Airlines’ Secret Scheme to Keep Airfare Prices High

[@margaritoamargo6347]

We bailed them out and they double down on their greed.

[@Jbghkkjkkyyf]

Corruption at its finest. All these CEO’s and board members are connected to Washington. This is why we need to elect an independent party because the republican and democrat party is 100% corrupt.

[@OhJustSomeRandomGuy]

In the case of United, we bailed them out multiple times.

[@adamjagger3263]

We also let them remain corporations and their owners are shareholders like 401k and other investors that demand returns. So do you want them to become owned by the government? That never seems to work very well either

[@Jbghkkjkkyyf]

@@margaritoamargo6347 why you delete my comment lol

[@OhJustSomeRandomGuy]

@@adamjagger3263 The "shareholders" demanding returns are primarily the C-suite and upper management. When they say "they shareholders want returns" what they mean is, "*I* want returns, I'm just not going to admit that." The government and the people should have gotten a stake in the company for the bailout.

[@TimeWeWokeUp]

"Gatekeeping" is literally what this kind of anti-competitive behavior is called across industries

[@jonathanjones3126]

Except airlines have to pay a separate entity to use the airport, they cannot really negotiate those prices

[@starventure]

The problem with your statement is that airlines must connect passengers to other flights, as well as have the employees at the ready to service them. The Euro system sucks because you never know where you are going to be next, and the airport authority doesn't give a shit about comfort or convenience. Defined gates work better.

[@Boris80b]

yep

[@carly09et]

The problem is airport 'ownership' - an airport is a monopoly by geography - look at who owns what.

[@Boris80b]

I love conservative excuses

[@dvdv8197]

“This country has socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor." -Martin Luther King, Jr. Still as true as ever today.

[@quartzofcourse]

The day this stops being posted on MPU vids is the day the world has either healed or collapsed into anarchy

[@dvdv8197]

Indeed, it can only mean two things! 😄​@@quartzofcourse

[@dillasoul2228]

This comment gets posted the exact same way so often, that I'm starting to see it as a crutch rather than a call to action

[@Window4503]

@dillasoul2228 A lot of social media posting and commenting is venting without action. I’d need more proof but it wouldn’t surprise me if part of the reason we don’t have more life-changing movement is because all that energy is now being vented and verbalized and left to die in text. We’ve forgotten how to organize while telling each other we need to.

[@jessejamez5985]

We gotta make change

[@evancombs5159]

The deregulation of the airline industry is irrelevant to what is going on here. What is relevant is the lack of enforcement of American anti-trust laws. In my lifetime these laws have essentially been ignored in favor of allowing companies to merge merge merge until they are so powerful they can do whatever they want. This has happened in almost every industry.

[@starventure]

Your argument would work except for one detail. Bankruptcy. In an over competitive market, someone will lose and that typically results in bankruptcy. Two things can result from that. Either they disappear, and local politicians get fired for not defending jobs hard enough(socialism or cheating), or they are allowed to reorganize and become "efficient" i.e. drop their wages which results in pissed off employees and a race to the bottom in the industry, ruining even more lives in the process. What you are seeking is basically analogous to what farmers in the south pre civil war wanted. Cheap prices, high benefits, zero costs.

[@rebelroar78]

Yeah deregulation was supposed to lower prices. But they extended it to not enforcing anti-trust laws and the result was mega-mergers. If you think it’s bad with airlines, just wait til you see how it went with railroads, which got deregulated around the same time.

[@SamSitar]

we need to break up the big 4 airlines.

[@1crystalball419]

And in every color of goverment

[@fsteddy6576]

Absolutely. Well anti-trust laws are a form of regulation, but I get your point.

[@JuanWayTrips]

Another reason flights are cheaper in Europe is that high-speed rail provides real competition against shorter flights. Obviously, you still need to fly between cities like Rome and Madrid, but expanded rail networks within and between countries have led to a drop in prices (along with strong ULCCs).

[@Alban-ux8jf]

They don't just compete. In Italy they pushed Alitalia to bankruptcy

[@SouthPeter98]

That really only applies within a few countries. Prices are ok everywhere else mainly because of the competition from the ultra low-cost airlines.

[@thiagopinto3137]

Agreed. Competition should be not just airlines, should be other forms of transportation…

[@jonathanjones3126]

Ryanair laughs at train travel for ticket price, granted Ryanair is a ultra low cost carrier

[@jimmytimmy3680]

In the US the Cars Lobby has eliminated Railway transportations.

