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Thomas Petzinger Jr.

Thomas Petzinger

Hard Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos Paperback – December 24, 1996

by Thomas Petzinger Jr. (Author)

4.7 321 ratings

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In this updated paperback edition of a "rich, readable, and authoritative" Fortune) book, Wall Street Journal reporter Petzinger tells the dramatic story of how a dozen men, including Robert Crandall of American Airlines, Frank Borman of Eastern, and Richard Ferris of United, battled for control of the world's airlines.

Print length

624 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Currency
Publication date

December 24, 1996
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.35 x 8.2 inches
ISBN-10

9780812928358
ISBN-13

978-0812928358
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Mr. Petzinger's fly-on-the-wall reporting is always engaging.... -- The New York Times Book Review, Stephen D. Solomon

From the Inside Flap

ted paperback edition of a "rich, readable, and authoritative" Fortune) book, Wall Street Journal reporter Petzinger tells the dramatic story of how a dozen men, including Robert Crandall of American Airlines, Frank Borman of Eastern, and Richard Ferris of United, battled for control of the world's airlines. 416 pp. Radio drive-time pubilcity. 20,000 print.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0812928350
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Currency; 1st edition (December 24, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 624 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780812928358
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0812928358
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.35 x 8.2 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #395,615 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #90 in Transportation Industry (Books)
- #118 in Commercial Aviation (Books)
- #645 in Company Business Profiles (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.7 321 ratings

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4.7 out of 5

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Mark Devine

Great Synopsis

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 29, 2023

Verified Purchase

Great summary of the names and events that shaped the industry up until the end of the 20th century. Required reading for any airline pilot.

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Chris C

An in-depth and fascinating look at the airline industry

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 24, 2006

Verified Purchase

Thomas Petzinger's Hard Landing is an in-depth and fascinating analysis of the history of the airline industry. Petzinger takes the reader from the birth of the airline industry just after World War I to the rise of industry giant Southwest Airlines. The book is not short. Including Petzinger's "Postscript to the Paperback Edition," Hard Landing is just short of five hundred pages long. The length of Hard Landing should not be a deterrent to the reader but rather an incentive. Petzinger filled Hard Landing with so much information that one is surprised he completed the book in five hundred pages. Petzinger's research is also noteworthy. Petzinger filled the bibliography with books, articles, papers, and primary source interviews that give Hard Landing a historical authenticity that many current books lack. Hard Landing should be read by anyone who has an interest in politics, the airline industry, history, and the combination thereof.

In Hard Landing, Thomas Petzinger transports the reader back the glory days of the airline industry. Early on, Petzinger introduces the mythological giants Herb Kelleher, Frank Lorenzo, and Bob Crandall early in their respective careers. Petzinger introduces most of his characters directly out of their respective Ivy League school. All men are classic airline giants--hard drinking, cursing, smoking, demonstrative men of the airline industry. Petzinger uses profanity-laced quotes to show the vigor with which the heads of the various airlines competed against each other. In some books, writers inappropriately use profanity to underscore points that ultimately require no underscoring. In Hard Landing, Petzinger selectively drops profanity filled quotes into the narrative to place the reader "in the action" of the story. This method works quite well as the reader will find him/herself unable to stop reading this insightful work.

The airline industry is a complex monstrosity. Petzinger deconstructs the industry with masterful precision. As an editor of the Wall Street Journal, Thomas Petzinger is likely accustomed to deconstructing complex stories. A search on Amazon.com reveals that Petzinger wrote two other books on complex subjects. Petzinger's other books deal with men and women in the modern marketplace and the large oil companies. Petzinger may not have aviation industry experience but it is quite clear that he researched Hard Landing meticulously and gave his subjects the utmost respect.

Some reviewers have criticized Petzinger for his focus only on America's airlines, specifically his focus on Texas-based airlines. This is an unfair criticism because it displays a lack of understanding of the history of the airline industry. Texas International, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Continental Airlines all have strong roots in Texas. Furthermore, Walter Folger Brown and the eventual Civil Aeronautics Board built the most extensive and successful airline structure in the world. Petzinger is correct to focus exclusively on the American airlines.

Beyond the history of the airline industry, Petzinger also shows the collusion between the airlines and the United States government. When the Carter Administration took office in 1977, the corruption and collusion between the airlines and the government reached a monumental scale. Petzinger's account of the political wrangling involved in the deregulation of the airline industry is simply fascinating. Many major political players of today played a major role in deregulation. Even George W. Bush's former Transportation Secretary, Norman Mineta, appears to provide the decisive vote needed to pass deregulation. Petzinger's political history is as fascinating as his airline industry history.

