Airlines in the Aftermath and What the Government Should Do
Featuring David Swierenga, Air Transport Association of America; James Gattuso, Competitive Enterprise Institute; Clifford Winston, Brookings Institution; and John Nannes, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Former Deputy Assistant Attorney General.
Before September 11 the airline industry faced problems with air traffic control, airport congestion, quality complaints, and antitrust concerns. Now the focus is on the airlines’ dire financial condition. Will the future see more mergers, failures, and bankruptcies? Should the federal government try to prevent those outcomes by propping up airlines with loan assistance? Would privatizing airports or air traffic control or opening the American market to foreign carriers and foreign ownership be a better way to ensure competition?
