Flying Off Course: Airline Economics and Marketing

Since my early days in the aviation industry in the mid-1980s, the first edition of "Flying Off Course: The economics of International Airlines" was the only comprehensive book I had covering the major aspects of airline economics. When the second edition was printed in 1991, I eagerly got myself a copy as the book was an indispensable item in my library. I am very gratified to have the third edition as a lot has happened since the first two editions. Low cost airlines came on the scene in a big way, modelled along the lines of the highly successful Southwest Airlines in the USA. The phenomena of major airline alliances and mergers also expanded greatly as well as more widespread liberalisation of the industry. All these and many other facets of this fascinating industry have been updated by one the most renowned and respected experts in the field, Professor Rigas Doganis. The book is presented in clear simple English enabling it to be easily understood by anyone with an interest in aviation. This book is a must to read by airline practitioners and those interested in a serious study of the subject.

This is the best introduction to the fundamentals of airline economics that I have ever read. Doganis, an analyst and teacher these days, is able to take all his years in industry (including a stint as CEO of Olympic Airways of Greece) and distill it into a useful text full of real world examples. The third edition is updated to include new developments like Internet ticketing, and was written post-9/11, so that sections dealing with issues such as security are up to date. The book has complete sections on airline, aircraft, and route planning and forecasting, and related subjects such as yield management, marketing, and charter operations. Of particular note is the chapter on pricing policies and fare structures; it is clear that Doganis completely understands the significance of the low cost carriers and the future of yields throughout the different regions of the world. I always enjoy reading Doganis, and vastly prefer this updated version of "Flying Off Course" to the pre-9/11 "The Airline Business in the 21st Century" (although I do recommend that book as well.) This is a great book, and should be read and understood by airline managers everywhere. My only caution is that though it is not the most mathematically exhaustive book on the subject, casual readers may not enjoy the book inasmuch as it is quite weighty and the chapter on forecasting demand is fairly mathematically rigorous.

This book is a must for anyone contemplating a study of the aviation industry. Being myself an avid aviation enthusiast and an Economics student at the London School Of Economics, I have relished every single chapter of the book and it proved instrumental in applying some concepts of core Microeconomic Theory to the Airline Business. The book is written in a clear and comprehensible way and the chapters are lightly intertwined in a way that will suscitate the general interest of the reader. In addition to the cogency and incisiveness of the chapters, Professor Doganis succeeds in stiking 2 birds with one stone's throw when it comes to dissociate the practical side from the empirical side.In a synopsis, i would put this book in the top of list if i were to recommend to my students- should i myself become a Professor of Airline Economics and Finance later on

Superb! This text clearly explains the complex economic issues surrounding airlines today, including social and political perspectives. By far the best available resource for potential (or current) airline managers to help understand the driving forces in today's global airline industry. Certainly acceptable for any level of higher academic study, the text looks at economic paradigms driving the industry and provides a fresh perspective of the perils facing airilnes in the 21st century.

The former Olympic Airways Chairman (now Professor of Air Transport at the prestigious Cranfield University, UK) provides a magnificent overview of the economics of international airlines. The title refers to airlines' apparent inability to satisfy the most basic of economic necessities: matching supply and demand