Book excerpt: Despite airlines' tremendous efforts to streamline their operations to minimise controllable costs and improve flight punctuality, system inefficiencies are continuously on the increase. They inevitably lead to a higher number of operational disruptions, and consequently unforeseen losses. Beyond Airline Disruptions addresses this issue by taking a wider, more strategic perspective. By focusing on prevention rather than operational fire-fighting, and laying out the hidden aspects of operational disruptions, this book reveals the significant unexploited potential for cost savings and improvements in on-time performance. It explains for the first time what operational disruptions really are, describes their costs, tangible and intangible causes, and supports the creation of strategies for decreasing system inefficiencies and minimising the risks of operational disruptions.