Document Type
Discussion Paper
Publication Date
8-1-2017
CFDP Number
2103
CFDP Revision Date
02-01-2018
CFDP Update Date
08-29-2021
CFDP Pages
67
Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) Code(s)
L11, L12, L93
Abstract
Airfares fluctuate due to demand shocks and intertemporal variation in willingness to pay. I estimate a model of dynamic airline pricing accounting for both sources of price adjustments using flight-level data. I use the model estimates to evaluate the welfare effects of dynamic airline pricing. Relative to uniform pricing, dynamic pricing benefits early-arriving, leisure consumers at the expense of late-arriving, business travelers. Although dynamic pricing ensures seat availability for business travelers, these consumers are then charged higher prices. When aggregated over markets, welfare is higher under dynamic pricing than under uniform pricing. The direction of the welfare effect at the market level depends on whether dynamic price adjustments are mainly driven by demand shocks or by changes in the overall demand elasticity.
Recommended Citation
Williams, Kevin R., "Dynamic Airline Pricing and Seat Availability: Evidence from Airline Markets" (2017). Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers. 176.
https://elischolar.library.yale.edu/cowles-discussion-paper-series/176