During the 1990s, Several Airlines Were on the Brink of Bankruptcy

question 32

Essay

During the 1990s, several airlines were on the brink of bankruptcy. These same airlines were giving away millions of dollars in free airline travel through their frequent-flyer programs. Do you think it would have been a good idea for these airlines to eliminate their frequent-flyer programs in order to earn higher profits? Explain.

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Definitions:

Relevant Range

The range of activity within which the assumptions made about cost behavior in cost-volume-profit analysis are valid.

Cost Estimates

A predictive calculation of the anticipated expenses for a project or production, used for budgeting and planning purposes.

Marginal Cost

The cost of producing one additional unit of a product or service.

Relevant Range

The range of activity or volume in which the assumptions about fixed costs and variable costs are valid.