ABSTRACT
The timing and the breadth and depth of disruptive innovation in airline industry depend on the impact of a number of forces, including the following four primary ongoing and reinforcing forces. They are relating to economies, customers, competitors, and technologies. This chapter provides a brief overview of those four primary forces. Since there is a strong correlation between the dynamics of economies and the dynamics of air travel, it makes sense to start with a brief synopsis of just a couple of aspects of how the economies are changing worldwide. The chapter also presents a brief review of changing customer expectations, increased competition facing airlines, and the role and impact of changing technologies. It describes Emirates Airline and Turkish Airlines in detail as two of the Super Connectors, the other two Super Connectors, Persian Gulf-based carriers equally play a significant role as new evolving competitors in the global marketplace.
