Something Old is new Again: Airline-Airport Consortia and Key Stakeholder Benefits

Although consortia in the aviation sector predate deregulation by decades, this type of cooperative agreement, particularly in the airline industry, is experiencing a resurgence of interest from industry participants and academia. Airlines are searching for new innovative ways to reduce costs while airports are searching for private partners to improve terminal facilities and equipment and update services. Passengers, on the other hand, continue to balance price versus performance in their travel experience. This empirical research study finds evidence of positive influences of airline consortia to all key stakeholders; however the majority of benefit appears to be felt by the airlines and the associated airport. It is still unclear how much benefit is passed on to the passenger. Regardless, research results clear a path for a better understanding of the positive results of consortia in this turbulent industry.