Airline alliances have been dominating the air transport industry since the 1990s and by now the four strategic alliances, in which almost all of the major airlines participate, control the 56% of the world RPK. The thesis examines the airline alliance phenomenon in its entirety and more specifically, it examines the reasons and circumstances that have led to the formulation of these alliances and the impact these alliances have had on the participating airlines. A key parameter airlines use to assess their own performance and that of alliances is traffic. Thus, the present research examines alliances impact on the traffic of the allied partners by different types of routes (hub-hub, hub-non hub and non hub-non hub), different types of cooperation (FFP, code share, strategic alliance without and with antitrust immunity) and by the length of the route. In addition, the thesis analyses which alliance groupings, which type of airline and which geographical area have produced the best results from the alliances. To achieve these objectives, the thesis is divided into a theoretical and an empirical part. The theoretical approach starts with an industry alliance overview and then moves to the presentation of airline alliances, by discussing the reasons that have led to their establishment, the evolution of the regulatory framework around which airline alliances have developed, the definition of airline alliances, the different forms they have taken, their advantages and disadvantages; and finally, the past and current alliance groups. The empirical part focuses on the alliance traffic and analyses it around two different axes. The first consists of a survey in which the airlines participating in alliances were asked to assess their alliance participation and to quantify the impact of alliances on several parameters of their operation and performance and more specifically, on their passenger traffic. The second analyzes this impact on the basis of an econometric model that seeks to determine and measure any positive impact on traffic volume generated by alliances. The findings indicate that airlines are satisfied from their alliance experience as they have helped them achieve the main purpose for which they have resorted to alliances, that is to secure increased network coverage with little capital investment. Both the survey and the econometric model indicate that airline alliances have led to an increase in passenger traffic amounting to 10%. According to the survey, this traffic increase is mainly registered on hubhub routes while the econometric model indicates that this increase is evenly distributed on hub-hub and hub-non hub routes. The benefits result mostly from the marketing cooperation and appear within one or two years from the establishment of the alliance. Alliances may bring about cost reduction, but this depends on the level of integration among the partners. Almost all participants agree that alliances are the final stage of airline cooperation and that there will be no or very few mergers.

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Cette thèse étudie l’impact des réglementations européennes sur les comportements stratégiques des compagnies, leur relations aux aéroports et l’impact des aides publiques. Le but est de proposer des grilles d’analyse et d’évaluation de l’efficacité de la politique «low cost», principalement dans leurs relations aux aéroports secondaires et les aides publiques que ces compagnies perçoivent. Il s’agit de déterminer les limites et contradictions éventuelles de la politique «low cost» dans l’aérien tel que la Commission Européenne la conçoit. Nous examinons les effets indirects des grandes réglementations « antitrust » sur le comportement des compagnies «low cost» et leur relation aux infrastructures aéroportuaires. Pour ce faire, des modèles simples d’évaluation de politiques publiques sont utilisés. Cette thèse est divisée en six chapitres, chacun centré sur un impact particulier et parfois contre-intuitif de la réglementation. Cela est le cas notamment lorsque les effets de cette dernière vont à l’encontre des souhaits initiaux de la Commission. En outre, nous essayons de faire ressortir, de façon transversale dans la thèse, l’idée selon laquelle toute la stratégie d’une compagnie «low cost» comme Ryanair repose sur l’exploitation du "contexte légal", d’où l’enjeu essentiel d’étudier l’impact des réglementations dont Ryanair tire le plus grand profit. Nous montrons que Ryanair n’est pas toujours un mauvais joueur, mais bien une entreprise qui exploite (jusqu’à la limite du "moralement" répréhensible) ce qu’offrent le système et la réglementation en vigueur. / This thesis highlights the impact of European regulation on airline strategic behaviour, their relationships with airports and the impact of state aid. The purpose is to propose some resulting matrix allowing to better assess the efficiency of the European “low cost” policy, mainly air carriers partnerships with secondary airports and public founds they benefit. It comes to determine limitation or contradictions in the current policy led towards “low cost” airlines. To do that, we use simple models of public policy assessment. The thesis is divided into six chapters; all focus on specific and sometimes counter-intuitive aspects of the EU regulation. This is indeed the case when the impact of a regulation leads to opposite effects compared to the initial wish of the Commission. In the bottom line, we strive to show transversally that the whole strategy of a “low cost” carrier like Ryanair lies in a full exploitation of the “legal context”, hence the major importance of a comprehensive study of those regulations from which Ryanair takes the higher advantage. In a nutshell, there is no bad players, just bad rules.

