Based on the book when there are competitive markets such as airlines, a company certainly needs to look at costs and revenue very closely. (Brickley, Smith, & Zimmerman, 2009, p. 180) In this case I believe that the flights from San Francisco t Washington DC should be discontinued. Even though United Airlines is a large company and profitable if they continue these flights in the long run they will lose money. The other option that they would have would be to increase the fares to cover those costs, but since the airline industry is a competitive market people are more likely to go with a lower cost airline. The first thing the airline must do is look at the firm supply.
Most airline customers travel for vacation or holiday, and plane fares are a more important criterion rather than product/service differentiation between the airlines. New entrants may be not be able to provide customers with lower rates. Established airlines are also able to provide better fare discounts for regular passengers (mostly geared towards retaining loyalty from business travellers). The huge capital needed to enter into the airline industry is a high barrier to clear for new entrants. The computerized system for online reservations that are used by travel agents or ticketing offices was developed by the already established airline companies.
In 2008, fliers can expect to see fewer flights and fewer seats as airlines cut costs and reduce growth to counteract rising fuel prices. In essence, peak flying season is becoming a year-round affair. Bailey observes that, “Because full flights cause airlines all sorts of operational problems, travelers should also brace for continuing problems with delays and misplaced bags. That means the chance of being bumped from an oversold flight could be greater, and finding a seat on a later flight will take longer.” Paul S. Hudson, executive director of the Aviation Consumer Action Project said, “It’s not a good thing,” about airlines reducing capacity. “You’re going to degrade the reliability of the system.” Experts say it is
Case Study 6 Analyzing Managerial Decisions: United Airlines Discontinuing United Airline flights from San Francisco to Washington D.C is not the best option in this case. In this case United Airlines need to view the calculation to make sure they are accurate and are reported accurately by WSJ. I also think the use of marginal analysis would be very beneficial in this case. Companies use marginal analysis as a decision-making tool to help them maximize their profits. Individuals unconsciously use marginal analysis to make a host of everyday decisions.
Off-the-shelf software is cheaper than developing custom software. Conversely, due to Boeing’s massive scope and size, outsourcing certain elements would be inefficient. Outsourcing payroll or sales force management with 158,000 employees in 70 countries would be an extremely difficult, let alone expensive, task. Processes like payroll and sales force management often require much human interaction in order to work properly, so outsourcing these elements could create major roadblocks for employees and employers alike. On the other hand, why would Boeing develop in-house some of the software applications used in conjunction with its products?
Going public when the airline industry are still suffering from 9.11 attack is adventurous, especially it is even harder when the competition of the airline industry is severe, given the fact that 87 new-airline failure over the past 20 years. However, JetBlue has good management team with strong capability, and it has considerable competitive advantage compared to comparable companies, hence there are more opportunities and strengths than threats and weaknesses. JetBlue’s executive management team have rich experience in the airline industry. CEO David Neeleman has extensive experience with airline start-ups and worked in various low-fare flights. COO David Barger and CFO John Owen had worked in airline companies before joining JetBlue.
Some of the threat that JetBlue may face that would threaten their ability to satisfy stockholder expectations would be the increase in fuel. JetBlue may also face threats from competitors that may try to offer lower prices since the industry is still growing. JetBlue can seek to lock-in contracts with fuel suppliers that will help them control the expense of fuel. By locking in the price with a contract they will be able to predict their cost for the term of the contract and also be able to maintain lower prices than other airlines that are not on contracts. JetBlue also needs procedures in place to monitor the industry and be willing to change and adapt to
Presently, gas prices have dropped. However, the airlines continue to pass along the fees to its passengers to increase revenue. Clearly, the fees that began originally in response to fuel prices continue to be part of the revenue generating strategies of airlines. (2) Shortage of Pilots: As baby boomers retire by the thousands, the airline industry is experiencing a shortage of pilots. Before becoming captains, pilots must earn sufficient fly hours.
The cuts mean for example, a Boeing 767 flying overseas typically would be operating with six instead of seven attendants in business class. Cutting a flight attendant from a transatlantic route could potentially compromise safety. Also new layoffs add to more service problems. The Company
Exploitable- JetBlue could design the interior of the aircraft to improve passenger comfort and use E190 as an useful tool to expand market and attract new customers. Implication: The E190 provided a unique opportunity for the growth of JetBlue. However, this plane did not completely match the company’s current capabilities and costed a lot. Thus the CEO of Jetblue must change their strategic strategy to either keep E190 as a VRINE resource or sell it. Capability 1: High level of service (Bill of Rights) Valuable-