In a highly competitive service industry such as international airlines, organisations wishing to be successful have to be aware of their competitors and the nature of competitive activities.
Following a difficult period at the start of the 1990s, the airline industry is now highly profitable and increasingly competitive and is set for increased growth as new markets such as those in the Pacific Rim, India and China open for business. Even so, transatlantic routes and European routes are still enormously important markets for airlines, particularly in the field of business travel. To survive, airline companies have been forced to focus upon developing their market share by improving their range of services.