In: Economics
Assume that due to an increase in demand, the average domestic
airline fare increased from $319.85...
Assume that due to an increase in demand, the average domestic
airline fare increased from $319.85 in the fourth quarter of 2013
to $328.12 in the first quarter of 2014, an increase of $8.27. The
number of passenger tickets sold in the fourth quarter of 2013 was
151.4 million. Over the same period, the airlines’ costs remained
roughly the same: the price of jet fuel averaged around $2 per
gallon in both quarters, and airline pilots’ salaries remained
roughly the same, averaging $117,060 per year in 2013). Can you
determine precisely by how much producer surplus has increased as a
result of the $8.27 increase in the average fare? If you cannot be
precise, can you determine whether it will be less than, or more
than, a specific amount?