IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/transa/v94y2016icp235-242.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does an increase in subsidies lead to changes in air fares? Empirical evidence from Spain

Author

Listed:
  • Fageda, Xavier
  • Jiménez, Juan Luis
  • Valido, Jorge

Abstract

This paper examines the impact on prices of various regulatory changes in residents’ flight subsidies implemented in Spain in recent years. It draws on a large sample of domestic routes for the period 2003–2013 to estimate a price equation that accounts for the panel data and the potential endogeneity of specific explanatory variables. Price differences were not found between the treated routes (routes affected by the discounts) and the control routes (routes not affected by the discounts). This is the case regardless of the discount percentage on prices that island residents enjoy.

Suggested Citation

  • Fageda, Xavier & Jiménez, Juan Luis & Valido, Jorge, 2016. "Does an increase in subsidies lead to changes in air fares? Empirical evidence from Spain," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 235-242.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:transa:v:94:y:2016:i:c:p:235-242
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2016.09.018
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856416300957
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tra.2016.09.018?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. 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.
    2. Francesco, Antonio Di & Pagliari, Romano, 2012. "The potential impact of removing public service obligation regulations on air fares between the Italian Mainland and the island of Sardinia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 332-339.
    3. Valido, Jorge & Pilar Socorro, M. & Hernández, Aday & Betancor, Ofelia, 2014. "Air transport subsidies for resident passengers when carriers have market power," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 388-399.
    4. Xavier Fageda, 2006. "Measuring Conduct and Cost Parameters in the Spanish Airline Market," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 28(4), pages 379-399, June.
    5. Hofer, Christian & Windle, Robert J. & Dresner, Martin E., 2008. "Price premiums and low cost carrier competition," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 44(5), pages 864-882, September.
    6. Severin Borenstein, 1989. "Hubs and High Fares: Dominance and Market Power in the U.S. Airline Industry," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 20(3), pages 344-365, Autumn.
    7. James Nolan & Pamela Ritchie & John Rowcroft, 2005. "Small Market Air Service and Regional Policy," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 39(3), pages 363-378, September.
    8. Lian, Jon Inge, 2010. "Network dependency and airline competition – Consequences for remote areas in Norway," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 137-143.
    9. John D. Bitzan & Junwook Chi, 2006. "Higher Airfares to Small and Medium Sized Communities - Costly Service or Market Power?," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 40(3), pages 473-501, September.
    10. Santana, Isabel, 2009. "Do Public Service Obligations hamper the cost competitiveness of regional airlines?," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(6), pages 344-349.
    11. Merkert, Rico & O’Fee, Basil, 2013. "Efficient procurement of public air services—Lessons learned from European transport authorities' perspectives," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 118-125.
    12. Brueckner, Jan K & Spiller, Pablo T, 1994. "Economies of Traffic Density in the Deregulated Airline Industry," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(2), pages 379-415, October.
    13. Fageda, Xavier & Jiménez, Juan Luis & Díaz, Carlos, 2012. "Fare differences between domestic and international air markets on routes from Gran Canaria," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 8-10.
    14. Pita, João P. & Adler, Nicole & Antunes, António P., 2014. "Socially-oriented flight scheduling and fleet assignment model with an application to Norway," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 17-32.
    15. Calzada, Joan & Fageda, Xavier, 2014. "Competition and public service obligations in European aviation markets," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 104-116.
    16. Williams, George & Pagliari, Romano, 2004. "A comparative analysis of the application and use of public service obligations in air transport within the EU," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 55-66, January.
    17. Bilotkach, Volodymyr & Lakew, Paulos Ashebir, 2014. "On sources of market power in the airline industry: Panel data evidence from the US airports," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 288-305.
    18. Joan Calzada & Xavier Fageda, 2012. "Discounts and Public Service Obligations in the Airline Market: Lessons from Spain," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 40(4), pages 291-312, June.
    19. Thorsten Fischer & David R. Kamerschen, 2003. "Price-Cost Margins in the US Airline Industry using a Conjectural Variation Approach," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 37(2), pages 227-259, May.
    20. Merkert, Rico & Williams, George, 2013. "Determinants of European PSO airline efficiency – Evidence from a semi-parametric approach," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 11-16.
    21. Evans, William N & Kessides, Ioannis N, 1993. "Localized Market Power in the U.S. Airline Industry," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 75(1), pages 66-75, February.
    22. James A. Brander & Anming Zhang, 1990. "Market Conduct in the Airline Industry: An Empirical Investigation," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 21(4), pages 567-583, Winter.
    23. Pita, João Pedro & Antunes, António Pais & Barnhart, Cynthia & de Menezes, António Gomes, 2013. "Setting public service obligations in low-demand air transportation networks: Application to the Azores," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 35-48.
    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.
    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. Wu, Hanjun & Hong Tsui, Kan Wai & Ngo, Thanh & Lin, Yi-Hsin, 2020. "Impacts of aviation subsidies on regional wellbeing: Systematic review, meta-analysis and future research directions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 215-239.
    2. Fageda, Xavier & Suárez-Alemán, Ancor & Serebrisky, Tomás & Fioravanti, Reinaldo, 2018. "Air connectivity in remote regions: A comprehensive review of existing transport policies worldwide," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 65-75.
    3. à lvarez-Albelo, Carmen D. & Hernández-Martín, Raúl & Padrón-Fumero, Noemi, 2020. "The effects on tourism of airfare subsidies for residents: The key role of packaging strategies," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    4. Socorro, M. Pilar & Betancor, Ofelia, 2020. "Air transport subsidies for resident passengers: The unexpected effects on competition," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Jiménez, Juan Luis & Valido, Jorge & Pellicer, Alfonso Antonio, 2023. "Evaluating the effect of air transport resident subsidies on non-residents tourists’ expenditure," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).
    6. Abreu, José & Fageda, Xavier & Jiménez, Juan Luis, 2018. "An empirical evaluation of changes in Public Service Obligations in Spain," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1-10.
    7. Fageda, Xavier & Jiménez, Juan Luis & Valido, Jorge, 2017. "An empirical evaluation of the effects of European public policies on island airfares," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 288-299.

