Airplane reading
I just finished the magnificant book Hard Landing; it's a gripping history of the North American airline business through 1996. The book tells stories about individual CEOs in an engaging way (lots of author interviews) and gives a non-technical account of the evolution of airline strategy over time. Having read it once quickly to see where all of the characters end up I'll probably re-read parts of the book selectively to make sure I understand what went on.
Other highlights:
- Flashbacks/nostalgia for extremely powerful companies that have disappeared from public consciousness (Braniff, Pan Am, Eastern, People Express, etc.)
- Portraits of leading CEOs with lots of anecdotes about how intense/driven some of them are (apparently when TI/Braniff asked for injunctions from regulators to keep his airline from starting up Herb Kelleher clenched his teeth so hard he cracked 4 molars)
- Characterizations of the politics and organizational dynamics at the top of these companies
- Insight into the regulatory process that is so critical to the airline business
- Marketing insights including price discrimination, product placement on travel agent screens/systems, customer segmentation, rebates, etc.
The book was written in 1996; it seemed pretty recent to me until I realized that in 1996 most people hadn't heard of the internet and the revolutionary development of the online reservations business hadn't taken off. Having said that anybody who has a passing interest in the history of the airline business should pick up the book.