[@oatmeal710]

i was less than a year old when the "temporary" baggage fees were introduced, i'm almost 24 now and they're still around. the more i learn about the world around me the more it seems like i was birthed onto a rapidly sinking ship, and i know i'm incredibly far from being alone in my age group with this mindset

[@mykki.d]

Yes. They were only going to charge temporarily to cover costs. Then they saw the opportunity to suck money out of all of us and doubled down on it

[@oatmeal710]

@@mykki.d let's be realistic here, they were never gonna be temporary. sharks smelled blood in the water and they attacked

[@rogergeyer9851]

It's obvious that the trend of a continually growing population on a finite planet causes BIG long term problems. But good luck getting governments or individuals to choose, overall, to stop rapid population expansion. Actions have consequences. But no one wants to take the responsibility for their actions. And I never had kids by conscious choice, all things considered.

[@AddSomethingCreativeHere]

I like to say "the most permanent stuff is the temporary stuff" True even outside the us

[@ganthrithor]

If you were born near the coast it may be sinking literally :D

[@rehmsmeyer]

Hotels recently learned they can cut capacity in half and double the price, meaning less cleaning needs to be done. I'm waiting for airlines to pull the same BS.

[@lagringa7518]

They already are with all these new restrictive baggage fees that force you to have less and less carry on sizes or pay for in hold storage.

[@TransitAndTeslas]

See: United's base fare with NO LUGGAGE ALLOWED, NOT EVEN CARRY ON.

[@lagringa7518]

@@TransitAndTeslas Really, I had no idea?!!

[@patty109109]

@@TransitAndTeslas WestJet in Canada has the same thing although it is outrageously cheap

[@johnp139]

How so?

[@kalef1234]

We have 1.5hr flights in the US costing $500+ it is ridiculous

[@maxstrong1999]

@@kalef1234 where to where?

[@jonathanjones3126]

When pilots $250,000 a year who do you think pays

[@mr.bluenotedoobop]

@@jonathanjones3126I used to think that, but commercial airline pilots don’t make a lot of money. At least in the US

[@TransitAndTeslas]

@@jonathanjones3126 That's not the issue. Pilots have always been paid 6 figure salaries. Instead they do crap like give me 1" of leg room, and no carry on bags!

[@jonathanjones3126]

@@TransitAndTeslas you have that option it's called business/first class

[@mamatrain100]

Imagine living in a town with no roads. Remote ish. A State capital. One Airline. One. Imagine the price gouging.

[@erkinalp]

Juneau I guess? If it weren't a state capital, it would've already got a public service airline route instead.

[@bassman91]

Hello fellow juneau inmate 😂

[@kma3647]

In those situations, you have issues of scale. There's a basic barrier to entry to any market and if you can't attract another airline to that area because there's just not enough demand for the service, well, yeah, you get a one-airline airport. The catch is that in those situations, the basic economics of supply and demand still act as a check. You don't have enough demand for a competitor, so the one operator still has to be responsive to the customer. More importantly, the local governments in such situations tend to end up acting as the police because they get the complaints when things go wrong. This is a situation distinct from a major metro area with an international hub airport.

[@frankd.506]

​@@erkinalpI don't know do Juneau ?If not Alaska.

[@arcanondrum6543]

Deregulation keeps happening. It lets corporations "police themselves". Price gouging? Boeing aircraft killing people? Hey, "whattaya gonna do?".

[@ss256]

Great content! The Canadian airline industry is 10x worse than the US industry. With only two major airlines we regularly pay extremely high prices. It's cheaper to get to France than a 2 hour flight to a local city. While Air Canada and Westjet continuously say they are not making any money. It's ridiculous.

[@patty109109]

WestJet also has only about four people working in customer service so it’s actually impossible to get a hold of anyone

[@boahneelassmal]

not just canada. especially on short notice (two or three days) it is cheaper, to fly from munich to mallorca to Hamburg, than a direct flight. Regularly it's less than half the price taking the 8hr trip compared to the direct flight.

[@petiteange08]

Agree! Porter airline is expanding though, so I hope we will get cheaper tickets in my area at least.

