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Airline Pricing Behavior Under Limited Inter‐Modal Competition

Author

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  • Angela Stefania Bergantino
  • Claudia Capozza

Abstract

This paper empirically analyzes airline pricing for short‐haul flights in contexts with no credible threat of inter‐modal competition. To this end, we explore the southern Italian market since it is less accessible by other transport modes and thus fares are the direct outcome of air‐related competition. We show, in fact, that market power matters, depending on the level of intra‐modal competition, and that airlines apply differentiated mark‐ups. Besides, consistent with the implementation of inter‐temporal price discrimination (IPD), we find a non‐monotonic inter‐temporal profile of fares with a turning point included in the interval of the 43rd to 45th days before departure. Finally, we provide evidence that in more competitive markets, airlines are more likely to engage in IPD. (JEL L11, L13, L93)

Suggested Citation

  • Angela Stefania Bergantino & Claudia Capozza, 2015. "Airline Pricing Behavior Under Limited Inter‐Modal Competition," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 53(1), pages 700-713, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:ecinqu:v:53:y:2015:i:1:p:700-713
    DOI: 10.1111/ecin.12104
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    Cited by:

    1. Bergantino, Angela Stefania & Capozza, Claudia, 2014. "One price for all? The role of market captivity as a price discrimination device: evidence from the Italia city-pair markets," Working Papers 14_1, SIET Società Italiana di Economia dei Trasporti e della Logistica.
    2. David Gillen & Tim Hazledine, 2016. "Pricing of Regional Airline Services in Australia and New Zealand, 2011–2015," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 35(2), pages 87-98, June.
    3. Alderighi, Marco & Gaggero, Alberto A. & Piga, Claudio A., 2022. "Hidden prices with fixed inventory: Evidence from the airline industry," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 42-61.
    4. Bergantino, Angela Stefania & Madio, Leonardo, 2020. "Intermodal competition and substitution. HSR versus air transport: Understanding the socio-economic determinants of modal choice," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Gaggero, Alberto A. & Luttmann, Alexander, 2025. "How does COVID-19 affect intertemporal price discrimination and price dispersion? Evidence from the airline industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    6. Gaggero, Alberto A. & Luttmann, Alexander, 2023. "The determinants of hidden-city ticketing: Competition, hub-and-spoke networks, and advance-purchase requirements," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    7. Alfaro Navarro, José-Luis & Andrés Martínez, María-Encarnación & Trinquecoste, Jean-François, 2015. "The effect of the economic crisis on the behaviour of airline ticket prices. A case-study analysis of the New York–Madrid route," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 48-53.
    8. Capozza, Claudia, 2015. "The effect of rail travel time on airline fares: first evidence from the Italian passenger market," Working Papers 1503, SIET Società Italiana di Economia dei Trasporti e della Logistica.
    9. Bergantino, Angela Stefania & Capozza, Claudia, 2014. "One price for all? The role of market captivity as a price discrimination device: evidence from the Italia city-pair markets," Working Papers 1401, SIET Società Italiana di Economia dei Trasporti e della Logistica.
    10. Sato, Kimitoshi, 2019. "Price Trends and Dynamic Pricing in Perishable Product Market Consisting of Superior and Inferior Firms," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 274(1), pages 214-226.
    11. Capozza, Claudia, 2015. "The effect of rail travel time on airline fares: first evidence from the Italian passenger market," Working Papers 15_3, SIET Società Italiana di Economia dei Trasporti e della Logistica.
    12. Bergantino, Angela Stefania & Capozza, Claudia, 2015. "One price for all? Price discrimination and market captivity: Evidence from the Italian city-pair markets," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 231-244.
    13. Gaggero, Alberto A. & Luttmann, Alexander, 2025. "Systematic peak-load pricing during holiday periods: Evidence from the U.S. airline industry," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    14. Escañuela Romana, Ignacio, 2018. "La elasticidad precio de la demanda de transporte aéreo de pasajeros en los Estados Unidos [The price elasticity of demand for air travel in the United States]," MPRA Paper 83572, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Bergantino, Angela S. & Capozza, Claudia & Capurso, Mauro, 2015. "The impact of open access on intra- and inter-modal rail competition. A national level analysis in Italy," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 77-86.
    16. Angela S. Bergantino & Claudia Capozza & Mauro Capurso, 2018. "Pricing strategies: who leads and who follows in the air and rail passenger markets in Italy," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 50(46), pages 4937-4953, October.
    17. Varella, Rafael R. & Frazão, Jessica & Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2017. "Dynamic pricing and market segmentation responses to low-cost carrier entry," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 151-170.
    18. Diego Escobari & Cristhian Mellado, 2014. "The Choice of Airport, Airline, and Departure Date and Time: Estimating the Demand for Flights," Advances in Airline Economics, in: The Economics of International Airline Transport, volume 4, pages 177-198, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    19. Luttmann, Alexander & Gaggero, Alberto A, 2022. "How does COVID-19 affect intertemporal price dispersion? Evidence from the airline industry," MPRA Paper 111797, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    20. Capozza, Claudia, 2016. "The effect of rail travel time on airline fares: First evidence from the Italian passenger market," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 6(C), pages 18-24.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L93 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Air Transportation

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