IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v103y2017icp444-454.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Cost functions and determinants of unit cost effects in horizontal airline M&As

Author

Listed:
  • Gudmundsson, Sveinn Vidar
  • Merkert, Rico
  • Redondi, Renato

Abstract

This paper analyses the unit cost effects of mergers and acquisitions (M&As) using linear, quadratic, and translog cost functions. In addition to a basic unit cost model we specify separate models for distress, profit, relative size, and cost difference, among the merging firms. We use a sample of 19 horizontal M&As in the international airline industry and data spanning from 1980 to 2012. Our models show that M&As do not affect unit costs in a significant way, unless the relative size difference of the merging firms is large, in which case we detect an increase in unit costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Gudmundsson, Sveinn Vidar & Merkert, Rico & Redondi, Renato, 2017. "Cost functions and determinants of unit cost effects in horizontal airline M&As," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 444-454.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:103:y:2017:i:c:p:444-454
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2017.05.025
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856417305414
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2017.05.025?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lars-Hendrik Röller & Johan Stennek & Frank Verboven, 2006. "Efficiency Gains from Mergers," Chapters, in: Fabienne IIzkovitz & Roderick Meiklejohn (ed.), European Merger Control, chapter 3, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    2. Rhoades, Stephen A., 1998. "The efficiency effects of bank mergers: An overview of case studies of nine mergers," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(3), pages 273-291, March.
    3. Steven Berry & Michael Carnall & Pablo T. Spiller, 1996. "Airline Hubs: Costs, Markups and the Implications of Customer Heterogeneity," NBER Working Papers 5561, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Ornaghi, Carmine, 2009. "Mergers and innovation in big pharma," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 70-79, January.
    5. Brueckner, Jan K. & Pels, Eric, 2005. "European airline mergers, alliance consolidation, and consumer welfare," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 27-41.
    6. Sara B. Moeller & Frederik P. Schlingemann & René M. Stulz, 2005. "Wealth Destruction on a Massive Scale? A Study of Acquiring‐Firm Returns in the Recent Merger Wave," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 60(2), pages 757-782, April.
    7. Allen N. Berger & Timothy H. Hannan, 1998. "The Efficiency Cost Of Market Power In The Banking Industry: A Test Of The "Quiet Life" And Related Hypotheses," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 80(3), pages 454-465, August.
    8. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    9. Sengupta, Jati K., 1999. "A dynamic efficiency model using data envelopment analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(3), pages 209-218, September.
    10. McAllister, Patrick H. & McManus, Douglas, 1993. "Resolving the scale efficiency puzzle in banking," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(2-3), pages 389-405, April.
    11. Merkert, Rico & Morrell, Peter S., 2012. "Mergers and acquisitions in aviation – Management and economic perspectives on the size of airlines," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 853-862.
    12. Frances A Katrishen & Nicos A Scordis, 1998. "Economies of Scale in Services: A study of Multinational Insurers," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 29(2), pages 305-323, June.
    13. Friedrich Trautwein, 1990. "Merger motives and merger prescriptions," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), pages 283-295, May.
    14. Dennis C. Mueller & Mark L. Sirower, 2003. "The causes of mergers: tests based on the gains to acquiring firms' shareholders and the size of premia," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(5), pages 373-391.
    15. Creel, Michael & Farell, Montserrat, 2001. "Economies of scale in the US airline industry after deregulation: a Fourier series approximation," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 321-336, November.
    16. Y. Zhang, 2015. "Merger Between Airlines in Financial Distress: Does the Merger Save Them?," Competition and Regulation in Network Industries, Intersentia, vol. 16(1), pages 66-82, March.
    17. Zinan Liu & E. L. Lynk, 1999. "Evidence on market structure of the deregulated US airline industry," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(9), pages 1083-1092.
    18. Kathleen Fuller & Jeffry Netter & Mike Stegemoller, 2002. "What Do Returns to Acquiring Firms Tell Us? Evidence from Firms That Make Many Acquisitions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(4), pages 1763-1793, August.
    19. Agrawal, Anup & Jaffe, Jeffrey F & Mandelker, Gershon N, 1992. "The Post-merger Performance of Acquiring Firms: A Re-examination of an Anomaly," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(4), pages 1605-1621, September.
    20. Gary Gorton & Matthias Kahl & Richard J. Rosen, 2009. "Eat or Be Eaten: A Theory of Mergers and Firm Size," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(3), pages 1291-1344, June.
    21. Dennis W. Carlton & William M. Landes & Richard A. Posner, 1980. "Benefits and Costs of Airline Mergers: A Case Study," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 11(1), pages 65-83, Spring.
    22. Christa H. S. Bouwman & Kathleen Fuller & Amrita S. Nain, 2009. "Market Valuation and Acquisition Quality: Empirical Evidence," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(2), pages 633-679, February.
    23. Singal, Vijay, 1996. "Airline Mergers and Competition: An Integration of Stock and Product Price Effects," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 69(2), pages 233-268, April.
    24. Douglas W. Caves & Laurits R. Christensen & Michael W. Tretheway, 1984. "Economies of Density versus Economies of Scale: Why Trunk and Local Service Airline Costs Differ," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 15(4), pages 471-489, Winter.
    25. Le Compte, Richard L B & Smith, Stephen D, 1990. "Changes in the Cost of Intermediation: The Case of Savings and Loans," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 45(4), pages 1337-1346, September.
    26. Gilligan, Thomas & Smirlock, Michael & Marshall, William, 1984. "Scale and scope economies in the multi-product banking firm," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 393-405, May.
