Brief Introduction/Executive Summary on the Airline Industry Air travel is currently a large and rapidly growing industry. It facilitates economic growth, global trade, international investment and tourism and is therefore central to the ongoing globalization of the airline industry. There are many different key survival factors and drivers of change in this industry. The report narrows down the three main drivers of survival and drivers of change. Cost reduction, customer satisfaction and safety are the most important key survival factors of the airline industry. Safety is the most important thing, because the overall goal of an airline is to get passengers to their destination as safely and efficiently as possible. The most important drivers of change for this industry would be government regulations, technological changes and economic conditions. Strategic business integration tools were used to analyze and evaluate airline companies and draw logical conclusions. Data Collection Process Articles researched online were used to identify factors in the airline industry. Using factors and analysis tools you can evaluate a company to determine its status in a particular industry. Forbes provided articles that would compare the status of one airline to another. Comparing companies in an industry will help determine that company's strength in the market. Investopedia shows the state of stocks in a sector. With a reliable system that monitors a company's stock activity, market buyers and suppliers are able to justify their investment decisions. The sources gathered for this report provide detailed information about Southwest Airlines and compare its financial and operational activities to those of its competitors. Research from these collected articles is used to...... half of the paper...... Forecast http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/2014/01/01/future-of - Aviation-Airline-Ceos-Predictions/4267643/ Amy Hanna (May 23, 2013). Top 10 trends that will change air travel forever, as learned at FTA Asia 2013 http://www.futuretravelexperience.com/2013/05/top-10-trends-that-will-change-air-travel-forever / Robert Boyle (April 2009) Technological trends and their impact on the airline industry http://www.sita.aero/content/technological-trends-and-their-impact-airline-industry Tom Lutzenberger (2 May 2013) Government regulation of airlines http://www.ehow.com/about_6472403_government-regulation-airlines.html The Sherman Antitrust Act (1890) http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=51 Kathleen Day (25 March 2014 ) Trains That Could Be Better Than Planeshttp://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/the-high-speed-rail-system-america-needs/30518.article