Aviation management texts

[catch18]

Interested in reading some good books before joining the ranks of Airline Management.

Interested in reviews of any core texts from Aviation Degree students or people with hands on experience.

Have an ATPL and Jet experience so have an understanding of the technical side. More interested in yields/pricing/strategy/competition/brand/business structure etc.

Also what is the best way to keep your finger on the pulse industry wide i.e. particular websites/magazines that are aviation management orientated.

Cheers.

[Aimpoint]

I found "From Worst to First" by Gordon Bethune quite good. Talked about turning around Continental and discusses numerous aspects of the business that needed change. You can apply parts of the book to just about any aviation organisation.

"Nuts" by Freiberg discusses Southwest Airlines, which has a huge focus on its people. A little wacky - the culture wouldn't work everywhere - but still a good read.

Both explore the importance of staff and communication. Unfortunately many people in management (not just aviation management) forget about this.

[alpha_papa_lima]

Hey have a look at 'Flying Off Course - Airline Economics and Marketing' by Rigas Doganis. Prescribed text at one of the universities and covers pretty much everything :ok:

[nomorecatering]

I have an entire library of airline management books.

They are all crap, not even worth using as loo paper. Writen by univerity nerds, page after page of psychobabble.

Theres only two worth reading......the first is by Yuan carslon who resurected SAS in the 80's and the otherone about Herb Kheller of South West Airlines.

[Seabreeze]

Too true

not many academics that know much about airline strategies, but then...

not too many airline managers know much about running an airline successfully either....

nomorecatering seems to be a wealth of knowledge, and at least suggests he knows more than most as we readers might interpret; so nomorecatering, please name us an airline that repays the cost of capital?? (can't can you?). You really reckon you can knock Doganis?

SB

[Fantome]

Prof. Rigas Doganis is an Aviation Consultant and Strategy Adviser of Airlines, Airports, Banks and Governments around the world. Prof. Doganis served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Olympic Airways. He serves as Chairman of the European Aviation Club in Brussels and serves as a Director of GMR Hyderabad International Airport Ltd. He has been Independent Non Executive Director of Easyjet Plc. since December 1, 2005. Prof. Doganis served as Non-Executive Director ... of South African Airways. He is a visiting Professor at Cranfield University where he was Head of the Department of Air Transport in the College of Aeronautics from 1991 to 1997. He is also a visiting Professor at Cranfield University is an author of books on Aviation Economics and Management. He is also a fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society and of the Royal Society of Arts. He graduated from the London School of Economics (LSE). He carried out postgraduate studies in air transport at the Sorbonne in Paris and at the LSE. This was followed by a Doctorate in Air Transport also at the LSE.

[Cactusjack]

Try buying 'The Sociopath Next Door'. Once you have read that you will be ready for a job in QF Management!

Or try Sociopath World: Portrait of a sociopath (http://www.sociopathworld.com/p/portrait-of-sociopath.html)

[catch18]

Thanks for the recommendations.

[Hobbit]

I read the first edition of Professor Doganis' worthy tome just as easyJet was struggling into life. His book made no mention of low cost carriers! Stephen Shaw's book about marketing: Airline Marketing Management I found to be an excellent read.
It is interesting to compare how airlines are run worldwide; Southwest with it's belief in the importance of people and Ryanair/Jetstar who treat their employees in a manner reminiscent of the industrial revolution workhouses! Read widely and try to remember that, whilst correlation proves nothing, a happy crew will probably perform a little better than a dismally miserable crew (I cannot find a reference for that though).

[4Greens]

Check out the Masters programmes at the University of New South Wales, Department of Aviation. They teach management and no psychobabble.

[Armchairflyer]

While it is a bit more about the historical than the purely business aspect, I found the following a good read: Hard Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos by Thomas Petzinger - Reviews, Discussion, Bookclubs, Lists (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/438607.Hard_Landing).