A typology of strategic alliances in the airline industry: Propositions for stability and duration

Abstract

While strategic alliances have become commonplace in the airline industry, the stability and performance of these alliances remains questionable. In this article, the authors review the structure of recent alliances in the airline industry and propose a typology of alliances based on two key dimensions: commitment of resources and complexity of arrangement. Using this typology, the authors derive a series of propositions on the stability and duration of various types of alliances.