EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report provides an examinaion of the current structure, performance, stragergy and management of Delta Airlines, along with an industry analysis of the airline industry. The report uses current and past financial and statistical data for the company along with other up to date material to determine Delta's current market position and future potential.
The report finds that Delta Airlines has successfully emerged from its bankruptcy in 2005 to report successful returns in both 2007 and 2008. With its 2008 acquisition of Northwest Airlines Delta became the world's largest airline, further improving its position in the airline industry. Despite this current positive position report also finds potential adversities
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The Northwest brand is gradually being phased out and being replaced by Delta's name and brand. During the integration period, Delta and Northwest will continue to operate their own branded aircraft until the integration process is complete. This has given delta a combined market share of approximately 18% (Gayle, 2008)
Effects of Market Structure
In the United States there are generally two types of airlines: "legacy carriers," which are defined as airlines that specifically operated interstate routes prior to the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, and "low cost" airlines that compete solely on the basis of offering the lowest price per ticket within the market in which they are operating
Market conduct
Market structure can be defined as patterns of behaviour by enterprises in an effort to adjust to the markets in which they operate (buy or sell). Pricing strategies and collusive behaviour mergers are a few dimensions of market conduct. It is the industry norm for a legacy carrier to offer service to most popular destinations; Delta reducing routes to a similar schedule as the low-cost airlines is not an option in the multi-billion dollar industry. In order to gain market share from low-cost airlines, Delta must create a value proposition that differentiates itself from its competitors. Many customers will pay a premium if the level of service provided is higher than the low-cost, no-frills
The targeting strategy that Delta Airlines follows is a Single Segment Strategy. Business fliers are the main target for this airline. In order to reach their target market, Delta Airlines is conveying its message that it delivers everything business fliers need through advertising in broadcast media and other national media. A differentiation strategy is the extensive flight service and brand legacy of Delta Airlines is recognized throughout the airline industry as unique. There are several benefits of Single Segment Marketing. The company can gain more competitive edge. Their major competitors are United Airlines, Northwest Airlines, American Airlines, and British Airways. Also, the company can create more fine-tuned offerings at the right price for the specific market segments as well as have a clear picture of the
One of the most large scale United States Airlines since the late 1920s is the Delta Airlines Incorporation. The incorporation’s financial statements are more than $9 billion in operating income and over $40 billion in total revenue Its net income was US$ 926 million. It is also worthwhile to note that Delta Air Lines, Inc. was the most admired airline for the 5th time in the span of six years and was named Fortune's Top 50 Most Admired Companies. 2 – How Delta Airlines Compete With Other Airlines
American airline industry is steadily growing at an extremely strong rate. This growth comes with a number economic and social advantage. This contributes a great deal to the international inventory. The US airline industry is a major economic aspect in both the outcome on other related industries like tourism and manufacturing of aircraft and its own terms of operation. The airline industry is receiving massive media attention unlike other industries through participating and making of government policies. As Hoffman and Bateson (2011) show the major competitors include Southwest Airlines, Delta Airline, and United Airline.
For this company analysis paper, Delta Airlines has been chosen out of 100 best companies. In this paper, firstly we will talk about the background of the company. Secondly, vision and mission will be evaluated. Thirdly, competitor analysis will be carried out. Lastly, business characteristics and accomplishments will be discussed.