[@likeasambud9817]

@@boahneelassmalu can just take a cheap train from munich to hamburg, in canada the trains are just as, if not more expensive than air fare

[@boahneelassmal]

@@likeasambud9817 again it's cheaper to fly multiple times across europe to your destination rather than taking a (high speed) train on short notice. If you book a lot in advance you have a chance for good deals or you have to take regional trains but that more often than not means you're slower than a multi stop flight

[@eazydee5757]

We should de-monopolize the airline industry, and at the same time, build some high speed rail while we’re at it to reduce high prices and the amount of flights in the air.

[@evancombs5159]

You likely would not see much difference in ticket prices. The difference in cost just wouldn't be that significant, and it would be more about the tradeoff between comfort and speed.

[@Roger-vz7ol]

It isn't just be the airline industry that should be de-monopolized. There a a plthora of greedy monopolys that are running this country into the ground.

[@SooperTrooper100]

And start paying the pilots, crew, and airport personnel well and good.

[@merbst]

​@evancombs5159 I was truly impressed by the low cost of travelling between major Chinese cities, both by air & high speed rail.

[@REAL-UNKNOWN-SHINOBI]

Oh, we used to have plenty of airliners in the US then deregulation happened in the '70s.

[@takibigames]

Damn I just discovered MPU this week and I'm blown away. Solid reporting, great production, excellent scripts, not a second wasted, no fluff. Fantastic! Tiny request: add a short credits section. As someone who also did this for a living, I can tell you it means a lot to the people behind these videos.

[@zeddybear257]

Great comment: support and suggest.

[@Hyde_Hill]

Sources for further reading etc in the description would also be great.

[@CoercedJab]

They’re pretty biased tho. Sadly.

[@CoercedJab]

@@Hyde_Hill this is way better of a suggestion than some virtue signal about the credits no one will watch (unless they’re done creatively)

[@ravenone6255]

Where there is greed,money and power you find corruption

[@lamaripiazza5226]

All part of a balanced breakfast

[@MisterFro9]

This is just unregulated capitalism friend. They may have used corruption to influence politicians, but this is what capitalism is. Profit above all else.

[@SgtJoeSmith]

@@ravenone6255 unions

[@iceman9678]

Great description of a centralized Government!

[@Boris80b]

Conservatives love making excuses for corporations

[@kimmeex]

“Without order nothing can exist-without chaos nothing can evolve. Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.” - Oscar Wilde

[@Yourmission9]

Continual consolidation of companies will only lead to higher prices among all industries, which is why I’m rooting for Lina Khan!

[@maxstrong1999]

What they've not told us in any of their airline videos is that the inflation adjusted cost of flying is half of what it was pre 1978. Things like common use gates are good and will help but we need to stop subsidizing flying and invest in alternatives.

[@ZakiAsir]

​@maxstrong1999 how's that boot taste?

[@maxstrong1999]

@@ZakiAsir how is stating the fact of air fares are roughly half of what they used to be pre 1978 "boot licking?" In 1974 JFK to LHR would have cost you about $5000 round trip in today's money now it's $1200. Things like high speed rail that aren't a total money sink per passenger mile for the government should be invested in before air travel. Flying, like driving is so subsidized it's made us unaware of the true cost.

[@jasonpauda4204]

​@maxstrong1999 I'm pretty sure it's next to impossible to get new rail in the us with nimbys and restrictive zoning.

[@maxstrong1999]

@@jasonpauda4204 that my good sir is where you are incorrect! As someone who works in the industry, I see tons of promise for rail expansion all over the US. People, myself included, are fucking sick of driving and sponsoring flying as our main way to get around is just too expensive for the government.

[@Bobywan75]

In short, once again monopolies and price agreements are bad for the common citizen.

[@TransitAndTeslas]

See: Kroger/Safeway. The grocery store will become the next airline industry if we aren't careful.

[@dvdv8197]

Greed is not the desire for more, it's the desire for more at the expense of others.

[@lagringa7518]

To the point of wanting to literally control everything you need to survive as a human. 🤨

[@SgtJoeSmith]

@@dvdv8197 like dock workers wanting more and owners to get less as a result? Unless owners raise prices now.

[@Trace-l7k]

Hoarding wealth is a mental health issue.

[@lagringa7518]

@@Trace-l7k Or a means to an end.

[@SgtJoeSmith]

@@dvdv8197 like the dock workers

[@ihorbond]

And dont forget that sometimes your booking fails because price has increased while you were booking. Then you hop on a vpn to buy the exact same ticket and boom old price is back. This is INSANE. Happened to me a few times already

[@dvdv8197]

Oh and don't forget they PRICE GOUGED DURING CLIMATE DISASTERS. They need to REFUND ALL OF IT!! 😤😤😤😤

[@blueefficacy]

What's a climate disaster?? Hurricanes and such are weather, not climate.

