My view identifies a "lag effect" in airline profitability. When gas prices spike, airlines cannot immediately raise ticket prices due to advanced bookings and competitive pressures. This results in a temporary "profit squeeze." Conversely, when prices drop, profitability does not rise instantly because many airlines utilize fuel hedging-a financial strategy where they lock in prices in advance. If an airline hedges at a high price and the market price drops, they remain burdened by the higher cost, a phenomenon Lok describes as "hedging trap risk."
Operational Efficiency and Fleet Modernization
Operational efficiency, according to my opinion, is the industry's primary defense mechanism against volatile energy markets. He categorizes efficiency into two distinct streams: technical efficiency and tactical efficiency