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The International Drivers of Domestic Airline Mergers in Twenty Nations: Integrating Industrial Organization and International Business

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  • Joseph A. Clougherty

Abstract

The domestic airline merger phenomenon of the late 1980s and early 1990s sparked a great deal of Industrial Organization (IO) literature; yet, that literature neglected non-US domestic mergers and potential for international competitive gains. Using an International Business perspective to complement an IO analysis, I argue that factoring international competitive incentives helps explain domestic airline merger activity. A Cournot model of airline competition illustrates that domestic mergers, via enhanced domestic networks and reduced domestic competition, generate international competitive gains. Further, empirical tests - using a structural-equations approach on panel data covering international city-pair market segments - support domestic mergers improving international competitiveness. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG - (Was die inländischen Fluglinien in 20 Ländern zur Fusion getrieben hat. Eine integrierte industrieökonomische und betriebswirtschaftliche Analyse des internationalen Wettbewerbs) In der Industrieökonomik hat das Phänomen von Fusionen inländischer Fluggesellschaften in den späten 1980er und frühen 1990er Jahren viel wissenschaftliche Literatur angeregt. Die einschlägigen Forschungsarbeiten behandeln jedoch ausschließlich inländische Fusionen in den U.S.A. und lassen damit den Aspekt des internationalen Wettbewerbs außer Acht. In dieser Untersuchung, die die industrieökonomische Analyse um die Perspektive der internationalen Betriebswirtschaft ergänzt, wird gezeigt, dass die Anreize des internationalen Wettbewerb in das Erklärungsmodell für nationale Fusionen von Fluglinien integriert werden können. Anhand eines Cournot-Modells des Wettbewerbs zwischen Fluggesellschaften kann dargelegt werden, wie Fusionen zu einem erweiterten inländischen Netz an Flugverbindungen und verminderten Konkurrenzdruck im Inland führen und so die Position der fusionierten Fluglinie im internationalen Wettbewerb stärken. Dieses Ergebnis wird von empirischen Tests, die eine Struckturvergleichsmethode für Paneldaten über einen internationalen Städtevergleich der Marktsegmente verwenden, gestützt.

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  • Joseph A. Clougherty, 2005. "The International Drivers of Domestic Airline Mergers in Twenty Nations: Integrating Industrial Organization and International Business," CIG Working Papers SP II 2005-06, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG).
    • Handle: RePEc:wzb:wzebiv:spii2005-06
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    Cited by:

    1. Yimga, Jules, 2018. "Domestic code-sharing agreements and on-time performance: Evidence from the US airline industry," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 14-27.
    2. Joseph A. Clougherty & Anming Zhang, 2009. "Domestic rivalry and export performance: theory and evidence from international airline markets," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(2), pages 440-468, May.
    3. Y. I. Song & W. Woo & H. R. Rao, 2007. "Interorganizational information sharing in the airline industry: An analysis of stock market responses to code-sharing agreements," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 9(2), pages 309-324, July.
    4. Yimga, Jules, 2022. "Code-sharing agreements and path quality in the US airline industry," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 369-385.
    5. Melnik, Arie & Shy, Oz & Stenbacka, Rune, 2008. "Assessing market dominance," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 63-72, October.
    6. Anming Zhang & Yimin Zhang & Joseph A. Clougherty, 2011. "Competition and Regulation in Air Transport," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 35, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    7. Yimga, Jules, 2017. "Airline on-time performance and its effects on consumer choice behavior," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 12-25.
    8. Jules Yimga, 2023. "Multimarket Contact and Market Power Implications in the US Airline Industry," Networks and Spatial Economics, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 985-1024, December.
    9. Ma, Wenliang & Zhang, Anming & Zhang, Yahua & Xu, Shiteng, 2021. "The growing influence of low-cost carriers in Northeast Asia and its implications for a regional single aviation market," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    airline-mergers; imperfect-competition; international-determinants;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • F14 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Empirical Studies of Trade
    • L93 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Air Transportation

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