Towards a typology of airline vertical strategies

Vertical strategy – airlines’ vertical scope and positioning in the vertical industry structure – is crucial for firm performance. This paper uses a k-Means cluster analysis of 75 airlines – based on data of the year 2019 – to identify four airline vertical strategy types: Concentrators, Dependents, Peripherals, and Control Seekers, materialising around the three dimensions of vertical focus, organisational setup, and market environment. Our work focuses on a yet neglected domain of airline strategy, offering a conceptual framework for the assessment and further analysis of airline vertical strategies. Our typology offers practical implications for airline companies in their relative positioning to evaluate and potentially revise their strategies to improve competitive posture and profitability. ⁃ Vertical strategy-interface design to adjacent segments-crucial for performance. ⁃ Framework developed to analyse vertical strategies of airline groups. ⁃ Methodology: k-Means cluster approach among 75 airline companies using 2019 data. ⁃ Typology of four vertical strategies of airline groups identified. ⁃ Strategies undergirded by core dimensions: vertical focus, organisation, market.