[@arcanondrum6543]

Confirmed. My coworker purchased a ticket from the airlines, checking their and alternate websites. Tickets from Tampa to Dallas were $5000 as Hurricane Milton was forecasted to hit.

[@Mike_Genisys]

Especially considering how they were bailed out with government funds.

[@jessejamez5985]

@@blueefficacy I would say a climate disaster would be a disaster created by climate. Climate is the AVERAGE weather of an area. so a climate disaster is essentially synonymous with a weather disaster. Why you being ignorant?

[@mikemann1960]

​@@jessejamez5985Because they are ignorant or enjoy stocks but; most importantly a outside country troll farm trying to divide Americans.

[@mangos2888]

Democrats bring jobs and economic opportunities to Montana, and Montana continues to vote against them 😢😢😢

[@navajojohn9448]

I was young but in the 1960s/70s airfares were very expensive for the average family until People's Express, Laker Airways and others entered the industry

[@jonathanjones3126]

The government ensured they could get away with those prices.

[@rogergeyer9851]

Yes. It was expensive, but it was fairly NICE. And given all the fuel burned and the AGW it causes, it SHOULD be expensive and a lot less common. We just keep ignoring big problems we keep adding to as a society, and then act surprised when bad things get worse over time.

[@jonathanjones3126]

@rogergeyer9851 jet engines back then guzzeled jet fuel, do to improved metallurgy and design jet engines today produce alot more thrust with greater fuel efficiency and periods of time between maintenance cycles. Only a train fanatic takes them medium to long distance. The only way they are cheaper is if the government funds passenger rail service. If you want to reduce emissions then build more nuclear power plants because wind and solar won't do the job on something as big a countries power grid

[@Grungefan2018]

I agree it should be expensive . Pilots deserve to paid well and the planes now are flying smelly dirty buses and many but not all flight attendants do not give a s-t

[@eringo-bragh4243]

From a historical standpoint, the airlines were subsidized and destroyed the train system which was to mode of long distance transportation

[@visceratrocar]

I thought big oil and Ford Motors lobbied for rail destruction to favor personal vehicles...

[@eringo-bragh4243]

@@visceratrocar Read Ayn Rand (if you can)

[@visceratrocar]

@@eringo-bragh4243 I have. In college. It's psychotic self centered individualism. I have better things to do than pretend I'm more important individually than the benefits of affordable public transportation, which should include frequent and accessible trains.

[@dvdv8197]

It's crazy how many hidden yet HUGE, DISASTROUS PROBLEMS there are in today's society, and 99,99% is MAN-MADE. 😢😤 AND THE PERPETRATORS NEVER FACE ACCOUNTABILITY. 😤😤😤😤

[@kalef1234]

It is not surprising to me

[@merbst]

they are all downstream of late-capitalism & neoliberalism.

[@Gongolongo]

99.99% man made is not crazy when society is comprised of man?

[@destronger5313]

As a species, we can stop most of things that people need like homelessness, hunger, healthcare, with relative ease. It’s the greed and lust for power over others that stop us.

[@northernbohemianrealist]

MAGA!

[@nikkideforest8731]

Another great report by More Perfect Union. Thank you!

[@hoboonwheels9289]

Deregulation, killed Greyhound in Canada. Now its as difficult and expensive as it is in US.

[@jonathanjones3126]

Greyhound is cheap, still sucks though

[@SuperMadman41]

Greyhound is GONE in Western Canada.....

[@jonathanjones3126]

@@SuperMadman41 they probably couldn't afford to keep operating

[@nikkijubilant]

Greyhound was EXPENSIVE. It cost me LOTS to travel round trip Ottawa to Toronto in 1986, prohibitive. Now in 2024 round trip 60$ is less than one way to Toronto in 1986. Deregulation was good, it broke up a Greyhound terminal that charged you ten cents to use the washroom.

[@SamSitar]

@@nikkijubilant what replaces greyhound in Canada?

[@DtWolfwood]

People always say the government fucks things up when they are involved, but every time an industry is deregulated, it turns to shit. It's almost as if capitalism unregulated is terrible 🤔

[@JustAnotherGamerUS]

capitalism unregulated is the pathway to autocracy or feudalism

[@dj69321]

It's a terrible system even when regulated so yeah, definitely

[@Jbghkkjkkyyf]

Not quite. The government bailed out these airlines who failed during COVID. Under capitalism those companies would’ve failed and left the scene, thus creating competition amongst market players to capture that market share.

