ABSTRACT
This chapter defines competition policy in the broadest sense as encompassing any government policy, undertaken by individual states or jointly, that may protect or enhance consumer interests. In the context of the airline industry, competition policy could include traditional antitrust measures such as prohibitions on price collusion, but could also include, for example, policies implemented to reduce congestion or monopolisation of slots at key airports, or policies designed to assure that all airlines receive equal treatment on computer reservation systems (CRSs). As these examples are meant to suggest, competition policy has some rather unusual aspects where the airline industry is concerned.
