The Govmint Gonna Take Care of Us Again!

Am I the only blogger in the aviation industry who has not written about the lawsuit by the guvmint to keep USAIR and American from taking advantage of us airline travelers? I’ve tried to ignore it, but just can’t stand it.

The guvmint says if they let the two airlines merge we pax are gonna get charged too much, but I just don’t get it. You see, I still remember back in the old days before airline deregulation when the guvmint was pretty much in charge of fares and schedules. 

It wasn’t all that great. Oh, it was nicer, but, hey, who could afford it? Back then—when the guvmint was protecting us from the greedy airlines—only rich people, business people and people going to funerals could afford the fare. Today—any way you look at it—after decades of deregulation—the airlines are carrying more people more cheaply and much, much more safely.

Now, the guvmint wants to step in and save us from greedy airlines. To tell the truth, I’d rather throw myself at the mercy of the airlines.

Yes, I well know that airfares are climbing like a teenager’s hormones. Yes, it hurts my speaking business. But, hey, what else could we expect when fuel prices have gone up so much?

Thanks for thinking of me, guvmint, but I’ve seen it both ways, and I trust the airlines a lot more than I trust the guvmint.