Question

Assume Southwest is currently a monopolist in the markets that Delta will enter. Assume that if Delta enters, Southwest will launch a price war. This will lead to annual profits for Southwest of $30M in this market, whereas Delta will lose $10M on the new route. Without a price war, Southwest will earn $50M while Delta will break even on the new route. If Delta decides not to enter, it will continue to compete with Southwest using its full fare carrier, which now is operating at breakeven on these routes.

a. True
b. False

Answer 1

b. False.

Step-by-step explanation:

Southwest does not possess all the characteristics of a monopolist in the market. Some of the characteristics of a monopolist are: profit maximizer, price maker, high barriers to entry, single seller, and price discrimination. Since Delta Airlines is able to enter the market, it means that Southwest is a competitor with Delta and not a monopolist in the real sense. The fact is that Southwest has a dominant strategy in this market.