The real reason Oberstar and his cronies fight against consolidation....

[luckytohaveajob]

If not for deregulation most of us would not have jobs to complain about.

Your right, supply would equal demand and we would not have companies going out of business such as Eastern and Pan Am. I am so glad we replace Eastern with Air Tran. Air Tran is such a class act compared to Eastern.

 

[FLYLOW22]

If not for deregulation most of us would not have jobs to complain about. With more airlines that equals more jobs.

You are absolutely right. The jobs would still be great.

More jobs is not a better thing when they all pay chicken scratch.

 

[Sedona16]

If not for deregulation most of us would not have jobs to complain about. It is a fact the deregulation helped to spur competition and an increase in the number of airlines in the country. With more airlines that equals more jobs.

Not sure I buy that arguement over the long term. Short term yeah it probably spurred more airlines and it has most certainly created lower fares. Call me crazy but I believe if people hadn't been spoiled with extreme low fairs they would have still flown at higher prices and the number of people flying would still have increased. Sure some might have to go with only one plasma TV instead of two in their house if they traveled alot at the higher fairs but flying is still relatively cheap compared to driving, especially when you factor in time = money. The question is, how do you force the issue now to get prices back up with all the elected prima donas pandering to Jim Bob who wants that $99 ticket.

 

[Nindiri]

Why stop with the airlines? Why not regulate everything? We need to get rid of this pesky freedom thing and trust the almighty government regulators to make all our decisions for us.

 

[Thedude]

In what way exactly?

One thing I would add that the article didn't mention is you wouldn't have FedEx or UPS-Air to the scale they are now without deregulation either.

BS. I don't believe that regulation had anything to do with the freight industry. Also if the payscales had been kept that were in use during the slide to de-reg. a 747 Capt would be making well over $500k/yr today.

 

[Thedude]

Why stop with the airlines? Why not regulate everything? We need to get rid of this pesky freedom thing and trust the almighty government regulators to make all our decisions for us.

And you beleive that most industries aren't regulated to some form. Aviation is one of the , if not the most regulated biz out there...but wait we are de-regulated when it comes to ticket prices and salaries. The airlines have become akin to a public utility, everyone views it as a right not a privalege to fly nowadays.

 

[Nindiri]

Do you seriously believe that 747 capts would be making 500K a year if it weren't for dereg?

 

[Sedona16]

Do you seriously believe that 747 capts would be making 500K a year if it weren't for dereg?

If I'm not mistaken thats what they were making give or take a few bucks corrected for inflation back in 1978.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

If I'm not mistaken thats what they were making give or take a few bucks corrected for inflation back in 1978.

At least that is what everyone believes and thus becomes an airline pilot and gets pissed when the ROI doesn't hold true....

 

[AceCrackshot]

As I've posted eariler, my father was an ALPA delegate to Capitol Hill in 1978 and was present at the birthing of the abortion of deregulation.

Deregulation was anything but. Kahn and his cronies made millions off of deregulation, and the American people watched happily as we spent 20 years eating the seed corn that was carefully husbanded over 60 years of commercial air transport.

Deregulation advocates have often glossed over the facts of deregulation, which are in reality a glaring case of third world crony capitalism, at it's worst.

They don't mention the gates and slots at LGA, stolen from Eastern and TW, to be given at firesale prices to New York Air, which was simply an investment vehicle. After a decent interval, NYA was sold, and those assets were purchased.

Airlines that had to "disgorge" assets received little or no compensation. The Labor Protective Provisions, designed to shield workers from an unprecedented shift in their industry, were jettisoned with little fanfare.

Kahn was simply the first, but not the last, to participate in the mortgaging of America.

I'm glad he thinks he's some kind of American hero. History won't be so kind, and when he's dead, I'll piss on his grave.