for lack of seats. Since an average of 1/3 of all seats are flown empty, stimulative pricing for low demand flights coupled with overbooking on high demand flights can help reduce this figure.

See also

• Price discrimination
• Travel class
• Yield management

For other pricing strategies and policies see: Pricing Strategies Price discrimination exists when sales of identical goods or services are transacted at different prices from the same provider. ... A travel class is a quality of accommodation on public transport. ... Yield management, also known as revenue management, is the process of understanding, anticipating and reacting to consumer behaviour in order to maximise revenue. ...

Airport operations

Where an airline has established an engineering base at an airport then there may be considerable economic advantages in using that same airport as a preferred focus (or "hub") for its scheduled flights.

In view of the congestion apparent at many international airports, the ownership of slots at certain airports (the right to take-off or land an aircraft at a particular time of day or night) has become a significant tradeable asset in the portfolios of many airlines. Clearly take-off slots at popular times of the day can be critical in attracting the more profitable business traveler to a given airline's flight and in establishing a competitive advantage against a competing airline. If a particular city has two or more airports, market forces will tend to attract the less profitable routes, or those on which competition is weakest, to the less congested airport, where slots are likely to be more available and therefore cheaper. Other factors, such as surface transport facilities and onward connections, will also affect the relative appeal of different airports and some long distance flights may need to operate from the one with the longest runway.

Business-to-business relations

Code sharing is the most common type of airline partnership; it involves one airline selling tickets for another airline's flights under its own airline code. An early example of this was Japan Airlines' code sharing partnership with Aeroflot in the 1960s on flights from Tokyo to Moscow: Aeroflot operated the flights using Aeroflot aircraft, but JAL sold tickets for the flights as if they were JAL flights. This practice allows airlines to expand their operations, at least on paper, into parts of the world where they cannot afford to establish bases or purchase aircraft. Code sharing is a business term which first originated in the airline industry. ... Japan Airlines (Japanese: 日本航空 Nihon Kōkū, or JAL) is the largest airline in Asia. ... Aeroflot — Russian Airlines (Russian:Аэрофло́т — Росси́йские авиали́нии), or Aeroflot (Аэрофло́т; literally air fleet) , is the Russian national airline and is the biggest carrier in Russia. ... View of Tokyos Shibuya district Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Imperial Palace. ... Moscow (Russian: Москва́, Moskva, IPA: ▶ (help· info)) is the capital of Russia, located on the river Moskva. ...

Since airline reservation requests are often made by city-pair (such as "show me flights from Chicago to Dusseldorf"), an airline who is able to code share with another airline for a variety of routes might be able to be listed as indeed offering a Chicago-Dusseldorf flight. The passenger is advised however, that Airline 1 operates the flight from say Chicago to Amsterdam, and Airline 2 operates the continuing flight (on a different airplane, sometimes from another terminal) to Dusseldorf. Thus the primary rationale for code sharing is to expand one's service offerings in city-pair terms so as to increase sales.

Virtually all international airlines practice code sharing.

A more recent development is the airline alliance, which became prevalent in the 1990s. These alliances can act as virtual mergers to get around government restrictions. Groups of airlines such as the Star Alliance, oneworld, and SkyTeam coordinate their passenger service programs (such as lounges and frequent flyer programs), offer special interline tickets, and often engage in extensive codesharing (sometimes systemwide). These are increasingly integrated business combinations-- sometimes including cross-equity arrangements-- in which products, service standards, schedules, and airport facilities are standardized and combined for higher efficiency. One of the first airlines to start an alliance with another airline was KLM, who partnered with Northwest Airlines. Both airlines later entered the SkyTeam alliance after the fusion of KLM and Air France in 2004. The Skyteam logo The OneWorld logo The Star Alliance logo An airline alliance is an agreement between two or more airlines to cooperate for the foreseeable future on a substantial level. ... Launched on May 14, 1997, the Star Alliance was the first, and remains the largest airline alliance in the world, with the following points of cooperation among its partner airlines: Frequent flyer program integration allows airline miles to be earned and redeemed on all members of the Alliance at the... oneworld is third largest airline alliance in the world, behind Star Alliance and Skyteam. ... SkyTeam Alliance is the global airline alliance partnering Aeroméxico, Air France-KLM, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. ... KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its (agreed) take-over by Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ... Northwest Airlines (IATA: NW, ICAO: NWA, and Callsign: Northwest) is an airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, with three major hubs in the United States: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and Memphis International Airport. ... SkyTeam Alliance is the global airline alliance partnering Aeroméxico, Air France-KLM, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Korean Air and Northwest Airlines. ... Air France Boeing 747 Air France (Compagnie Nationale Air France) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before the take-over of KLM, it was essentially the national airline of France, employing 71,654 people (at January 2005). ...

Often the companies combine IT operations, buy fuel, or purchase airplanes as a bloc in order to achieve higher bargaining power. However, the alliances have been most successful at purchasing invisible supplies and services, such as fuel. Airlines usually prefer to purchase items visible to their passengers to differentiate themselves from local competitors. If an airline's main domestic competitor flies Boeing airliners, then the airline may prefer to use Airbus aircraft regardless of what the rest of the alliance chooses.

Customs and conventions

Each operator of a scheduled or charter flight uses a distinct airline call sign when communicating with airports or air traffic control centers. Most of these call-signs are derived from the airline's trade name, but for reasons of history, marketing, or the need to reduce ambiguity in spoken English (so that pilots do not mistakenly make navigational decisions based on instructions issued to a different aircraft), some airlines and air forces use call-signs less obviously connected with their trading name. For example, British Airways uses a Speedbird call-sign, named after the logo of its predecessor, BOAC. Most airlines employ a distinctive and internationally recognised call sign that is normally spoken during airband radio transmissions as a prefix to the flight number. ... The British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the exclusive British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946. ...

