Great... The government picking the winners and losers instead of an open and transparent auction
.
It's commercial air travel where three carriers now control an overwhelming majority of air travel. These three could easily crush any and all LCC pressure/money by putting up even more lobbying pressure/money. The government approved each and every single legacy major and made these carriers the stable three carriers they are today. It's just simply checks and balances to ensure the travelling public gets good competition from everyone, not just three legacy carriers.