Operations Strategies Alignment Patterns and Service Quality: Airline Global Analysis

Abstract

This article aims to analyze airline operations strategies to identify possible alignment patterns and their effect on airline service quality worldwide. An intensive analysis of more than 350 airlines’ operations strategies (schedule and capacity) and their combinations was conducted. Then, the effect of each combination was examined using different analysis methods to identify the best airline operations strategy alignments across regions worldwide. Out of the 18 alignment patterns identified, six have a significant effect on airline service quality. Finally, alignment patterns that fit with each region were also identified. The results of this study help academics and decision-makers alike. The academics have results regarding the theoretical strategic alignments, best strategic alignments, and the adopted strategic alignments of airlines operations strategies across regions. These results are a good source for teaching purposes and future research. Therefore, propositions and hypotheses could be formulated according to this research results. Decision-makers of each region have better insight about the effective and ineffective strategic alignments.

KEYWORDS:

• airline operations strategies
• airline service quality
• cross-regional analysis
• operations strategies alignments

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Saleh Alkhatib

Saleh Alkhatib is an assistant professor of operations management in the business department at Yarmouk University, Jordan. He was awarded a doctorate in operations management - SCM from Liverpool John Moores University, UK, an MBA from the University of Jordan, Amman-Jordan, and a bachelor’s degree from Yarmouk University, Jordan. He worked as a lecturer at a number of KSA and Jordanian Universities. His main research interests are SCM-logistics and transportation, LSPs, strategic outsourcing, sea and airline transportation.

Yazan Migdadi

Yazan Migdadi is an associate professor of operations management in the business department at Yarmouk University, Jordan, and in the department of management and marketing at Qatar University, Qatar. He was awarded a doctorate in operations strategy from Bradford University, UK, and a bachelor’s degree and MBA from Yarmouk University, Jordan. He worked as a teaching assistant and a researcher of operations and information management at Bradford University, School of Management, UK. His main research interest is reporting operations strategy: best practices, taxonomies, process, and typologies.