Regulation-Broken down like a fraction.
You should print this out and read it while working, that way you can use it as toilet paper or window cleaning paper when you are done with it.
I hope this makes sense.
Most people don't have an accurate knowledge of what regulation was, or how it worked. Most just think it was a lovely time when pilots got paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, had dirt strips in their backyards, and the hottest FA's on the planet, bathing in their bean-shaped swimming pools-which was on the other side of the mansion-a few feet from where you parked the Cub and the DC-3, that you got to fly 3 times a month because noone ever worked! But, like everything in life there were/are Pro's and Con's.
Regulation was a rubberband, that held all scheduled air operations together. Airlines were KINDA like taxi-cabs-private cabs, like the guys in NYC. The government was the dispatcher-told you where you could go, what you were eligible to use, how many people you could expect when you got there, and what you could charge for the trip. If you wanted it you could take it, if you didn't want it you didn't have to take it. If you accepted the route, not only were you doing those people a service transporting them around, you were doing the government a favor.And you could get better routes by having a good rep with the Aeronautics Board.
********(An interesting note on this-If any of you read this far, a little known fact. This is where most airlines got their names from.PAN AM,TWA,People Express- the larger the company and the more routes the more genral the names of those airlines were,this was because they flew to almost everywhere.Air Florida,KIWI,Western and like names let people know where they flew. So if your family wanted to get to florida-hey you could fly on Air Florida-it may not have been that way,but you get an idea.There are a few exceptions to the name rule, as I have still not found out what country the city of Braniff is in =)**********)
New Taxi-Cab's(Airlines) could apply if they wanted to, but would only be approved on an as needed basis. Today as long as you meet the FAA's safety standards, the DOT's Operating rules, and local/state laws, you can be approved with a pat on the back and a 'good luck'! This may take time but there is no discrimination-if you think you can handle it, and can find slots-you can have it. A company like Virgin America would have had a long hard time trying to get started, especially on a route like Los Angeles to New York, where United/Delta/American/US Airways already operate.Southwest and Alaska would not be doing to good wither, as they wouldn't have that ease of offering 30 flights a day between certain cities, they also would not be able to compete by adding a rediculous amount of frequencies on a route that a competitor was flying.
Cab's have to apy a medallion fee for using the services of their dispatchers (airlines had to pay the AB a very small fee to ensure they made a certain amount of money on routes). This was taken out in taxes.There were never any cash deals-over the table for routes.
Regionals weren't needed/used as much as they are now.If the plane was too big you jsut wouldn't fly it there.The pax would just have to drive to the closest airport.No airline was concerned with smaller jets to access smaller areas, becuase the government wasn't concerned with flying into those small areas.Regionals came from airlines trying to suck money from wherever they could. Thats like a cab company contracting kids on tricycles, or rickshaws-unecessary.
We all saw the Aviator-The concern then was making travel comfortable for pax and economical for companies so that they could keep money that they made.Management wasn't worrried about pinny-pinching and saving their own asses because they already knew how much a route was making them.They knew the cash would be flowing unless they pulled off a route on their own.They weren't hesitant to hand out raises, spend money on quality unifroms/branding/advertising/painting aircraft/training/recruiting.
The idea itslef is perfect and seamless.What causes problems is economic downturns where people can't afford to fly. Not even the government wants to help something(financially) that they know might fail.So when things are going well, aorund the world, things are usually going well here.When the Saudi's are sad that there brothers are being persecuted in another sister country, the gvernment is sad they might lose oil.Which has always and will always be an issue, but thats an issue that has already been explained, and is neither here nor there.
The point here is that regulating the industry in the economic state that we currently find ourselves in, would be futile. It would cost more than it would save.Although after time it would balance itself, maybe by the time our kids are flying, it would be too hard to start now-as airlines are already flying what routes they want to fly.Southwest would have a heart attack if Obama said they could no longer fly MDW-LAX and that instead American could qualify-Southwest would go back to the unknown airline they were in the beginning.Same with every other airline.The appeals to congress would be plentiful, and the lines of airline execs to the white house would stretch from Washington DC to Manhattan.
The easiest part would be fare regulation, as most companies are charging around the same price for the same ticket.But that is about it-Sorry Guys. We can still fight for it, but dont expect anything great for us.For our kids-yes.For us-no.
Regulation-The candy is on the table
De-regulation-The candy is in a mexican puppet held in the air and evryone is trying to crack it open, to get some Jolly Ranchers.
Gettin that Pinata patched up after being hit repeatedly for the last 25 years would be hard.