    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. Wu, Hanjun & Hong Tsui, Kan Wai & Ngo, Thanh & Lin, Yi-Hsin, 2020. "Impacts of aviation subsidies on regional wellbeing: Systematic review, meta-analysis and future research directions," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 215-239.
    2. Joan Calzada & Xavier Fageda, 2012. "Discounts and Public Service Obligations in the Airline Market: Lessons from Spain," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 40(4), pages 291-312, June.
    3. Fageda, Xavier & Jiménez, Juan Luis & Valido, Jorge, 2017. "An empirical evaluation of the effects of European public policies on island airfares," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 288-299.
    4. Calzada, Joan & Fageda, Xavier, 2014. "Competition and public service obligations in European aviation markets," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 104-116.
    5. Fageda, Xavier, 2014. "What hurts the dominant airlines at hub airports?," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 177-189.
    6. Socorro, M. Pilar & Betancor, Ofelia, 2020. "Air transport subsidies for resident passengers: The unexpected effects on competition," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Abreu, José & Fageda, Xavier & Jiménez, Juan Luis, 2018. "An empirical evaluation of changes in Public Service Obligations in Spain," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 1-10.
    8. Wittman, Michael D. & Allroggen, Florian & Malina, Robert, 2016. "Public service obligations for air transport in the United States and Europe: Connectivity effects and value for money," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 112-128.
    9. Fageda, Xavier & Suárez-Alemán, Ancor & Serebrisky, Tomás & Fioravanti, Reinaldo, 2018. "Air connectivity in remote regions: A comprehensive review of existing transport policies worldwide," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 65-75.
    10. Antonio Martínez Raya & Víctor M. González-Sánchez, 2020. "Tender Management Relating to Imposition of Public Service Obligations on Scheduled Air Routes: An Approach Involving Digital Transformation of Procurement Procedures in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-27, July.
    11. Antunes, António P. & Santos, Miguel G. & Pita, João P. & Menezes, António G., 2018. "Study on the evolution of the air transport network of the Azores," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 837-851.
    12. Fageda, Xavier & Jiménez, Juan Luis & Perdiguero, Jordi & Marrero, Kevin, 2017. "Does market exit of a network airline affect airline prices and frequencies on tourist routes?," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 465-471.
    13. Salesi, Vinolia Kilinaivoni & Kan Tsui, Wai Hong & Fu, Xiaowen & Gilbey, Andrew, 2022. "Stakeholder perceptions of the impacts of aviation subsidies in the South Pacific Region," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    14. Xavier Fageda, 2006. "Measuring Conduct and Cost Parameters in the Spanish Airline Market," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 28(4), pages 379-399, June.
    15. Ofelia Betancor & Juan Luis Jiménez, 2011. "When trains go faster than planes: the strategic reaction of airlines in Spain," ERSA conference papers ersa11p295, European Regional Science Association.
    16. Oliveira, Marcus V.R. & Oliveira, Alessandro V.M., 2018. "What drives effective competition in the airline industry? An empirical model of city-pair market concentration," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 165-175.
    17. Francesco, Antonio Di & Pagliari, Romano, 2012. "The potential impact of removing public service obligation regulations on air fares between the Italian Mainland and the island of Sardinia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 332-339.
    18. Fageda, Xavier & Flores-Fillol, Ricardo, 2012. "Air services on thin routes: Regional versus low-cost airlines," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 702-714.
    19. Gundelfinger, Javier & Coto-Millán, Pablo, 2020. "Price and demand behaviors in the Scandinavian airline industry following market liberalization," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    20. Du, Yan & McMullen, B. Starr & Kerkvliet, Joe R., 2008. "The economic impact of the ATA/Southwest Airlines code-share agreement," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 51-60.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Airline; Subsidies; Resident passenger;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L93 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Air Transportation
    • H25 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Business Taxes and Subsidies
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:94:y:2016:i:c:p:235-242. 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.