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IP: Airline economics
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 08:08:53 -0400
From: Russell Nelson <nelson () crynwr com> Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2001 08:03:04 -0400 (EDT) To: farber () cis upenn edu Dave, I'm wondering if people realize what we're doing to the airline industry. In a free-market economy, a sudden 25% downturn in business is the same as if, in a command-and-control economy, one of four businesses was told to shut down. Is that really what we want? Have we really decided to permanently curtail our flying by 75%? If so, then an airline bailout should only recompense them for the cost of being forced to not fly during the week of 9/11. Any money in excess of that is simply the American taxpayers being forced to buy airplane tickets against their will -- and not actually receiving the tickets with which to fly! If, on the other hand, we aren't serious about this decision -- if instead we're just a bit afraid and really do plan to continue flying at the previous level -- then we ought to get off our butts and start flying before any more airlines go out of business. Midway, a North Carolina regional airline, has already shut down operations. They were in Chapter 11 as it was. But many other airlines' finances are shaky, and more may go out of business. This is how it should be in a free market, but people should realize this: the next time you want to fly, you'll have fewer choices of flights going to fewer cities at a higher cost with less customer service. Because that's what we're telling the airlines to give us. And what we ask for, we're gonna get. -- -russ nelson <sig () russnelson com> http://russnelson.com Crynwr sells support for free software | PGPok | It's a crime, not an act 521 Pleasant Valley Rd. | +1 315 268 1925 voice | of war. For my take, see: Potsdam, NY 13676-3213 | +1 315 268 9201 FAX | http://quaker.org/crime.html
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- IP: Airline economics David Farber (Sep 22)