With competition not simply scrambling on the doorstep but getting comfortable in the living room, the airline industry is confronted with vigorous global competition
But by featuring airlines as posterchildren of globalization, we would be guilty of oversimplification
This is because, using every rule in the book, lobbying for regulatory constraints, controlling airport slots, strategizing flight networks, forging alliances, sharpening seat management, benefiting from unstinting state support and more…, airlines are far from powerless
But geography – and national ambitions – may well turn out to be the ultimate rule makers