This thesis aims at investigating the behaviour of airlines in recently liberalised markets, by making use of the Brazilian air transportation as a case study. In order to accomplish this objective, the following three essays were developed: a study of low cost carrier entry behaviour, an analysis of the pricing behaviour of the major incumbents in the industry, and, finally, an assessment of airline conduct in the most important market in the country. All essays contain empirical investigation performed by making use of data supplied by Brazil’s Department of Civil Aviation, DAC. In the first essay, the entry of Gol Airlines on several Brazilian domestic routes, in 2001 and 2002, is analysed in order to draw inference on the competition between a discounter in rapid expansion and the full-service carriers. A route-choice model is estimated by making use of a flexible post-entry equilibrium profits equation and accounting for endogeneity of the main variables. The second essay aims at empirically investigating the pricing behaviour of the legacy carriers in Brazil, with special focus on reactions to the entry of Gol, in 2001. A study of localised competitive advantage regarding the determinants of pricing power is performed along with the analysis of the pattern of price reactions by the incumbents. A single econometric framework is designed and estimated with panel data controlling for city-specific effects. And finally, the third essay aims at assessing the impacts of economic liberalisation on the route Rio de Janeiro - São Paulo. By making use of both a two-stages budgeting representation of the demand system, and a competition model with product heterogeneity among rivals, and based on the framework of the New Empirical Industrial Organisation, it was possible to examine the existence of a structural change on airlines’ conduct parameters due to the regulatory reform.

Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή προσεγγίζει το θέμα του εισερχόμενου τουρισμού στην Ελλάδα υπό το πρίσμα των αερομεταφορών και ειδικότερα μέσω των στρατηγικών επιλογών μιας ιδιότυπης μορφής αερομεταφορέων, όπως είναι οι αεροπορικές εταιρίες χαμηλού κόστους (Low Cost Carriers). Η ανάπτυξη των εταιριών αυτών αποτελεί μία από τις σημαντικότερες εξελίξεις στο χώρο των αερομεταφορών παγκοσμίως. Αυτός ο «νέος» τύπος αερομεταφορέων έχει αναταράξει σε βάθος και αποφασιστικά το καθεστώς των αερομεταφορών γενικά και συγκεκριμένα των αποκαλούμενων παραδοσιακών αερομεταφορέων δικτύων με την εισαγωγή ενός επιχειρησιακού μοντέλου χαμηλού κόστους, το οποίο επιτρέπει σε αυτές τις αερογραμμές να προσφέρουν οικονομικά εισιτήρια στους πελάτες τους. Οι αεροπορικές εταιρίες χαμηλού κόστους (LCCs) αποτελούν μια σημαντική διάσταση στις σύγχρονες στρατηγικές ανάπτυξης και ανταγωνισμού στον τομέα των αερομεταφορών διεθνώς. Η διατριβή εστιάζει στον καθορισμό των προσδιοριστικών παραγόντων στρατηγικής ανάπτυξης των LCCs καθώς και στις επιδράσεις αυτών των στρατηγικών επιλογών στον ελληνικό τουρισμό. Ο σκοπός της διατριβής είναι να περιγράψει το επιχειρησιακό τους μοντέλο και να καταγράψει τις στρατηγικές που αυτές ακολουθούν. Αναφορικά με την μεθοδολογική προσέγγιση, επιλέχθηκε η έρευνα περιπτωσιολογικής μελέτης για την διερεύνηση των στρατηγικών των αερομεταφορέων χαμηλού κόστους και των πιθανόν επιδράσεών τους στον εισερχόμενο τουρισμό στην Ελλάδα. Η επιλογή αυτή εξαρτήθηκε σε μεγάλο βαθμό από την φύση του αντικειμένου και των ερωτημάτων που τέθηκαν λαμβανομένων υπόψη των περιορισμών, όσον αφορά στα λιγοστά και κατακερματισμένα διαθέσιμα στατιστικά στοιχεία σχετικά με τους αερομεταφορείς χαμηλού κόστους, σε ό,τι αφορά την Ελλάδα τουλάχιστον και τις αεροπορικές τους συνδέσεις με αυτήν. Συμπερασματικά θα λέγαμε, ότι οι αερομεταφορές αποτελούν αναπόσπαστο τμήμα του τουριστικού προϊόντος και ότι τα τελευταία χρόνια επικρατεί αισιοδοξία αναφορικά με τη