Top 3 Drivers Account For 64.3% of Total Airline Costs.

The top three cost drivers for ninety five percent of the world’s airlines, are: fuel, personnel and the cost of aircraft, which together account for an average of 64.3% of an airline’s total cost structure. Dependence on oil production, labor agreements and a duopoly in aircraft manufacturing prevent airlines from having any substantive impact on these cost drivers. With revenues fixed by competitive ticket pricing and the majority of their costs out of their control, airlines are challenged to maintain earnings and gain competitive advantage by controlling less than 35% of their cost structure.