[@jray1461]

Capitalism has to be balanced with socialism.

[@crusherven]

Deregulation led to prices that are almost half what they were in the 70s. Inflation-adjusted.

[@gypsy5445]

Wow, that explains a lot!! Good luck in Atlanta, Delta owns that airport!!😮

[@johnp139]

That’s because it’s one of their HUBS. What percentage of the total passengers actually fly from or to the greater Atlanta area?

[@TheOnlySaneAmerican]

I hate flying through Atlanta. The employees across the entire airport have bad attitudes. I don't experience that except in Chicago and Detroit.

[@spooksyschannel3038]

@@TheOnlySaneAmericanI disagree. I have had great experiences in Atlanta. I have flown multiple times through the other cities as well and had fine experiences there also. It is probably just a “you” problem.

[@georgiaguerrero]

Actually it only paints a one-sided picture, which is highly inaccurate.

[@georgiaguerrero]

@@spooksyschannel3038 Speak for yourself. I avoid ATL and Delta like the plague

[@RaindoggTV]

Say goodbye to all that progress, the billionaires won. Watch how much flights go up in the next 4 years.

[@blaydCA]

Can the masses of soon to be UNEMPLOYED afford to actually fly?

[@na3rial]

Unfortunately it won’t happen in the next four years. It’ll happen after so Americans won’t blame republicans for it. Policy takes years to enact and even longer to show impact, and while the average American has been distracted with their shrinking wage, all the regulations are gone without them noticing

[@SherrifOfNottingham]

The sad part is what will happen is the impact of the infrastructure bill passed during Biden's administration will likely see it's benefits during Trump's presidency, Trump will claim responsibility for any benefits and pat himself on the back publicly, likely pushing a bill that will benefit airlines like some kind of deregulation package, and will definitely pretend that the bill he pushed caused the reduced costs people are seeing. And when he leaves office the next guy will be blamed for the tragic consequences of whatever bills Trump pushed through. Worst part is most people will blindly believe that governmental consequences are instantaneous and praise Trump for any good that comes of the infrastructure bill passed under Biden's administration freely and without being told to.

[@jkhsdjkhfjkhh3]

The government has always kept us focused on how we must keep these big companies alive and kicking, but they never care about doing that for us :(

[@AJ81788]

Supporting this channel

[@SamSitar]

i support the airlines allowing the passenger protections.

[@Kittycat822]

This needs to happen throughout all industry! We are in a monopolizing stranglehold with everything we use and consume.

[@nemomonteflores3890]

Excellent reporting! This channel has become a must for me to learn what is really happening. Thank you.

[@carrieullrich5059]

Common usage gates are a great idea

[@SamSitar]

so is airlines supporting passenger protections.

[@james.telfer]

That is of course the norm in Europe. Frankly weird the US doesn't.

[@OhJustSomeRandomGuy]

Phrase I always hate hearing, "Our best interests." which is point-blank telling you, "This is the most selfish, self-centered plan of action for me". WHY IS THIS AN ACCEPTABLE JUSTIFICATION FOR ANYTHING?!

[@Donkeyearsa]

Before deregulation air flights where only for the rich as they where the only ones who could afford to fly. In 1970 a one way air-flight of a few hundred miles was about $125 in 1970 dollars or around $1,000 in 2024 dollars. So a round trip flight from LA to NYC could cost tens of thousand dollars in today's money. That was why the 1970s aircraft had well stocked bars, dinning rooms, and seats that converted into beds instead of small compact seats like they are today. That was why air-flights where advertised as cruises in the sky as the flight industry where only advertising to the rich. The middle class and poor had to take weeks to travel from LA to NYC on trains because that was actually what they could afford.

[@aikafuwa7177]

Flying is worse not because the large carriers have ownership of airport gates and terminals. The problem is that there is no passenger bill of rights. Cheaper fare is not a better flying experience. We need better seating and less overbooking, and transparent pricing.

[@johnp139]

Only no one wants to pay more in order to get those things. There are typically other options like Economy +, business or first class.

[@johnp139]

The pricing is based on the most basic of Economic principles, which is supply and demand.

