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Are passengers compensated for incurring an airport layover? Estimating the value of layover time in the U.S. airline industry

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  • Luttmann, Alexander

Abstract

American, Delta, and United have organized their operations into extensive hub-and-spoke networks that typically require passengers originating and concluding travel in non-hub cities to board a connecting flight at a hub en route to the final destination. From the passenger perspective, layovers are detrimental since the addition to total travel time relative to a nonstop itinerary is a cost incurred by the passenger. An airline is able to reduce a passenger's layover time by narrowing the gap between flights at the connecting airport. However, narrowing this flight gap has the adverse effect of increasing airport congestion. Taking these perspectives into account, it is clear that layover time influences a prospective passenger's purchasing decision and an airline's flight scheduling decision. Using published fare and itinerary data from Google Flights, this paper provides insight into both decisions by providing empirical estimates on the value of layover time in the U.S. airline industry. This paper finds that passengers are compensated with a fare that is $42.74-$47.60 cheaper per hour of layover time. Of the three dominant legacy carriers, United passengers are found to be compensated at an even higher rate of $61.89 per hour.

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  • Luttmann, Alexander, 2019. "Are passengers compensated for incurring an airport layover? Estimating the value of layover time in the U.S. airline industry," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 17(C), pages 1-13.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecotra:v:17:y:2019:i:c:p:1-13
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecotra.2018.11.002
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Thomaz, Sarah, 2020. "Effects of asymmetric demands on airline scheduling decisions in a network," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 22(C).
    2. Gaggero, Alberto A. & Luttmann, Alexander, 2023. "The determinants of hidden-city ticketing: Competition, hub-and-spoke networks, and advance-purchase requirements," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    3. Luttmann, Alexander & Gaggero, Alberto A, 2020. "Purchase discounts and travel premiums during holiday periods: Evidence from the airline industry," MPRA Paper 104863, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Brueckner, Jan K. & Flores-Fillol, Ricardo, 2020. "Market structure and quality determination for complementary products: Alliances and service quality in the airline industry," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Jan K. Brueckner & Ricardo Flores-Fillol, 2018. "Airline Alliances and Service Quality," CESifo Working Paper Series 7226, CESifo.
    6. Altringer, Levi & Zahran, Sammy & Shwiff, Stephanie A. & Begier, Michael J. & Anderson, Aaron, 2022. "Spillover delay effects of damaging wildlife strike events at U.S. airports," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 30(C).
    7. Luttmann, Alexander & Gaggero, Alberto A, 2022. "How does COVID-19 affect intertemporal price dispersion? Evidence from the airline industry," MPRA Paper 111797, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Zakharenko, Roman & Luttmann, Alexander, 2023. "Downsizing the jet: A forecast of economic effects of increased automation in aviation," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 25-47.
    9. Cheung, Tommy K.Y. & Wong, Collin WH. & Lei, Zheng, 2022. "Assessment of hub airports' connectivity and Self-Connection Potentials," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 250-259.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Airlines; Congestion; Hedonic regression; Hub-and-spoke; Layover time;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L93 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Air Transportation
    • R41 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Transportation Economics - - - Transportation: Demand, Supply, and Congestion; Travel Time; Safety and Accidents; Transportation Noise

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