[elSicomoro]

Air travel in the US has gone from a luxury for some to a necessity for many. More people are flying than ever before (or least were until 9/11/2001). We've been delayed for hours in trying to get to our destinations. We've tried to change our flight schedules, only to incur a heavy penalty. In the vein of road rage, there is now "air rage."

And now, it appears that the airline industry needs a bailout due to what happened...and it's turning its eyes to the government.

On one hand, the government could say, "F**k you. Not our problem. What we did was in the interest of national security."

On the other hand, I think of all the carriers of the past that are now gone: Eastern, Braniff, Piedmont, (the old) Pan Am, Ozark, (and the soon-to-be-gone) TWA.

The government is against the wall on this one. If no bailout is done, it could lead to bankruptcy for one or more carriers. Our choices for domestic travel would become limited, which could lead to cuts in destinations, not to mention a rise in prices...more of an oligarchy than we already seem to have.

But if the numbers are true ($2.5 billion up front, $12.5 billion in loans), this could be seen by some as propping up the fat cats that run the airlines.

The airline stocks have plunged dramatically over the past year. US Airways has went from $48 to $6, United from $48 to $17, Continental from $57 to $17. I don't know the full background of the airline industry, other than deregulation 20 or so years ago. But flying as a whole doesn't seem to be profitable, particularly now.