The domestic US airline industry has been intensely competitive since it was deregulated in 1978. In a regulated environment, most of the cost increases were passed along to consumers under a fixed rate-of-return based pricing scheme. This allowed labor unions to acquire a lot of power and workers at the major incumbent carriers were overpaid. After deregulation, the incumbent carriers felt the most pain, and the floodgates had opened for newer more nimble carriers with lower cost structures to compete head-on with the established airlines. There were several bankruptcies followed by a wave of consolidation with the fittest carriers surviving and the rest being
From the humble financial portfolio as a crop dusting outfit in the mid twentieth century, to the multi-billion dollar portfolio of a major airline in the twenty first century, Delta Air Lines has risen as a successful business. The airline industry is directly affected by outside economic conditions and is also cyclical in nature. These factors make it very difficult for airlines to make predictions to stay financially afloat. Delta has ridden the bumpy path of the last twenty years and managed to survive. In the past twenty years there has been many events that
Delta airline uses merger so as to be able to expend its business. In 2008 the company merged with Northwest airlines. It operates in Europe, North America and Asia/Pacific regions. Once the merger was complete, Northwest Airlines and all its constituents become wholly-owned by Delta Airlines. The merger saw to it that Delta Airlines started operating in the Northwest for FY 2008. In the period of two month that is from October of 2008 the time the merger was completed to December of 2008, the company had increased it revenues to $2 billion. Having a flexible nature, allows Delta to improve customer services, and in the long run be able to achieve its strategic objectives.
In April 1992, American Airlines launched "Value Pricing" -- a radical simplification of the complex pricing structure that had evolved over more than a decade following deregulation of the U.S. domestic airline industry. American expected that the new pricing structure would benefit consumers and restore profitability to both American and the industry as a whole. The critical issue raised is: Would American's bold initiative work?
This paper will review the case study of Delta Airlines which was suffering like all its competitors with rising fuel costs which averaged anywhere between 30 to 50 percent of its total operating costs. This paper will answer six questions which will help identify what the company did to handle the high cost of fuel. The questions that I will answer will include the following.
Low-cost carriers pose a serious threat to traditional "full service" airlines, since the high cost structure of full-service carriers prevents them from competing
As with all airlines, Delta’s recent performance has been significantly impacted by industry shifts and external events. Terrorist attacks and escalating costs have significantly impacted Delta’s profitability in recent history (Rivkin 4). The company has also been losing valuable market share to the low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines throughout the southeast and specifically in the lucrative Florida market (Rivkin 8). JetBlue also began encroaching on key Delta routes, and this seems only likely to increase (Rivkin 9). Despite this, Delta has still performed better than any other legacy carrier (Rivkin 8). Still, recent history has brought several changes to this legacy carrier, and the company has turned its attention towards new competitive strategies.
Delta Airlines is a commercial airline company that has been around since 1924. They fly to many destinations all over the world. Their fleet of airplanes consists of 822 airplanes. Delta Airlines is currently headquartered out of Atlanta, Georgia. Getting from point A to point B with Delta would be easy and plausible with their ability to service over 325 travel destinations all over the world. They are even able to broaden their horizon with their seven airline partners making it easier for their clients to get where they want to go around the world. Delta has top of the line pilots with stringent requirements ensuring their pilots have the ability to safely and accurately fly from point A to point B.
Oligopoly Behavior in the Airline Industry. Case Analysis This case illustrates the pricing behavior of firms that are oligopoly whose market is characterized by the relative few participating firms offering differentiated or standardized products or services. Such firms in an oligopoly have market power derived from barriers of entry that wards off potential participants. As seen in the case, it is clear that because there are a small number of US Airlines firms competing with each other, their behavior is mutually interdependent – thus, the strategies and decisions by one airline management affect managements of the other airlines whose subsequent decisions then affect the first airline. In the airline industry, such oligopolistic
The risk of entry into the airline industry by potential competitors is low due to the “liberalization of market access, a result of globalization. According to the IATA (International Air Transport Association), about 1,300 new airlines were established in the last 40 years,” (Cederholm, 2016). The cost structure of businesses in an industry is a determinant of rivalry. In the Airlines Industry, fixed costs are high, because before the organization can make any sales, they must invest in air crafts, fuel and service employees. These items come attached with hefty price tags. Industries that require such enormous amounts of start-up capital as predicted by many analysts
Upon review on a profile of a successful company we see Southwest Airlines as a prime example. Their ability to recognize weakness in their management system and adjust strategies has allowed them to emerge as a leader in the US airline industry. Southwest is the largest US low fare carrier with low fare rates, no additional fees and excellent customer service. Southwest Airlines currently has one of the most innovative management practices in the US to date. A review of the critical elements of Southwest Airlines proves to be effective and innovative.