Among the axioms mistaken for fact by the revenue managers of most airlines is the idea that changes in fuel prices affect all competitors in a given market equally. In fact, prices—and therefore profits—fluctuate unpredictably, offering competitive advantages for some airlines and disadvantages for others. For example, a more well-established airline with an aging fleet will experience lower fuel efficiency per mile than a newer company that has invested in the latest technology, meaning fuel represents a larger percentage of the established airline's operating costs. Moreover, airlines that negotiate and lock in fuel prices with suppliers in advance enjoy stabilized expenses and efficient planning; at the same time, they may lose cost savings when market rates drop unexpectedly during the contract period. In addition, the advantages of low fuel prices are greater for those airlines whose business models focus on minimizing costs than for those with high operating budgets and higher prices for consumers. Carriers with highly efficient logistics and operations, for example, may find that falling fuel costs allow them to profitably fly routes that were previously not cost-effective, such as short routes between small cities, generating low profit margins but also increasing the size of their markets. By understanding that they have multiple options and that not all airlines experience the same effects of the volatile fuel market, airline revenue managers can offer their companies an optimized operating strategy by familiarizing themselves with the fuel market and adapting their fuel procurement plans to their business models.