Ted Reed (2)

This is best for people with a serious interest in the airline industry and the mergers and changes leading up to the 2014 merger of US Airways and American. My mom works for US Airways and I've gotten to hear a lot about this process in the last few years (including some very annoying changes in who has priority for stand-by seats, which was by seniority with US Airways but is changing to American's system of priority by check-in time).

The book does not strictly stick to this merger, but meanders around the industry. The writing isn't terrible, but it's not great or compelling either.… (més)

Ted Reed and Dan Reed (not related) have put together an enjoyable review of the family trees of American Airlines and US Airways. The titular merger is not covered until the final chapters, and seemed almost an afterthought. The meat of the book is an inside look at the people involved in creating, running, and acquiring the various airlines that led to American Airlines and US Airways. Airplanes are infrequently mentioned, usually when an entire fleet is discussed for acquisition or retirement. Airports are mentioned slightly more often, usually in their context as important hubs for airlines. The book is geared more toward airline insiders than nostalgic passengers.

The people – creators and executives – are the theme of the book. And they are an interesting group to study. The book highlights that a small group of bold leaders have moved from airline to airline, creating a “family” of airline senior management who know each other – and each others businesses – very well. Reed and Reed also explain how that bold leadership has created very strong company cultures in airlines; cultures that often are at odds with each other when airlines merge. It’s fascinating to learn how airline employees can view each other almost as coming from different worlds based on which airline they came from one or two acquisitions ago.

Because the book focuses on the experiences of various key executive players in the industry, you’ll read of an event in different chapters from different perspectives. This has the advantage of giving you a wider viewpoint on the event, but it can also make the book feel a bit disjointed from time to time. I would have liked to see a section – perhaps an appendix – showing color schemes of airline logos and livery. For readers who are airline customers rather than insiders, that would be a nice way to put the book’s adventures in context with what we see (or saw in years past) at the airports. And adventures they are; the Reeds bring home the reality that running airlines is not for the faint of heart. Bold leadership, in times of drastic environmental, financial, and political change, is a common theme in the book.

If you’re looking for a detailed look at the 2013 acquisition of American Airlines by US Airways, this work may not meet your expectations. If you’re a fan of airline history and the colorful personalities that starred in it’s making, this is a must-read.… (més)

This book chronicles the wave of consolidation that occurred in the airline industry after deregulation, culminating with the merger of American and US Airways. The authors are journalists who cover the industry. They intersperse the time line of events with profiles of company leadership faced with the challenges of low cost carriers, labor unions, and the bankruptcy courts as they strive to keep their airlines viable and preserve employee morale. One of the unexpected details was the scale of the payoffs the CEO received, or declined, when an airline was swallowed by another, and a second was that the larger airline culture and management did not always prevail when the mergers occurred. Industry observers will enjoy this book.… (més)