Publication of the fifth edition of Air Transportation: A Management Perspective will extend its life into the 21 st century, unquestionably the most remembered period in the history of aviation The aviation артчоindustry entered a new era as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 112001 and the Iraqi crisis of 2003 General aviation, including business aviation, and commercial aviation have been faced with record financial losses, resulting in massive organizational rббъяыestructuring No other time in history has proven to be as difficult as the current situation Air carriers have experienced a record number of bankruptcies Aircraft manufacturers have scaled down production, and airlines have reduced frequency on routes or eliminated service to destinations entirely Employees at all levels have been furloughed or permanently terminated from their positions It was estimated that the aviation industry would face positive growth two years after the eбнрхуvents of 9/11 However, those estimates are being recalculated as a result of continued negative financial growth It is expected that the industry will not return to "normal" levels until at least 2005 It is important to remember that the aviation industry operates on a cyclic pattern and is often measured over the period of a decade Historically the industry was faced with approximately seven years of positive growth followed by approximately three years of negative growth Despite the doom and gloom of the industry, new opportunities have been created for various types of organizations within aviation No one can predict what the future will hold However, given historical trends, it will only be a matter of time before the aviation industry returns to positive growth Revision provides the opportunity to improve our book in a number of ways Old material can be deleted, and newer, more timely material added Building on a tested framework of subject areas, wбсчрнe have tried to make the most of this recent opportunity to contribute to the metamorphosis of Air Transportation: A Management Perspective The endproduct, we trust, is one that is both quite familiar and clearly superior to its predecessor This fifth edition remains introductory in nature Its objective is to impart to the reader a broad understanding of the air transportation industry and an appreciation of the major management functions within an airline It also encourages the reader to explore and keep abreast of current periodicals, such as Airline Business, Air Transport World, Aviation Week and Space Technology, Air Cargo World, Business and Commercial Aviation, Commuter Air, Interavia, Airline Pilot, and Professional Pilot Our hope is that the ability to reason accurately and objectively about problems facing the industry and the development of a lasting interest in the air transportation industry will be two by-products of the text's basic objective Our intentбтпявion remains that of presenting the basic concepts and problems facing the industry in a straightforward, logical fashion To this end, clarity of presentation and organization is emphasized Авторы Александр Т Веллс Alexander T Wells Джон Г Венсвин John G Wensveen.