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That's the thinking of several prominent industry observers, who predict fliers will be left with fewer choices, higher fares and worse service if the current batch or merger talks sparks a round of airline consolidation. One of the merger skeptics is Kevin Mitchell, who heads the Business Travel Coalition advocacy group. He fears that the current merger efforts involving US Airways-Delta, United-Continental and AirTran-Midwest could set off a chain reaction that drags nearly every big U.S. carrier into the merger frenzy. "You're essentially putting the whole system in play. There would be customer-service disruption for years," he says to the Chicago Tribune (free registration).
The New York Times (free registration) adds that mergers may help some U.S. carriers financially, it could also mean "more bad news for their passengers. Fewer planes would lead, certainly in the short term, to more-crowded flights and higher fares," the paper adds. But not everyone agrees that the long-term effect on fares would be bad. Some argue that a contraction by the big airlines would be an invitation for low-cost rivals to bring their low fares to new areas. "JetBlue, Southwest, AirTran, Frontier, Spirit -- all of these carriers look for targets of opportunity and will move in and create downward pressure on fares," David Stempler, president of passenger advocacy group Air Travelers Association, tells The Washington Times.
But industry observer and frequent airline critic Joe Brancatelli has yet another take. He tells The Associated Press that travelers are already losing in the merger mania –- regardless of whether any combinations actually come to pass. "So much management time is being consumed by creating or fighting a merger," says Brancatelli, a contributor to USATODAY.com who also runs a website for business travelers called joesentme.com. "All that time would have otherwise been spent on plugging holes in the already creaky system."
The New York Times (free registration) adds that mergers may help some U.S. carriers financially, it could also mean "more bad news for their passengers. Fewer planes would lead, certainly in the short term, to more-crowded flights and higher fares," the paper adds. But not everyone agrees that the long-term effect on fares would be bad. Some argue that a contraction by the big airlines would be an invitation for low-cost rivals to bring their low fares to new areas. "JetBlue, Southwest, AirTran, Frontier, Spirit -- all of these carriers look for targets of opportunity and will move in and create downward pressure on fares," David Stempler, president of passenger advocacy group Air Travelers Association, tells The Washington Times.
But industry observer and frequent airline critic Joe Brancatelli has yet another take. He tells The Associated Press that travelers are already losing in the merger mania –- regardless of whether any combinations actually come to pass. "So much management time is being consumed by creating or fighting a merger," says Brancatelli, a contributor to USATODAY.com who also runs a website for business travelers called joesentme.com. "All that time would have otherwise been spent on plugging holes in the already creaky system."
