ABSTRACT
Before deregulation led to the launching of LCCs and other new airlines, airline services around the world had become generally somewhat settled. In recent times, and in some countries, the managerial quality of the few further entrants may have risen. Among the very few US airlines that have launched since the year 2000, JetBlue and Virgin America have survived and grown over extended periods, with JetBlue now looking particularly robust. Upon deregulation, it was those placid conditions that attracted entry by entrepreneurs who hoped that new management practices and enthusiastic staff would lift service standards, reduce operating costs and so yield profits. In becoming a very large airline, Southwest relied on developing a point-to-point network, and succeeded in taking market share from the legacy carriers, despite their use of hub-and-spoke networks. The low-fare airline entrants have won a much larger market share in most European countries than have their counterparts in the US.
