The past thirty years have witnessed a transformation of government economic intervention in broad segments of industry throughout the world. Many industries historically subject to economic price and entry controls have been largely deregulated, including natural gas, trucking, airlines, and commercial banking. However, recent concerns about market power in restructured electricity markets, airline industry instability amid chronic financial stress, and the challenges created by the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act, which allowed commercial banks to participate in investment banking, have led to calls for renewed market intervention. Economic Regulation and Its Reform collects research by a group of distinguished scholars who explore these and other issues surrounding government economic intervention. Determining the consequences of such intervention requires a careful assessment of the costs and benefits of imperfect regulation. Moreover, government interventions may take a variety of forms, from relatively nonintrusive performance-based regulations to more aggressive antitrust and competition policies and barriers to entry. This volume introduces the key issues surrounding economic regulation, provides an assessment of the economic effects of regulatory reforms over the past three decades, and examines how these insights bear on some of today’s most significant concerns in regulatory policy.
Air transport industry finance, with its complexity and special needs such as route rights, airport slots, aircraft leasing options and frequent flyer programmes, requires specific knowledge. While there are numerous financial management and corporate finance texts available, few of these provide explanations for the singularities of the airline industry with worked examples drawn directly from the industry itself. Revised and updated in its third edition, this internationally renowned and respected book provides the essentials to understanding all areas of airline finance. Designed to address each of the distinct areas of financial management in an air transport industry context, it also shows how these fit together, while each chapter and topic provides a detailed resource which can be also consulted separately. Supported at each stage by practical airline examples, it examines the financial trends and prospects for the airline industry as a whole, contrasting the developments for the major regions and airlines. Important techniques in financial analysis are applied to the airline industry, together with critical discussion of key issues. Thoroughly amended and updated throughout, the third edition reflects the many developments that have affected the industry since 2001. It features several important new topics, including Low Cost Carriers (LCCs), fuel hedging and US Chapter 11 provisions. The sections on financial statements and privatisation have been expanded, and a new chapter has been added on equity finance and IPOs. New case studies have been added, as well as the latest available financial data. The range and perspective is even greater than before, with significant expansion of material specific to the US and Asia. The book is a key resource for students of airline management, and a sophisticated and authoritative guide for analysts in financial institutions and consultancies, executives in airlines and related industries, and civil aviation departments.
The airline industry generates operating revenues of $172 billion in 2007, amounting to over 1% of the U.S. gross domestic product. It carried more than 700 million passengers in 2007. Airline deregulation in 1978 led, at least in part, to increasingly volatile airline profitability, resulting in periods of significant losses and bankruptcies. In response, some airlines have proposed or are considering merging with or acquiring another airline. This report describes: (1) the financial condition of the U.S. passenger airline industry; (2) whether the industry is becoming more or less competitive; (3) why airlines seek to merge with or acquire other airlines; and (4) the role of fed. authorities in reviewing proposed airline mergers and acquisitions. Charts and tables.