[@aikafuwa7177]

@@johnp139 That is why there is needs to legally enforced standards for minimum requirements like seat size, overbooking ratios, an no gimmick pricing. People should not be vulnerable to being scammed. A passenger's bill of rights needs to be a reality. Passengers should not stuck in plane on the ground for more than 2 hours, people are not cattle.

[@alquinn8576]

I fly 6-10 r/t per year and being impacted by overbooking or being stuck on the ground for 2 hours has never happened to me. The actual annoying thing about flying in my experience are cascading delays (which are due to maintenence issues or weather with about equal frequency), how long it takes to taxi at some airports (ORD!), and gates that are overcrowded and infested with gate lice (ORD again...).

[@crusherven]

@@aikafuwa7177 Strongly disagree. That would make flights more expensive across the board. If you want to pay more for that stuff for yourself, go for it--business class has what you want. But don't make poor people trying to make it to a funeral pay extra just because you think a certain amount of legroom is some kind of fundamental right.

[@WhiteytheLab]

Stupid sneaker bombers ruined flying. The TSA were $16/hr bullies that made me choose driving. It became cheap, like getting stuffed on a flying bus, with insane-asylum passengers. The older FAA guy is noting 2001 or 2002 as the change - what else happened then?

[@bryonraper3506]

The one thing you didn’t mention is the FAA. They cater to the larger businesses and IF there are any scraps left, the smaller operators can get service.

[@wickedphant0m]

The problem with helping out Spirit and Frontier is that they're *awful* to fly with. They're also full of junk fees, terrible service, employees who get kickbacks for up-charging passengers...

[@SherrifOfNottingham]

Spirit and Frontier are not cheaper than Delta, with their excessive fees you'll likely pay less just booking Delta from the start which is kinda why this video is a bit grating on the nerves. What needs to be broken is the "hub" model, making Delta, United, and American actually compete with each other will drive down prices. If you live in a hub city for any of the airlines you will pay more for your flight. Which can be super frustrating when you realize that somebody that doesn't live in a hub city might be on a connecting flight sitting next to you who has two flights that, put together, are half the price of your flight. Cost based pricing needs to be a thing, the mere existence of skip lagging proves that price regulation needs to do a sweep over the industry.

[@aaronraycove9517]

I'm from Missoula MT! Love the shout out.

[@mowuvz3672]

Spoiler alert, this video is an American problem.

[@rdbchase]

As much as I've complained about Frontier's deficiencies, I'm lucky to fly from its base in Denver; it substantially undercuts the major airlines on price.

[@OJsGuardianAngel]

Very well done video. This is why I come to this channel

[@auto117666]

Great reporting

[@meganw24]

nothing is done for the consumer benefit anymore in the US... so disgusting the greed

[@wilinstonthompson1352]

The low cost carriers are straight nightmare in Quality. Super 8 vs Marriott

[@leibatt2]

Great video. Thanks for sharing this important information!

[@Hydeperformance66]

Jessica you’re Awesome, keep doing your thing you’re very talented stay away from politics you have a great platform here don’t take sides just report the facts..

[@ebby_ebby]

So you’re telling me to move to France…got it, on my way😎

[@larkyyyn3435]

In Canada we have west jet , air Canada and sometimes flair . The prices are always the same between the airlines there is no competition.

[@stevennpitt]

I worked in the aviation sector on the IT side in the mid-70s to mid-80s, going from highly regulated to fully deregulated in that time. It seems that the 'golden era' post de-reg. was the mid eighties to early 90's, lots of competition, good pax exp. etc. So, today, we ostensibly have 'deregulation', but due to non-enforcement of anti-trust reg (FTC), we are back in the almost same competitive environment as pre-1975. Go figure...

[@Hatchet-wy3vn]

This video post should be a Public Service Announcement on every form of media. Everyone should see this.

[@marcman844]

Can you just imagine Southwest having to not have a stranglehold on DAL? Delta keeps trying to get more flights in there but the city and WN say "there's no more space."

[@lightintheart]

so interesting and never would have thought about or known. Great work! Thank you 🎉

[@fw1421]

They compete the price UP,not down. This is capitalism in America today.

[@yvetteandjorgenlarsen9753]

Thanks so much, Jimmy!😮

[@ryanwilliams989]

Right now, we stand at a crossroad of possibilities in the market where the boundaries on what we can achieve is not just dictated by the Fed, or the world around us(war, inflation). There's always going to be recession for some people while others amass wealth, think about it.

