You don’t have to run an airline to fly higher.
A recent McKinsey report on global aviation reveals six powerful levers that helped airlines turn post-pandemic turbulence into traction.
And the truth is—what’s true at 30,000 feet applies just as sharply on the ground.
Authored by global consultants Alex Panas and Axel Karlsson, the McKinsey report analyzes the top six value creation levers that helped airlines bounce back from billion-dollar losses.
As an entrepreneur-turned-organizational psychologist who works with business leaders and SMBs, I see these exact levers in play every week—whether we’re talking about aircraft or accounting teams.
Too often, growth stalls not because of the market—but because of misaligned teams, outdated systems, reactive leadership, or lack of customer trust.
These six levers aren’t industry-specific. They’re business-critical.
Let’s break them down.
McKinsey Insight:
High-performing airlines learned to match resources with real-time demand-preventing overload, inefficiency, and burnout.
Our Lived Experience:
In our peak days as a top-three service provider, we experienced this firsthand.
Enviable client lists. Airtime. Accolades. More invitations than we could say yes to.
It looked like momentum from the outside-but inside, we were maxed out!
We were building capacity on the go.
No buffers. No breathing room.
And no systems strong enough to carry the weight of that scale.
Eventually, the cracks showed.
Business Truth:
Growth doesn’t just depend on how much you do, it depends on how wisely you manage what you can actually handle. Scaling isn’t about more. It’s about matching.
Match what you offer with what your people, systems, and customers can realistically support and watch real growth follow.
A business isn’t healthy just because it’s busy.
In fact, many break from the inside while chasing growth on the outside.
McKinsey’s global report on aviation value creation spotlights organizational health as a core lever for sustained performance.
The highest-performing airlines weren’t just agile—they had cross-functional resilience to respond to market shifts without losing altitude.
Our Lived Experience:
There was a phase when our sales were climbing, but internally? Chaos.
What did that lead to?
That was our wake-up call!
We got back to Business Basics:
Business Truth:
Organizational health isn’t fluff. It’s your internal fuel system. When it’s broken, everything leaks.
McKinsey Insight:
Post-pandemic, the airlines that bounced back fastest weren’t just flashy—they were reliable.
On-time flights. Operational consistency. Fewer surprises.
Clients don’t always need perfection.
They need to know they can count on you.
Our Lived Experience:
During our car rental days, competitors tried everything—price cuts, imitation, glitzy promotions.
But 90% of our business still came from one thing: trust built on reliability.
What did that look like?
We weren’t just delivering cars.
We were delivering peace of mind.
Most businesses over-focus on wow moments and underinvest in the basics done well.
Business Truth:
In business, reliability isn’t glamorous. But it’s magnetic.
Reputation isn’t built in the launch. It’s built in the follow-through.
Be the business your clients never have to double-check.
McKinsey Insight:
Airlines unlocked new revenue by right-selling extras—seat upgrades, Wi-Fi, concierge support.
Not to nickel-and-dime—but to enhance the journey.
These “add-ons” now account for up to 20% of total revenue.
Our Lived Experience:
In the early days of our car rental venture, we noticed a pattern.
Clients weren’t just asking for a car and driver.
They were asking for:
These weren’t one-off requests.
They were consistent signals.
This is What We Did:
We didn’t increase our fleet.
We increased per-client value—and that changed everything:
Business Truth:
Most businesses stop at delivering the core offer. You don’t need to sell harder. You need to serve smarter.
Growth often lies in the layers of experience customers are quietly craving.
If airlines can monetize legroom and boarding order, it would be worthwhile to consider:
What experience layers are you leaving on the table?
McKinsey calls it “earning a reputation for reliability.”
But reliability is just the surface.
Resonance is what people remember.
Let’s be honest—
You can’t spreadsheet your way into trust.
And you definitely can’t automate emotional intelligence.
Our Lived Experience:
In our early car rental days, we had the logistics nailed.
On-time cars. Clean interiors. Smooth routing.
But growth? It plateaued.
What changed everything?
We started listening between the lines:
We added personal touches:
Suddenly, we weren’t just reliable
We were trusted!
“I don’t worry when I book with you.”
“You just get how we work.” Music to our ears!
Business Truth:
If your customers remember your process but forget your people-you’ve got a reliability strategy, not a resonance one. And that leaves you vulnerable to the next lowest bidder.
Ask yourself:
What emotional memory are we leaving behind after each interaction?
You can’t scale customer trust if your internal culture is chaotic.
McKinsey cites “organizational health” as a recovery lever—but let’s cut the jargon.
Here’s the truth:
Your customers can feel your internal climate.
Every misaligned team, reactive leader, or blame loop—it leaks out.
Our Lived Experience:
We worked with a fast-growing business with solid numbers but quiet chaos:
Customer feedback?
“Inconsistent.”
“Feels like they don’t talk to each other.”
It wasn’t a pricing problem. It was a culture problem.
We shifted:
The result?
Retention went up. Complaints went down.
Culture became the engine, not the excuse.
Business Truth:
Your customers can feel your internal climate.
Every misaligned team, reactive leader, or blame loop—it leaks out.
Culture isn’t your “About Us” page. It’s your strategy in motion.
Let’s recap the 6 levers that helped airlines rebuild—and can help your business take off:
These aren’t quick fixes or clever hacks. They’re long-game levers—rooted in alignment, clarity, and intention.
If there’s one thing airlines have taught us, it’s this:
You don’t need to be everything. But you do need to be aligned.
When your capacity matches your promise, your people embody your purpose, and your culture delivers on your customer experience- growth is bound to happen.
It’s whether your systems, teams, and leadership are ready for the altitude.
Now’s the time to fix what’s fraying inside—so you can fly higher, stronger, and farther than you imagined.
