How can Delta improve?
- Break up all the monolith airlines into smaller, more competitive units, following the example of Ma Bell into Baby Bells.
- Prevent any airline from having more than 35% of the take off and landing slots at any airport
- Allow foreign ownership of domestic airlines where a bi-lateral reciprocal agreement is in place (eg. if US airlines can buy EU airlines without restriction, then EU airlines should be allowed to buy or own US airlines)
- Take away the anti-trust protection enshired in the De-regulation Act.
- Make US airlines subject to the same consumer regulations other US companies must abide by, with enforcement at the state level.
- Pass a passenger rights bill which incorporates minimum standards, such as passenger rights to disembark when held on the tarmac for more than 2 hours; protection for minors when in the care of the airlines; minimum levels of support when schedules are disrupted and passengers are stranded.
The usual cacophony of complaints that this will raise costs will be used to justify not doing this. Costs will rise, but no where near what is suggested and will apply to all airlines. There would be a dramatic improvement in standards when normal market competition applies.
Last, limit executive bonuses on a similar basis to that being applied to financial institutions until such time as all of these reforms have been implemented. Currently, executives are reaping huge rewards on the back of market and monopoly abuse.