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E-Commerce and Operations Research in Airline Planning, Marketing, and Distribution

Author

Listed:
  • Barry C. Smith

    (Sabre Inc., East Kirkwood Blvd., MD 7390 TSG, Southlake, Texas 76092)

  • Dirk P. Günther

    (Sabre Inc.)

  • B. Venkateshwara Rao

    (Sabre Inc.)

  • Richard M. Ratlife

    (Sabre Inc.)

Abstract

Many e-commerce principles were pioneered in the airline industry. These include the first business-to-business electronic information exchange and industrywide electronic marketplace. This environment provided unprecedented opportunity for operations research (OR) modeling. By the mid-1980s airlines used customer shopping data to calibrate traveler-demand-and-choice models, analyzed multichannel product-distribution strategies with simulation, and practiced dynamic pricing through yield management. Airlines continue to derive billions of dollars annually from these and derivative models. The availability of reliable, low-cost communications via the Internet is providing new modeling challenges within the airline industry and is also providing similar opportunities in other industries.

Suggested Citation

  • Barry C. Smith & Dirk P. Günther & B. Venkateshwara Rao & Richard M. Ratlife, 2001. "E-Commerce and Operations Research in Airline Planning, Marketing, and Distribution," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 37-55, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:orinte:v:31:y:2001:i:2:p:37-55
    DOI: 10.1287/inte.31.2.37.10627
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Moreno-Izquierdo, L. & Ramón-Rodríguez, A. & Perles Ribes, J., 2015. "The impact of the internet on the pricing strategies of the European low cost airlines," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 246(2), pages 651-660.
    2. Barry C. Smith & Ross Darrow & John Elieson & Dirk Guenther & B. Venkateshwara Rao & Faker Zouaoui, 2007. "Travelocity Becomes a Travel Retailer," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 37(1), pages 68-81, February.
    3. Arthur M. Geoffrion & Ramayya Krishnan, 2001. "Prospects for Operations Research in the E-Business Era," Interfaces, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 6-36, April.
    4. C. Raju & Y. Narahari & K. Ravikumar, 2006. "Learning dynamic prices in electronic retail markets with customer segmentation," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 143(1), pages 59-75, March.
    5. Wang, Yulan & Wallace, Stein W. & Shen, Bin & Choi, Tsan-Ming, 2015. "Service supply chain management: A review of operational models," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 247(3), pages 685-698.
    6. Ricard Gil & Evsen Korkmaz & Ozge Sahin, 0. "Can free-shipping hurt online retailers?," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-38.
    7. Ricard Gil & Evsen Korkmaz & Ozge Sahin, 2020. "Can free-shipping hurt online retailers?," Quantitative Marketing and Economics (QME), Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 305-342, September.
    8. Stacey Mumbower & Susan Hotle & Laurie A. Garrow, 2023. "Highly debated but still unbundled: The evolution of U.S. airline ancillary products and pricing strategies," Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(4), pages 276-293, August.

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