Major airlines seek billions in help from Congress

SJ Mercury News ^ | 3/12/03 | AP - Washington

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Major airlines say they need government's help -- $9 billion in tax cuts -- to withstand the decline in air travel and rising fuel costs that could result from a war in Iraq.

The Air Transport Association, which represents major airlines, predicted on Tuesday that a war in Iraq would result in passenger traffic falling more sharply than in the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

[Mr Crontab]

Here we go again...

[Hodar]

I have never seen emtpy planes flying around. How can the airlines be cutting staff, flights and still be flying full loads of passengers .... and still going bankrupt. I wish I could run a company without regard to a P/L sheet, and getting my profit from the US taxpayer.

Has anyone here been on an empty plane? The flights my wife and I have taken have all been full.

[ken5050]

Since its inception 80 years ago, the collective airline industy has not made a dime.....what we need if for one carrier, most likely UAL to disappear...we have excess capacity, yet the airlines still try to limit competiton by controlling gates at the major airports...and the labor contracts are archaic...

[Wolfie]

Hey, if they can squeeze it out of the government, good for them. Might as well play the game.

[gulfcoast6]

They just don't give up do they?

[B-Chan]

Socialism! Let the airlines pay their own way like the rairoads do!

[surrey]

Is Jet Blue still making money? My husband flies almost every week and he's amazed at the arrogance of the airlines. Don't like our business fares?(which are exhorbitant)Too bad! Last week he drove to Toronto from Boston rather than spend $1400 for a 3 day trip.

[freeper12]

Let 'em all go bankrupt and from the ashes a more sane system will emerge..if the industry can't charge the real cost of a flight for a ticket, and get people to pay for it, then they deserve to go under.

[Beck_isright]

bookmark for later comments

[freeper12]

...then again, since we have a republican president, senate and house, and republicans are supposed to beleive in limited involvement in industry...I fully expect another multi-billion dollar bailout to occur

[Cboldt]

The people must pay for flying, even those that don't fly.

That's par for bureaucratic thinking.

[Dead Corpse]

Jet BLue and Southwest are the only two currently in the black.

These leeches need to suffer some good old fashioned free-market "darwinism".

[texson66]

Probably very strong unions,too many workers too highly paid.... cuts into the bottom line every time! So you reduce personnel and planes...instantly full flights every time!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

The airlines want $ billions from the government because they signed absurd contracts with pilots and mechanics. Bankruptcy is a more realistic move.

[strela]

If we bail out the airlines, we also need to bail out the travel agents, hotels and motels, rental car agencies, conference room operators, caterers, hot dog vendors on city streets, credit card companies, hotel maids, wine sommeliers, cab drivers, restaurants, ad nauseum who also suffered as a result of business travel being reduced after 9/11.

As my West Virginia friend likes to say, "I don' hold with it."

[BlackbirdSST]

A direct result of opening the feeding trough the first time, pig's are smart, they know where the food comes from! Blackbird.

[ijcr]

This is Linda Daschle at work.

[GhostofWCooper]

You're right, the airlines aren't the only ones suffering from the decrease in travel.

My comment is, that it is NOT the threat of terrorism that is cutting their throats. It is the threat of jack-booted, simple-minded airport security and their hysterical responses to mumbled complaints.
The pants-dropping, kid searching, girl molesting, old lady scaring, unreasonable, intractable, rigid police state tactics of the 'screeners' are the real reason noone wants to fly on their stinking planes.
I won't. I wouldn't go through all that if the ticket was free.

Screw the airlines. Let them go broke.

[TightSqueeze]

``I don't think there's any stomach for bailing out airlines,'' Mica said

Let them eat cake!