Is the Effect of Competition on Price Dispersion Nonmonotonic? Evidence from the U.S. Airline Industry

We investigate the effect of competition on price dispersion in the airline industry. Using panel data from 1993 to 2008, we find a nonmonotonic effect of competition on price dispersion. An increase in competition is associated with greater price dispersion in concentrated markets but with less price dispersion in competitive markets—an inverse-U relationship. Our empirical findings are consistent with an oligopolistic second-degree price discrimination model and encompass contradictory findings in the literature. © 2014 The President and Fellows of Harvard College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.