[@TheresaAnderson-kf5xw]

I think this is a time where financial advisors may come in handy for everyone, not just newbies

[@hunter-bourke21]

IMO, financial advisors are the most sought-after professionals after doctors. My portfolio is well-matched for every market season and just yielded 85% from early last year to date. I and my advisor are working on a 7 figure ballpark goal, tho this could take another year.

[@maggysterling33254]

@@hunter-bourke21bravo! I appreciate the implementation of ideas and strategies that result to unmeasurable progress, thus the search for a reputable advisor, mind sharing info of this person guiding you please?

[@hunter-bourke21]

The decision on when to pick an Adviser is a very personal one. I take guidance from *Izella Annette Anderson* to meet my growth goals and avoid mistakes, she's well-qualified and her page can be easily found on the net.

[@BiancaSherly-qt6sb]

oh! i never take this advises online seriously, but i checked Izella up out of curiosity and i must say i am impressed by her Credentials. i emailed her already, waiting on her response

[@Wo9i7sj5l2a]

Almost 1 million! Congratulations and thank you for education people! ❤️

[@danielalt7508]

If your country has legalized lobbying... *then you are not allowed to complain.*

[@shorts-xb1op]

Bullshit. Lobbying was written into the US Constitution at its inception; it wasn’t something that we woke up one day and voted in favor of in the past century like you seem to believe. We can absolutely criticize archaic laws that don’t benefit anybody. How else would any country make progress if people weren’t criticizing its problems?

[@shaec3405]

Yes TF WE ARE. To Get Rid of lobbying

[@lmc333]

Thank you for bringing this to light !!!

[@tfisthisman]

I had never seen this airline-dedicated gate nonsense before. US is a weird place to say the least.

[@frequentlycynical642]

Continental used to fly from Sarasota, FL to Houston, its major hub. One fine sunny Florida day they announced that they would no longer serve Sarasota. Fares immediately increased.

[@ashketchum9005]

don’t see why to put the branding as a negative… Airlines usually brand their gates at their hub (home) airports. It makes sense for Delta to do this in Atlanta or for United in Newark because they have hundreds of flights leaving from there every day. The local airport in Montana however has 1 daily AA flight, 3 UA flights and 4 DL flights. It’s not even in the airlines’ interest to have own gates or own ground handling staff there.

[@johnp139]

EXACTLY!!!!

[@Coolsomeone234]

Yeah thats true.

[@rickson50]

Did you watch the video? They explained it there. The branding just shows that the gate is owned. Airports have limited space. Airlines with money will buy up the gates and there is no room for other carriers to come in

[@GregHuston]

She wasn't comparing DIA (where the gal started the video) to Missoula but to Charles de Gaulle another monster airport that doesn't have the owned gates, where efficiencies are king over branding and ownership. She's right at DIA there's gates that have 1 flight per day at them, where at CDG you might have a dozen flights out of that gate. Missoula was just an example of taking the model used elsewhere in the world to the USA (a baby step).

[@dkid-ur1md]

The idea is great. Until the airport sells all the slots and then there’s no gate space when there’s lengthy delays so your plane sits on the tarmac waiting for a gate to open.

[@cmcjvcltcbmc]

Keep it up. You guys are kickin ass.

[@SkyGlitchGalaxy]

Since deregulation, ticket prices are a small fraction of what they were in the 1970s, and they are also many times safer. Also airlines dont require yearly handouts from the federal government.

[@shaunbava1801]

Yeah those were my thoughts when watching the video, deregulation was a positive in a lot of respects. What we are seeing now is monopolization and post COVID the airlines are effectively resetting the schedules and opting not to compete. There is almost like collusion that the majors have zero interest in competing they are dividing the routes and setting the fares.

[@alquinn8576]

video also lacking in context and hard numbers. In 2023 US airlines made an operating profit of 5.6% and net profit of 3.2%, so they are nowhere near getting monopoly rents.

[@tavuong666]

The biggest secret are taxes and fees, which are about 50% of the flights.

[@KatieFleming517]

*I'm favoured only God knows how much I praise Him,* $230k every 4weeks! I now have a big mansion and can now afford anything and also support God’s work and the church.

[@KatieFleming517]

Only God knows how much grateful i am. After so much struggles I now own a new house and my family is happy once again everything is finally falling into place!!

[@jeffbarnes4903]

Wow that's huge, how do you make that much monthly?.. I'm 37 and have been looking for ways to be successful, please how??

[@KatieFleming517]

It's Ms. Evelyn Vera doing, she's changed my life.

