The airline industry grew bloated and inefficient, and the people/companies acted like a lot of other industries and budgeted as if the good times would last forever. Even when times were good, they shaved a few pennies off each flight by stopping meals and cutting all sorts of amenities (which we put up with), and cramming more and smaller seats onto ever-increasingly expensive flights. They lobbied for a de-regulation-fest, profits soared, and because they made themselves into a necessity, rather than a luxury, they could happily ignore customer dissatisfaction.

They put themselves in an unsustainable position of overextension, and were totally unprepared and inflexible when this gas crap hit them. Now, they, like other industries are looking for a bailout.

Their asses are in a crack, the mechanics can barely keep them flying because of all the layoffs, delays and cancellations are twice as common as on-time flights, the public resents them for incompetence, another airline seems to go bankrupt every other month .......and now they are asking US for help, eh?

How nice of them. Heckuva job! They'll get a massive bailout, and go right back to their ways within a year of it. Mark my words.

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Unfortunately, the Founders did not address the possibility of this nation becoming populated with obnoxious twits.