My take is that you'll never see regulation again. The politicians and the public are hooked on cheap air travel. While deregulation has gutted the pilot profession, it's been great for the public. My company started flying transcons right after deregulation. The fare was $200 round trip. That was in the late 70's.
Airlines are tough to compare to a public utility because generally there is only one power or water company. As long as there are two or more carriers, there will be some form of competition. On that thin basis, deregulation will continue.
As a trade unionist, I think it's time for the unions (ALPA, IBT, APA, SWAPA, etc.) to recognize that we need minimum pay rates by seat and aircraft type. The problem is that the pilots of today are not trade unionists. I doubt that the pilots of most carriers would vote a union in, if they had to vote.
Originally Posted by
USMCFLYR
Johnnyjetprop -
You seem to share the same feelings towards this idea as someone else who recently sent me the following e-mail. This was part of a response sent after forwarding the story/picture of the obese passenger (in another thread). This person is a frequent air traveler but in not connected to the aviation industry in any way. I just thought his comments about Airlines being "public utitlities' were in line what you said. Your thoughts?
USMCFLYR