The airline business has had a torrid time of it since the turn of the decade - the established order was already in turmoil with the inexorable rise of the likes of Southwest Airlines, Easyjet and Ryanair, the development of internet booking, price wars and increased competition in general. We were then treated to a bitter spat between British Airways and Virgin Atlantic - a disagreement that descended to personal levels. Then, as if it couldn't get any worse, along came 9/11, hotly pursued by SARS and people just weren't getting on to planes anymore. Rigas Doganis is the doyen of commentators on the airline industry and this second edition of his definitive book on the subject brings the story up to date. Issues explored include airline mergers and alliances, price wars, the impact of disasters and the future prospects for the industry as a whole.