This paper analyzes the empirical relationship between market structure and price dispersion in the airline markets connecting the UK and the Republic of Ireland. Price dispersion is measured by a number of inequality indexes, calculated using fares posted on the Internet at specific days before takeoff. We find a negative correlation between market dominance and price dispersion; thus competition appears to hinder the airlines' ability to price discriminate to exploit consumers' heterogeneity in booking time preferences. Moreover, in the Christmas and Easter periods of high demand, fares are less dispersed, possibly because airlines target a less heterogenous set of consumers.
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Paper provided by Department of Economics, Loughborough University in its series Discussion Paper Series with number
2009_10.
Find related papers by JEL classification: D43 - Microeconomics - - Market Structure and Pricing - - - Oligopoly and Other Forms of Market Imperfection L10 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - General L93 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Air Transportation
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