Comments on: Broken Air Travel System

By: Signifying Nothing

Signifying Nothing — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 02:20:54 +0000

Creative destruction
Apparently Norm Mineta can't figure out why the legacy airlines are in such big trouble. (ÃÂ¾ Brian J. Noggle) He could save us taxpayers a bit of money by just reading Virginia Postrel's weblog. More succinctly: U.S. Airways sucks monkey...

By: A Stitch in Haste

A Stitch in Haste — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 17:06:48 +0000

Will Holiday Airline Chaos Spur Greater Scrutiny?
These are perilous times for the airline industry. Just like the railroads 30 years ago. That time the government stepped in, "stabilized" the industry...and gave us Amtrak.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Wed, 29 Dec 2004 00:35:25 +0000

One of the very worst aspects of the post 9/11 bail-out of the airline industry was that it tended tdisproportionately benefit the most poorly-managed providers. I wrote my Congressman at the time. IIRC I got a form letter back.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 20:20:05 +0000

Make that LAST guy rather than large guy.

By: Dave Schuler

Dave Schuler — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 20:16:50 +0000

If only it were simple mismanagement. For the large carriers it's more a case of failed business model and a corporate culture of years of indifference to the airline business. Check the backgrounds of the UAL CEO's for the last twenty or so years. And, yes, I know that the large guy with actual airline experience they had as CEO was a total flop. But he was a United man. Why not get somebody from an airline that was actually, say, making money?

By: LB

LB — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 18:17:15 +0000

Thanks for the link, James. Correction: The bags were "misplaced" while in DC, not Charlotte. I was delayed in Charlotte for over an hour, then I had to wait at National Airport for 2 hours until the employees unloaded the bags.

By: PoliBlog: Politics is the Master Science

PoliBlog: Politics is the Master Science — Tue, 28 Dec 2004 17:54:09 +0000

On the Airline System (Line of the Day)
Quoth James Joyner:One would think retarded monkeys could manage the system more efficiently.

No joke.

And I concur with him that eventually the market will sort this out. Indeed, the less government interference the better. The bottom line is ...