The Decline of Air Travel Comfort: From Luxury to Discontent
There are increasing calls to re-regulate the airlines, but the arguments in favor of it are weak and misguided. The reduced air service to small cities is a result of government regulation, not the lack of it. Hubs provide more flight options and connect small cities in a way that point-to-point routes did not. Airlines are already heavily regulated, and the solution to robust air service in small communities is to grow the supply and encourage new air service concepts. Going back to the regulated era would not improve air travel in the United States.