Are U.S. airlines really in crisis?

This study reflects on the technical efficiency of U.S. airlines using a Bayesian random stochastic frontier model. Inferences from the Bayesian estimation indicate that the random model fits the data well and outperforms the traditional stochastic frontier model. The technical efficiency results indicate that U.S. airlines are operating at a declining efficiency rate with an average of 69.02% in 2007. Results from returns to scale are also in line with the efficiency results. More specific discussions on the current industry trends and other contributions of this study are presented and discussed.