Why I Favor Airline Re-Regulation
Yes, this Reagan Conservative (conservative with libertarian tendencies) favors airline re-regulation. My reasoning is that there is no free market environment in aviation. Here is what I mean,
These are just a few of the examples I can cite.
So, if a free market environment doesn't exist, some regulation along the lines of what I outline below seems called for.
My friend who was stuck at Reagan Airport yesterday (see below) asked me to send him the links to my series on this subject. I did, but I'm also posting them below in case you missed them the first time around.
Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Part 4.
Part 5.
Part 6.
Conclusion.
There is one thing I would like to add since writing the series more than two years ago: The TSA is worse now. Not only are there more "nude machines," the workforce has gone from sullen to -- in too many cases -- actively hostile and misinformed. For example, I carry a very small computer. The TSA rules say it does not have to be taken out of its carrying case.
"Electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop should not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. It’s that simple."
Now, I don't for one moment disagree with or challenge the TSA's authority to ask me to take the computer out of the bag and sometimes they do. I'm happy to do it and willingly comply. But, about half the time, I get "the lecture." That all computers have to come out of the bag. No, they don't. The TSA workforce, at a shockingly high rate, does not know its own rules.
If the TSA was actually trying to stop hijackings rather than choreographing "security theatre," this guy would not have been able to steal an airliner in Utah on Tuesday. This blog has reported numerous times about the unguarded aircraft and tarmac access points. If I know it and if this pilot knows it, don't you think the bad guys know it?!
Addition: To further prove my point about the TSA, here is a story from yesterday of another one of their outrages.
So, even though the government is bad at most (not all) of the things it does, the current system is worse. It is time to consider re-regulating the airlines.
- The government controls the Air Traffic Control System so planes are not free to take off or land when they wish.
- The airlines and FAA have conspired to limit competition and innovation. For example, if a new airline wanted to allow its passengers to carry on a third piece of luggage it is forbidden to do so.
- The government created a shortage of take-off and landing slots at the U.S.'s largest airports and it is very difficult for new entrants to get landing and takeoff rights.
These are just a few of the examples I can cite.
So, if a free market environment doesn't exist, some regulation along the lines of what I outline below seems called for.
My friend who was stuck at Reagan Airport yesterday (see below) asked me to send him the links to my series on this subject. I did, but I'm also posting them below in case you missed them the first time around.
Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Part 4.
Part 5.
Part 6.
Conclusion.
There is one thing I would like to add since writing the series more than two years ago: The TSA is worse now. Not only are there more "nude machines," the workforce has gone from sullen to -- in too many cases -- actively hostile and misinformed. For example, I carry a very small computer. The TSA rules say it does not have to be taken out of its carrying case.
"Electronic items smaller than the standard sized laptop should not need to be removed from your bag or their cases. It’s that simple."
Now, I don't for one moment disagree with or challenge the TSA's authority to ask me to take the computer out of the bag and sometimes they do. I'm happy to do it and willingly comply. But, about half the time, I get "the lecture." That all computers have to come out of the bag. No, they don't. The TSA workforce, at a shockingly high rate, does not know its own rules.
If the TSA was actually trying to stop hijackings rather than choreographing "security theatre," this guy would not have been able to steal an airliner in Utah on Tuesday. This blog has reported numerous times about the unguarded aircraft and tarmac access points. If I know it and if this pilot knows it, don't you think the bad guys know it?!
Addition: To further prove my point about the TSA, here is a story from yesterday of another one of their outrages.
So, even though the government is bad at most (not all) of the things it does, the current system is worse. It is time to consider re-regulating the airlines.
I agree with all your complaints. But, how is re-regulation going to fix all the problems that you complain about that are from ... federal regulation?
ReplyDeleteYou have an excellent point. Some ideas...
ReplyDeleteScheduling:
Earlier this year (don't know if this is true today) it looked like I had to make an early morning trip from STL to ORD. So, I looked at the schedule and was shocked to find 7 flights from 6 to 7:30 am, but 5 were RJ's! One of the reason for the industry-wide lousy service is the antiquated air traffic control system is overloaded. It takes as much ATC capacity to handle an RJ as it does a 737. The government could mandate that full size jets have to be used in markets of above certain size or the slots go to new entrants. An RJ from ORD to LaGuardia (which is exactly what I flew in January)? The airlines' justification is RJ's add "frequency." I don't need flights to the same destination every 15 minutes and I don't think anyone else does.
Once we stop flying a jillion RJs every 5 minutes, ATC will be freed up for new entrants and much more reliable flights for everyone else.
Second, stop predatory pricing every time a new entrant goes into a market. The FTC stops this in every other industry. Why should airlines be exempt?
The FAA's compliance with airlines disclaiming liability for intentional misstatements. Again, the FTC does not allow this in any other industry why should airlines get away with it?