    27. Aruna Srinivasan & Larry D. Wall, 1992. "Cost savings associated with bank mergers," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 92-2, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    28. Kaplan, Steven N. (ed.), 2000. "Mergers and Productivity," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226424316.
    29. Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, 1992. "Megamergers in banking and the use of cost efficiency as an antitrust defense," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 203, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    30. Stacey Kole & Kenneth M. Lehn, 2000. "Workforce Integration and the Dissipation of Value in Mergers, The Case of USAir's Acquisition of Piedmont Aviation," NBER Chapters, in: Mergers and Productivity, pages 239-286, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    31. Bilotkach, Volodymyr & Hüschelrath, Kai, 2012. "Airline alliances and antitrust policy: The role of efficiencies," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(C), pages 76-84.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Khezrimotlagh, Dariush & Kaffash, Sepideh & Zhu, Joe, 2022. "U.S. airline mergers’ performance and productivity change," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Gudmundsson, Sveinn Vidar & Merkert, Rico & Redondi, Renato, 2020. "Cost structure effects of horizontal airline mergers and acquisitions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 136-144.
    3. Chow, Clement Kong Wing & Tsui, Wai Hong Kan, 2017. "Organizational learning, operating costs and airline consolidation policy in the Chinese airline industry," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 108-118.
    4. de Oliveira, Renan P. & Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2021. "Financial distress, survival network design strategies, and airline pricing: An event study of a merger between a bankrupt FSC and an LCC in Brazil," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    5. Yan, Jia & Fu, Xiaowen & Oum, Tae Hoon & Wang, Kun, 2019. "Airline horizontal mergers and productivity: Empirical evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 358-376.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gudmundsson, Sveinn Vidar & Merkert, Rico & Redondi, Renato, 2020. "Cost structure effects of horizontal airline mergers and acquisitions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 136-144.
    2. Berger, Allen N. & Demsetz, Rebecca S. & Strahan, Philip E., 1999. "The consolidation of the financial services industry: Causes, consequences, and implications for the future," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(2-4), pages 135-194, February.
    3. Pulak Mishra, 2018. "Are Mergers and Acquisitions Necessarily Anti-competitive? Empirical Evidence from India’s Manufacturing Sector," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 12(3), pages 276-307, August.
    4. Alexandrou, George & Gounopoulos, Dimitrios & Thomas, Hardy M., 2014. "Mergers and acquisitions in shipping," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 212-234.
    5. Kiesel, Florian & Ries, Jörg M. & Tielmann, Artur, 2017. "Reprint of “The impact of mergers and acquisitions on shareholders' wealth in the logistics service industry”," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 194(C), pages 261-277.
    6. Ludivine Chalençon, 2011. "La Performance des Fusions-Acquisitions : une Revue de la Littérature," Post-Print halshs-00690634, HAL.
    7. John Goddard & Donal McKillop & John Wilson, 2009. "Which Credit Unions are Acquired?," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 36(2), pages 231-252, December.
    8. Jamal Ali Al-Khasawneh & Benito A. Sanchez, 2021. "Deal-to-deal marginal efficiency dynamics of serial US banking acquirers," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1283-1308, November.
    9. Andrey Golubov & Dimitris Petmezas & Nickolaos G. Travlos, 2013. "Empirical mergers and acquisitions research: a review of methods, evidence and managerial implications," Chapters, in: Adrian R. Bell & Chris Brooks & Marcel Prokopczuk (ed.), Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Empirical Finance, chapter 12, pages 287-313, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    10. Benjamin Hippert, 2019. "The relationship between announcements of complete mergers and acquisitions and acquirers' abnormal CDS spread changes," Working Papers Dissertations 52, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    11. Sherrill Shaffer, 1997. "Network diseconomies and optimal structure," Working Papers 97-19, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    12. Alexandridis, George & Fuller, Kathleen P. & Terhaar, Lars & Travlos, Nickolaos G., 2013. "Deal size, acquisition premia and shareholder gains," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 1-13.
    13. Kiesel, Florian & Ries, Jörg M. & Tielmann, Artur, 2017. "The impact of mergers and acquisitions on shareholders' wealth in the logistics service industry," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 781-797.
    14. Douglas D. Evanoff & Evren Ors, 2002. "Local market consolidation and bank productive efficiency," Working Paper Series WP-02-25, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    15. Alexandridis, G. & Antypas, N. & Travlos, N., 2017. "Value creation from M&As: New evidence," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 632-650.
    16. Allen Berger & Robert DeYoung, 2001. "The Effects of Geographic Expansion on Bank Efficiency," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 19(2), pages 163-184, April.
    17. Cyree, Ken B. & Spurlin, W. Paul, 2012. "The effects of big-bank presence on the profit efficiency of small banks in rural markets," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 2593-2603.
    18. Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, 1994. "Bank scale economies, mergers, concentration, and efficiency: the U.S. experience," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 94-23, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    19. Jalal D. Akhavein & Allen N. Berger & David B. Humphrey, "undated". "The Effects of Megamergers on Efficiency and Prices: Evidence from a Bank Profit Function," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1997-09, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), revised 10 Dec 2019.
    20. Sean Cleary & Ashrafee Hossain, 2020. "POSTCRISIS M&As AND THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 43(2), pages 407-454, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:103:y:2017:i:c:p:444-454. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/547/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.