You may remember the slogan of an airline that urged travelers to “fly the friendly skies.”
Whatever your opinion of the airlines today, do you think air travel would be cheaper or more efficient if you were “flying the federal skies”?
Unfortunately, we may find out.
Some members of Congress say it’s not fair that some airlines charge fees for services such as checked baggage, extra leg room and changes to reservations.
“Congress will act” if the industry doesn’t rein in the fees, Rep. James Oberstar, D-Minn., said during a hearing in the House of Representatives. “That’s not a threat, that’s history.”
But since when is it Congress’ business to tell a company whether it may charge a fee for providing a particular service?
Requiring airlines to put the cost of those services into the base price of tickets forces passengers who do not want the services to subsidize them for passengers who do.
Neither Congress nor the U.S. Department of Transportation is competent to dictate the ticket prices or fees that airlines can charge. More importantly, the Constitution gives them no authority to do so.
Ours is supposed to be a free economy, not one run from the top down by government bureaucrats. Consumers are capable of “voting with their dollars” by giving their business to airlines that charge lower fees or no fees at all if that is their preference. Only if there is evidence of actual fraud by an airline – or any other company – should government get involved.
We much prefer “flying the friendly skies” over “flying the federal skies.”