Robert ReichDec 30, 2022
Is it possible that airline passengers are experiencing soaring prices and bad service because the number of domestic carriers has shrunk from 12 in 1980 to 4 today — with many cities served by only 1 or 2?
Show threadAdamDec 30, 2022
@rbreich while I agree reduced competition is a problem I think the numbers are wrong I can easily count more then 4 without looking it up:
AA, United, Alaska, Jet Blue, Hawaiian, Southwest, Frontier, Alligiant, just off the top of my head.
Show threadThomas H Jones IIDec 30, 2022

@tweak @rbreich

AA, United, Delta and SWA are *major* carriers - having 500+ planes (plus regional partners' fleets) and thousands of daily routes. The others you list don't quite compare.

Show threadAdam
@ferricoxide @rbreich all he said was domestic carriers, those are all domestic carriers.
Dec 30, 2022 at 4:41pmWeb
Show threadThomas H Jones IIDec 30, 2022

@tweak @rbreich

Pick a random origin or destination airport: which domestic carriers are you most likely to find at the selected origin or destination airports?

I mean, Mesa is a domestic carrier, but you're not going to find them at a significant percentage of airports. Similar for Jet Blue and some others you listed.

Show threadAdamDec 30, 2022
@ferricoxide @rbreich I totally agree with what you’re saying and agree there needs to be a lot more competition and much more scrutiny on industry consolidation (in all industries), my point was only in regards to his numbers and math.
Show threadThomas H Jones IIDec 30, 2022

@tweak @rbreich

The small airlines thing used to trip me out when I was flying nationally on a regular basis. Was often a case of "yeah, it was ticketed through <AIRLINE> and the plane bore their livery, but the flight was actually operated by <REGIONAL_AIRLINE>"

And, while I loved JetBlue, they rarely went to the airports I wanted to go to. Worse, they never left from my closest airport (<10mi from my house), meaning I'd have to catch a $75 cab to get to the airport they DID operate out of.

Show threadAdamDec 30, 2022
@ferricoxide @rbreich our regulators have been way to lax even under Democratic administrations allowing huge consolidation amounts all industries leading to massive reduction in competition. Looks like Lina Khan is attempting to reverse that course finally.
Show threadThomas H Jones IIDec 30, 2022

@tweak @rbreich

"Regulatory capture" is a mfer.