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Frannie Staley's avatar

Thank you all so much for the support, feedback, and encouragement on this piece. Writing my first Decode Econ newsletter was both exciting and intimidating, and your comments have helped build my confidence as a writer and researcher. I’m incredibly grateful to be part of a community that values curiosity and learning. I’m looking forward to continuing to explore and share more economic ripple effects in future posts!

Dr. Jeni Al Bahrani's avatar

This is a beautiful piece about business and solving problems. I wonder if the airlines could pass the savings onto customers!? I’ve been following how Dunkin and Starbucks have started offering protein in response to healthier options driven by Ozempic!

Frannie Staley's avatar

Thank you so much, Dr. A! It will be interesting to see whether airlines pass any of those savings on to customers, though historically they tend to retain efficiency gains as improved margins. Your point about Dunkin and Starbucks is a great example of how companies adapt when consumer behavior shifts. Ozempic's influence is clearly extending far beyond healthcare.

Cecilia Cuellar's avatar

Great work, Frannie. Loved this Ozempic-to-skies connection. With demand and supply both pretty inelastic, I’d expect prices and access to adjust first, and the “airline effects” to show up as slow-moving spillovers (fuel, baggage, pricing). Which channel do you think shows up in the data earliest?

Frannie Staley's avatar

Hello Cecilia, that’s a great point about inelastic demand and supply. I think fuel efficiency would show up earliest in the data because it’s measured continuously and responds immediately to weight changes. Pricing, on the other hand, I believe will not adjust since airlines usually retain efficiency gains as margin improvements rather than passing them on to consumers.

Sarah Reed's avatar

What an interesting relationship to consider. Great post--very informative and well-written! I really enjoyed it! Thanks, Frannie.

Frannie Staley's avatar

Hi Sarah, thank you, that means a lot! One of the most interesting parts of economics is seeing how changes in one area quietly reshape others. I really appreciate you taking the time to read it!

Jonathan Marx's avatar

The trickle-down effect of Ozempic. Awesome post by Frannie, a topic she brought to the table and then executed greatly.

Frannie Staley's avatar

Thank you, Jack! I really appreciate your support. This was a fascinating topic to explore, and I’m excited to continue researching these kinds of unexpected economic connections!

Vicki Berling's avatar

The Sky Miles magazine fact was extra interesting. You're slaying it, Frannie!

Frannie Staley's avatar

Thank you so much, Vicki! I’m glad you found that example interesting. It’s a great illustration of how airlines quietly improve margins without passengers noticing. I’m curious to see whether prices will drop, especially since they didn’t when the Sky Mall magazines were removed.

Sana Albalushi's avatar

An interesting writing and findings. Never expected that.

Frannie Staley's avatar

Hello Sana, I actually first heard about this on the radio, and I had the same reaction, I thought I had misheard it. That’s what led me to take a deeper dive into the data and explore it further.

Sana Albalushi's avatar

I am glad you did so we get to know more. That curiosity will make you a great researcher. Keep it up and all the best.

Greg Martin's avatar

Who knew?? Thanks - very interesting.

Frannie Staley's avatar

Thank you, Greg! I’m glad you found it interesting! It was a surprising connection to uncover.

Jadrian Wooten's avatar

This is a really interesting second-order effect that I hadn't considered before. Great summary!

Frannie Staley's avatar

Thank you, Jadrian! The second-order effects are what make this so fascinating! Small individual changes can scale into meaningful economic impacts across entire industries.

JT's avatar

I wonder if we will likely see a shift in future investments from airline companies with this in mind. Great article. Thanks for sharing.