Petzinger makes an interesting point in his postscript. When he completed Hard Landing in the late 1990's, the airlines were in a period of relative calm. In the final lines of Hard Landing, Petzinger says, "Only when the economy again moved into the minus column would anyone know for sure whether the leaders of the industry had changed their war-mongering ways, or whether at last, they, and their industry, had matured." Subsequent to the tragic events of September 11, it is safe to say that the airline industry has moved into the "minus column" once again. The amazing airline drama continues.

5 people found this helpful

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Enplaned

20 years later, still the best

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 29, 2016

Verified Purchase

20 years after it was written, this is still the best book available on the US airline industry, notwithstanding that it's increasingly dated. Hard Landing was written 15 years after the dawn of US airline deregulation -- those were incredibly tumultuous years, with the collapse of Eastern, Pan Am, Braniff, the advent of frequent flyer programs, of so-called "yield management" (charging different prices for seats on the same flight depending on the conditions under which they were sold), the birth of new airlines such as People Express and America West, the bankruptcies of airlines like Continental, and so forth. Indeed, as good a job as Petzinger does, he only hits a few of these topics.

Inevitably, not all of the issues that mattered then are relevant today. Petzinger spends a lot of time on the topic of control of global distribution systems ("computer reservation systems" is how most folks think of them) and the order of the display of flights within them (from which human travel agents would select flights). Yes, this was a big deal back in the day, it did truly matter. And yet today, it's irrelevant. Airlines don't even own such systems any longer, and travel agents, at least the human kind, are largely obsolete.

What we really need is someone to do a volume on the subsequent 20 years up to today. Who could have guessed that the next 20 years would be at least as tumultuous as the era described in Hard Landing? As an indication, Hard Landing mentions America West Airlines only twice, both times in passing. And yet, America West turned out to be one of the dominant forces in the past 20 years, with that management team merging first with US Airways and then with American. Little America West is now, in the guise of American, the largest airline in the world. That is not to criticize Petzinger -- no one else would have guessed this would happen either. But it's just another indication of how much we need someone to write Hard Landing II.

23 people found this helpful

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Isaac

Excellent book on the problems airlines face

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 17, 2012

Verified Purchase

A well written book covering the history of Airlines in America the growth of the big four, how technology especially reservation systems and automation was turned into a weapon that drove some airlines out of business, labour relations and the deregulation of airlines that exposed the Achilles heel of legacy carrriers who found themselves unable to compete with new entreants. Not to forget Frank Lorenzo a capitalist and anti union guy who after taking over Easters Airlines run it aground due to labour conflict. This book is a must read for those in the airline industry as the problems faced then ask as real as they come now an drhe fact that now most airlines have been forced to pay employees different wages for the same jod B-scales as is was called so as to be able to expand is not a new phenomenon is was done by airlines back then.

The demise of Pan Am airline is also covered as it's strategy is reviewed and it's hard to imagine that Pam Am was the original founder of intercontinental hotel chains, but it's strategy and final demise is covered.

A lovely read worth the time and exposes how legacy airlines folded under their bloated costs and inefficient a workforce.

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Firdauz

Amazing

Reviewed in Singapore 🇸🇬 on September 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

This book gives you the insights of airline operations.

Amazon Customer

This book is a true treasure in the aviation business ...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

This book is a true treasure in the aviation business. The author covers the complex mesh of forces at play in the United States' aviation industry from the early jet age to the dawn of the millennium in an impressively ordered way.
It really paints an incredibly detailed picture of how the aviation industry evolved and grew up through fierce competition and regulation.
The book also remains entertaining throughout and is an incredible resource of knowledge and information for future generations to come.

Onkon69

Still a great read even in 2019

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 7, 2019

Verified Purchase

A fantastic view into how the industry developed from government contracts to the beast it is today in the US. I especially enjoyed how technology was introduced into the pricing and booking systems. Great read even in 2019!

beadombae

Recomendado

Reviewed in Spain 🇪🇸 on March 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

Nada más empezar a trabajar en una aerolínea, este fue el primer libro que me recomendaron leer. Es un básico.
Lo he comprado de segunda mano gracias a la plataforma de Amazon, lo que encima ayuda tanto a ahorrar dinero como a reutilizar las cosas. Gracias por hacer posible un mejor aprovechamiento de los recursos. Es importante.
El libro está entretenido para leer.

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Charlier

Passionnant !

Reviewed in France 🇫🇷 on February 24, 2012

Verified Purchase

Ce livre expose l'évolution de l'aviation commerciale américaine depuis les années '60 (il a été publié en 1995). Ce furent des années agitées, avec la dérégulation, qui a entraîné la naissance et la mort de nombreuses compagnies. L'auteur expose la stratégie et les manoeuvres plus ou moins loyales des dirigeants des compagnies aériennes, leurs succès et leurs échecs, le dessous des cartes, et c'est passionnant !

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