Airline personnel

The various types of airline personnel include:

• Flight crews, responsible for the operation of aircraft while airborne. Flight crew members include:
  • Pilots (captain and first officer: some older aircraft also require flight engineers and/or navigators)
  • Flight attendants (led by a purser on larger aircraft)
  • In-flight security personnel on some airlines (most notably El Al)
• Ground crews, responsible for operations at airports. Ground crew members include:
  • Airframe and powerplant technicians
  • Avionics technicians
  • Baggage handlers
  • Rampers
  • Gate agents
  • Ticket agents
  • Passenger service agents (such as airline lounge employees)
  • Flight dispatchers
• Reservations agents, usually (but not always) at facilities outside the airport

Most airlines follow a corporate structure where each broad area of operations (such as maintenance, flight operations, and passenger service) is supervised by a vice president. Larger airlines often appoint vice presidents to oversee each of the airline's hubs as well. Airlines also tend to employ considerable numbers of lawyers to deal with regulatory procedures and other administrative tasks. Aircrew members may include pilots, flight attendants, flight engineers, navigators, Taccos, signallers, observers, (air) gunners, weapons specialists, loadmasters and various electronics system operators depending on the age during which the aircraft operated and the type of operations. ... Aviators are people who fly aircraft either for pleasure or for a job. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ... In commercial aviation, the first officer is the second pilot of an aircraft. ... A flight engineer is a flight crew member who is responsible for monitoring aircraft systems in flight and for checking the aircraft before and after each flight. ... A navigator is the person onboard a ship responsible for the navigation of the vessel. ... Flight attendants, formerly called sky girls, air hostesses, stewardesses and stewards hold the primary responsibility for the safety and comfort of airline passengers. ... A ships purser, or just purser is the person on a ship responsible for the handling of money on board. ... Sky marshal (also known as air marshal or flight marshal) is a popular term for an undercover armed guard on board a commercial aircraft, to counter aircraft hijackings (skyjackings). Many carriers are known to have sky marshals on board on selected flights, for example, Swiss (since 1970; formerly Swissair), El... Categories: Airline stubs | Companies of Israel | Transportation in Israel | Airlines of Israel ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Airframe is a novel by renowned author Michael Crichton first published in hardback edition in 1996 and as a paperback edition in 1997. ... A powerplant can mean: An aircraft engine (usually used in countries other than the U.S.) A power plant (a large facility that uses materials to generate electricity) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The onboard electronics used for piloting an aircraft are called avionics (AVI-ation electr-ONICS). ... An airport lounge is a members-only lounge owned by a particular airline (or jointly operated by several carriers). ... A corporation is a legal entity (distinct from a natural person) that often has similar rights in law to those of a natural person. ...

See also

• Air safety
• Airport security – no longer a responsibility of the airlines.
• Cargo airline
• Charter airline
• Commuter airline
• Low-cost carrier
• Airlines at the movies
• Airliners.net
• 1000 Airlines in Color
• Airline timetable
• Red-eye flight
• Transportation Security Administration
• Federal Aviation Administration
• IATA – industry standards organization

// Institutions Certification In most countries, civil aircraft have to be certified by the civil aviation authority (CAA) to be allowed to fly. ... Bags are scanned by X-ray machine, people are scanned by metal detectors Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and by extension aircraft from crime and terrorism. ... FedEx DC-10 Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. ... A charter airline is one that operates charter flights, that is flights that take place outside normal schedules, by a hiring arrangement with a particular customer. ... A Commuter airline is an airline that flies to smaller communities, often linking smaller communities to a larger regional hub. ... Boeing 737-200 of low-cost Irish airline Ryanair A low-cost carrier or low cost airline (also known as a no-frills or discount carrier / airline) is an airline that offers generally low fares in exchange for eliminating many traditional passenger services. ... Since the start of commercial aviation, many airlines have arranged to have their planes displayed prominently in movies. ... Airliners. ... 1000 Airlines in Color is a book written by Gerry Manning and published in 1998 by Voyageur Press. ... Airline timetables are a device that many airlines world wide use to inform passengers of several different things, such as schedules, fleet, security, in-flight entertainment, food menu, restriction and phone contact information. ... ... The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created as part of the Aviation and Transportation Security Act passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush on November 19, 2001. ... The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ... The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organization of airlines headquarted in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ...

Lists

• List of largest airlines
• List of low-cost airlines
• List of airlines – A fairly comprehensive listing
• List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
• List of national airlines
• List of defunct airlines
• Timeline of airline bankruptcies

List of Largest airlines by annual passengers or freight carried // World By scheduled passengers carried 2003 total passengers carried Figures in thousands: American Airlines 88,241 Delta Air Lines 84,245 Southwest Airlines 74,787 United Airlines 66,100 Japan Airlines 58,241 Northwest Airlines 51,975 Lufthansa 45,400... . ... This is a list of airlines in operation. ... Citing the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, an aviation accident is defined as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, and in which any person... This is a list of national airlines sorted by sovereign States in alphabetical order. ... This is a list of defunct airlines. ... This is a timeline of bankruptcies affecting airlines which are still currently operating. ...

References

"Flying Off Course: The Economics of International Airlines," 3rd edition. Rigas Doganis, Routledge, New York, 2002. "The Airline Business in the 21st Century." Rigas Doganis, Routledge, New York, 2001.