Last summer, I was in Atlanta on board an AirTran flight bound for Wichita. Jetway pulled back. Captain said we'd be departing momentarily. Jetway came back to airplane. The agent came on and said we'd have to deplane because "they needed the plane in another market." AirTran didn't have any space to Wichita available until the following night (i.e., about 29 hours later)! AirTran refused to book the passengers on other airlines and wouldn't even give me a meal voucher. The sole recourse was a refund.
In any other industry, that behavior would open them up to lawsuits. The penalty for failure to deliver a paid-for service should be high and it should go to the "victims" rather than the government as it currently does in most cases.
Heck, I'm not proposing draconian regulation -- just holding the airlines to the same standards every other industry must meet. This isn't 1958 (the beginning of the jet age). We know much more about meteorology, information technology, and the planes are far more reliable.
It is time to stop all these exemptions for airlines and hold them to the same standard as every other industry.
I look at all the estimates of where 2012 air fares would be if the Civil Aeronautics Board system of regulation were still in place. Therefore, much as I am offended by the jam-packed, bus-travel tone that airlines have taken on, I come down -- with respect -- on the side of not reregulating. Deregulation has singlehandedly been responsible for enabling millions and millions more folks to fly (warts and all).
ReplyDeleteAnd part of my opposition to reregulation is selfish. As you know, the C.A.B. did not generally allow such things as volume discounts, which meanst no frequent-flyer programs. When the C.A.B. went away and those things came along, I made it a personal hobby to get every legal benefit I could out of them, and was successful at it beyond what I ever dreamed. Traveled all over the world in front-of-the-plane luxury on 0-air-fare tickets. Plus, waved to the front of the line because of my loyalty tier, and, now, selected without a fee for being able to keep my shoes and belt and computer in place and walk through security like it was 1999 (at certain airports). As for lectures from the T.S.A. at the normal checkpoints, I have had a whole one (count it, one) that I can remember in 10 years -- and, knock on wood, have never once had a truly surly T.S.A. agent.
Mass air transportation can be a hassle, but all in all from what deregulation has meant to me, the hassle is quite bearable. So I disagree with government regulation of the industry. Except, of course, for the F.A.A. and safety (and safety records remain near record highs).
Keith,
ReplyDeleteExcellent point about safety, so far. I'm concerned that I'm seeing some things that MIGHT (note I have capitalized that word) indicate some deterioration.
I'm not advocating the government go back to dictating where airlines fly. I am advocating size of aircraft per slot regulations.
With regard to pricing, I'm not certain we need to go back to minimum prices per air mile but we need to get rid of the predatory pricing that occurs when a new entrant (think Vanguard in Wichita) enters a market. United was charging $600 to go to Chicago before Vanguard which suddenly became $99 the day they flew their first flight. That is illegal in every other industry. I'd like to understand why you apparently believe it is OK for the airlines.
With regard to the TSA, I'll gladly have an off-line discussion.
Thanks for the comment.
Wow I have to disagree with you Mike.
ReplyDeleteA. You missed a new runway. DEN's runway 16R/34L opened in 2003, which is within the last 10 years.
B. You mentioned the overcrowding at EWR, LGA, etc. Where exactly would you propose a new runway for those airports? The only solution would be to relocated those airports far, far away from their current location, which would create a new set of problems.
C. Airlines make their money on corporate travelers. The #2 cost for most corporations? Travel. What is very easy to cut for corporations? You guessed it. So airlines are fighting tighter travel budgets coincident with technology innovations (Webinars and Video conferencing) that eliminate the need for face-to-face meetings that require travel. One of their solutions is to substitute RJs for 73x and A319s. Yes, an RJ consumes the same ATC resource as a 777. However, an RJ is a heck of a lot cheaper to operate (aside from the fact that they are NOT operated by mainline airlines). Yes, for comfort sake (I'm 6' 4") I'd prefer a 2/3 full 73x over a full RJ any day. But airlines are *for profit* operations.
D. Airlines have changed their business model. They have dropped the 1960s based model for a la carte pricing. They have done this in part due to dumb corporate policies that require workers like me to justify why I want to spend $20 more on airfare than the "lowest published airfare". Some (Spirit Airlines) have taken it to an extreme. Yes, flying is no longer the luxurious event of the jet set. For profit businesses have to adapt or go extinct. That is the essence of capitalism.
E. The FAA IS the problem, not the airlines. They are indeed still using 1930s based technology (fixed beacons) to handle air traffic in 2012! Now THAT is unacceptable.
The problem isn't deregulation. The problem is a slow and ineffective government bureaucracy that is taking forever to adopt new and more precise ATC technology and procedures.
PS - I agree with you wholeheartedly regarding the TSA.
Brian, thanks for the information about the new runway in DEN. I did indeed miss it.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you about the outmoded ATC system.
I'll let my other comments speak for themselves with one clarification. I'm not looking for air travel to be "luxurious." I'm looking for it to be pleasant, reliable, safe, and civil.
Thanks for the comment!