αεροπορική διασύνδεση των κομβικών και περιφερειακών αεροδρομίων της Ελλάδας με ευρωπαϊκούς προορισμούς. Η είσοδος νέων αεροπορικών εταιριών χαμηλού κόστους, στον ΔΑΑ που συνδέουν απευθείας διάφορους ευρωπαϊκούς προορισμούς με την Αθήνα καθώς και οι εξελίξεις στην ανατολική Ευρώπη, εξαιτίας της ένταξης νέων χωρών στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ένωση δημιουργεί νέα δεδομένα στις αερομεταφορές και στην σύνδεση της Αθήνας, αλλά και των περιφερειακών αερολιμένων με αεροδρόμια της κεντρικής και ανατολικής Ευρώπης. Οι αεροπορικές εταιρίες ναυλωμένων πτήσεων, οι οποίες παραδοσιακά είχαν συνδεθεί με την ανάπτυξη του ελληνικού τουρισμού προσπάθησαν να αναθεωρήσουν το επιχειρηματικό τους μοντέλο, ώστε να ανταγωνιστούν τις εταιρίες χαμηλού κόστους. Η Ελλάδα θεωρείται μια αγορά υψηλού κόστους λόγω των διαφόρων επιβαρύνσεων στα τέλη των αερομεταφορών. Καθώς όμως χρειάζεται να ανταγωνιστεί και με άλλες παραδοσιακές αγορές, η πολιτεία χρειάζεται να δράσει σε συνεργασία με όλους τους εμπλεκόμενους φορείς ώστε να υποστηρίξει τις στρατηγικές επιλογές επέκτασης των LCCs και μέσα από μακροπρόθεσμες πολιτικές να διατηρήσει και να ενισχύσει την προσέλευση των LCCs σε ελληνικά αεροδρόμια. / This doctoral dissertation deals with inbound tourism to Greece within the context of air transport and specifically through the strategic choices of a singular form of air transport, such as low-cost carriers. The growth of these companies is one of the most significant global developments in the air transport industry. This “new” type of air transport has thoroughly and decisively stirred up the status quo in air transport and specifically, the so-called traditional air transport networks, through the introduction of the low-cost model that permits these airlines to offer economically competitive tickets to their customers. The low-cost carriers (LCCs) are a significant dimension in the modern development and competition strategies of the air transport industry. The dissertation focuses upon defining the determinant factors in the development strategies of the LCCs, as well as the influence of these strategic choices upon Greek tourism. The dissertation’s purpose is to describe their business model and to record the strategies that they follow. The case study research approach was selected in relation to the methodology in order to investigate the strategies of the low-cost carriers and their potential influences on inbound tourism to Greece. This choice is largely dependent upon the nature of the objective and the questions that are raised, which takes into consideration the restrictions relating to the scarce and fragmented statistics that are available on the low-cost carriers, at least in relation to Greece and their air connections to it. In conclusion, we could say that air transport is an integral part of the tourist product and that optimism has prevailed in recent years on the interconnection by air of the central and regional airports in Greece with European destinations. The entry by new airlines into AIA (Athens International Airport), which directly connect the European destinations to Athens, as well as the developments in Eastern Europe, through the incorporation of many nations into the European Union, has created a new status quo for air transport and the connection of Athens to the Central and Eastern European airports. The chartered flight airlines that were traditionally connected to the growth of Greek tourism have attempted to review their business model, so as to compete with the low-cost carriers. Greece is considered to be a high-cost market, due to the various charges on the air transport duties. The State needs to act in collaboration with all authorities involved in order to retain and support the presence of LCCs at Greek airports, in addition to the need to also compete with the other traditional markets.