I agree that (US-based) airlines are not public transportation in the same sense local bus systems, in most cities, are. However there are many (perhaps even a few on this board!) who would agree airlines hold a significant public trust. The government requires an airline to obtain a Certificate before it can begin accepting paying passengers. Airlines use taxpayer-supported facilities—airports and air traffic control services. Most important, an airline is different from many businesses in that entry to many markets is restricted by airport capacity and market forces. As an example, the “market,” and airport capacity, limit the number of airlines that can offer non-stop service between New York—LaGuardia and Atlanta. When combined with the fact that all airlines face the same costs, saying ‘I’ll never fly with you again,’ or ‘I’ll take my business elsewhere’ is, usually, an exercise in tilting at a windmill.
Like a taxi driver who has tampered with his meter, the airlines have likewise abused their public trust. Selling tickets with unrealistically short flight connecting times is one onerous practice. Failing to disclose all possible charges (fees) after a ticket has been purchased is another.
As I indicated in another post: Perhaps it’s time the government treated airlines like another category of private business—radio and tv stations. An airline certificate of operation should not be a property right but something that must be defended, at a comparative hearing, every 5 to 10 years. Those who hold the financial and other qualifications should be allowed to argue, at a certificate renewal hearing, how they can better serve the public and why the incumbent certificate holder is undeserving of a renewal.
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