The Freeman Center for International Economic
Policy sponsors the Global Policy Seminar series on Tuesdays from 12:45 to 2:00
pm in the Stassen Room (Room 170) of the Humphrey School. The next presentation
is:
November 8 – Joel
Waldfogel and Paul Vaaler on Israel’s Omission from
Freeman
Center for International Economic Policy, Humphrey School of Public
Affairs, presents a seminar on Global Policy
Professors Joel Waldfogel and Paul Vaaler
Department of Strategic Management
Carlson School, University of
Minnesota
will speak on
The Omission of Israel from Airline Route Maps
12:45 - 2:00 pm
Tuesday, November 8
Tuesday, November 8
The Stassen Room (Room 170)
Humphrey School, West Bank Campus
While product differentiation is in general benign, it can be employed
to discriminate against customer groups, either to enhance profitability by
appealing to discriminatory customers or in unprofitable ways that indulge
owners’ tastes for discrimination. We explore discriminatory product
differentiation in the airline market through airlines’ a) depiction of Israel
on their online route maps, and b) whether they publicly offer kosher in-flight
meals. We document that numerous world airlines omit Israel from their
online route maps (while including all other countries); most of these online
maps bear the Google logo; and three of these airlines are members of major
international alliances. Using data on 114 major airlines, we explore the
determinants of Israel route map denial as well as the availability of kosher
meals to draw inferences about airlines' motivations and possible public policy
responses.