Document Type
Article
Publication Date
6-28-1905
Abstract
The Airline Industry has experienced considerable change since the Airline Deregulation Act took effect in 1978, both because of the new business climate engendered by deregulation and because of technological advances in and surrounding the industry. One of the most powerful change agents has been the Internet, which is widely used in the sale and distribution of airline tickets. Several researchers have noted that the rise of the Internet has been accompanied by a decrease in airline fares. Previous studies have suggested several causal categories--for example, reduced search costs, greater transparency, mistrust, uncertainty, more effective buying strategies--but have not studied the categories together, or from the customer's point-of-view. The purpose of this current study is to examine the mechanisms by which the Internet has caused that reduction, focusing first on how the customer uses the Internet differently than he did more traditional distribution alternatives, how the customer has understood that change in process, and why that has lead to a reduction in fares. The study will be qualitative, based on a series of interviews with a sample of Internetusing airline customers. The customers will be asked to describe their experience. Using Grounded Theory methodology, the Investigator will then describe the interviews using the literature as a theory base, and then try to understand if the causal categories in the literature are sufficient to explain the change or whether new categories emerge.
Keywords
internet
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Brunger, William G., "Concept Paper: The Impact of the Internet on Airline Pricing" (1905). Student Scholarship. 142.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/142