Yet Another Prism from Swelbar to Think About US Carrier Competitiveness in the Global Airline Industry

The one thing I have definitely discovered since introducing swelblog.com is that once you write, there is no where to run and hide. Following my November talk to an ACI-NA audience in Washington DC, I penned an article that appears in the March 2008 edition of Airline Business where I discuss the competitiveness of the US airline industry in the face of increasing global competition.

The many themes that run throughout piece have been discussed over the past five months here. So on a day where there are reports that the Delta – Northwest talks have been restarted, I continue to believe that a resolution can, and will, be found. Assuming that is true, then it will be off to Washington to discuss, and defend, the combined carrier. This article was written with the mind that the regulators must also consider any consolidation attempts in the context of US carrier competitiveness in the global airline industry.

Anything short of this consideration ignores the economic realities of globalization and the direction this industry is taking. And I sure hope that we do not spend inordinate amounts of time discussing how air service in the middle part of the US is made less competitive. Rather, I hope it is recognized that the regulators need to focus commensurate time considering how the middle part of the country will benefit from increased access to markets around the globe. Just as deregulation of the US domestic market has taught us, more than sufficient competition will remain.

One can hope.