Airline Mergers bad for consumers
December 13, 2006
RewardsCards.com Staff
Reported talks between major airlines United and Continental have sent excitement and fear through the airline industry. Frequent fliers are wondering if their United miles will be gone and Continental fliers are wondering if their Onepass miles will be diluted. There is also talk of AirTran merging with Midwest Air Group. AirTran is one of the only airlines that give you nice things like Sirius satellite radio. Will free satellite radio end once this happens?
Last year America West merged with US Airways who recently put in a takeover bid for Atlanta based Delta Airlines. What happens when Delta quits flying places? You loose all sorts of goodies on American Airlines Flights. Just ask the people who fly from DFW to Atlanta on a regular basis in first class. They pay extra for first class and get NO meals served and don’t even get roasted nuts. Why even fly first class on a MD-80 or Super 80. You can sit on the left side of the plane in coach and have about the same flight experience since you are only handed a beverage and a insulting snack. I think I will take my $650 and fly Southwest or American if it is that cheap.
This is just the start of mergers in the airline business. Consolidation will be a big part of 2007 according to analysts. We can look forward to loosing all of our flight perks and maybe even frequent flyer miles.
When there is less competition at airport gates then there is less perks for us consumers. There will be increased ticket prices with nothing to be happy about. We can only hope for some new airlines to spring up especially out of DFW airport where there is merely no competition to American Airlines. Flying these days is like sitting in a prison cell where you are all boxed up and tortured with no laptop plug ins, no leg room, no quality humane treatment. I can’t imagine it worse that it is now but it will get worse if we don’t do something to stop these Airline mergers.
What happens when airlines cut routes or merge?
- You get reduced amenities on flights
- No food served in first class
- Higher Airfare
- Reduced Competition
- Less Perks
- Less flights, more crammed over-sold flights
- Possible loss of miles
- Diluted miles
- Lots of people laid off from consolidation