[@KatieFleming517]

I started pretty low, though, $5000 thereabouts. The return came massive. Joey is in school doing well, telling me of new friends he's meeting in school. Thank you Evelyn Vera, you're a miracle.

[@MistyHoffman737]

Wow...I know her too she is a licensed broker and a FINRA agent she is popular in US and Canada she is really amazing woman with good skills and experience.

[@JamesGreenier]

Excellent journalism

[@aerialbugsmasher]

I'm usually a fan of this channel, but as an airline pilot for one of the "big 4" mentioned, I think they missed the point by many miles, at least if you go by the title alone. There's no secret, to begin with. Yes sadly as with pretty much all other industries, industry consolidation has been rampant, and it hasn't helped a bit. But regardless, if you do actually go back to the days before deregulation, tickets were exorbitantly expensive, only the very upper middle class or higher could afford to fly. A flight from Dallas to Austin would cost you a thousand bucks if not more. Nowadays though, while pricing could be better in some markets, anybody short of a homeless person can afford to fly at least once a year. I overhear a lot of my passengers telling my flight attendants it's their first time flying lately. And yes, in SOME markets SOME airlines definitely have the routes all to themselves, but in some parts of the country that's due to government regulation as well. Essential Air service is a government program to provide airline service to smaller towns, and its usually a single airline that gets the contract. The government is subsidizing the airline to fly there because it would be otherwise cost prohibitive. Furthermore, operating costs are extremely high for airlines nowadays, especially since all the major airlines have gone through recent labor negotiations (which I won't complain about too much personally since I feel it's the first time in 20 years I'm finally being compensated somewhat adequately for busting my ass, especially after my stint at the regional airlines only making $20k a year). Fuel costs are the #1 expense for airlines, followed by wages. That right there, is the true source of high prices. Monopolization is certainly contributing factor, but nowhere near to the extent that this video makes it seem, IMO. And at the risk of making an extremely unpopular opinion: passengers seem extremely entitled nowadays. They expect filet Mignon and lobster with complimentary lap dances from flight attendants on their $80 round trip ticket on spirit, then act surprised when all they get is a chair in the sky going 80% the speed of sound without dying on the way to their destination. If we went back to the pre-deregulation days where the cheapest tickets where 4 digits or higher, then you could have all the steak and caviar and the kitchen sink as checked luggage complimentary. But, the demand nowadays is for cheap tickets, therefore the supply is going to be cheap service. It's an unfortunate reality few people seem to understand or accept.

[@blueseaview1119]

You are too willing to accept a greed driven, erratic, politicized system with each distracting detail, obscuring systemic flaws and then blame the Public. Look more broadly. It doesn't have to be this way. Nothing does.

[@jonathanjones3126]

Sadly some people don't think as much as you and just blame one thing

[@starventure]

Well said, good sir.

[@johnp139]

EXACTLY!!!

[@odez180]

Running an airline has low profit margins. It’s expensive for a reason

[@SherrifOfNottingham]

Doesn't explain why a seat with 2 extra inches of legroom is upsold to people for 40%-60% of the cost of the regular seats.

[@odez180]

@ no one is forcing you to get an upgrade. Flying is a luxury not a necessity

[@NorthernMike-1]

This was very well produced And very informative

[@kennickel878]

An important question to ask is: why are federal funds being used to renovate an airport for rich folks? That part of big sky country isn't exactly populous or a tourist destination but, it *is* a popular place to claim residence as a tax haven. If you'd said *Yellowstone* airport was receiving federally funded renovations that would make some sense but, you're 5 hours away.

[@pegacorn13]

This part of Big Sky Country (Missoula) has the second largest population in the state it's a huge tourist destination as well. In order to get anywhere in Montana, you have to drive so it makes total sense that the airport in our second largest town would get an upgrade to serve the people who actually live here as well as tourists who have to drive through National Parks anyway. Not to mention that if you're going to Yellowstone specifically, you'll probably be flying into Bozeman: not Yellowstone airport because Bozeman airport has to serve the 4th most populous town in the state as well as tourists. Missoula's airport is for people who actually live here and tourists wishing to explore western Montana and Glacier National Park.

[@kennickel878]

@@pegacorn13 Glacier Park International Airport probably makes more sense for renovations as well. It's not only closer but, receives nearly the same level of air traffic. Yellowstone airport (not Bozeman) receives twice the air traffic of Missoula...similar to Bozeman. It looks an awful lot like some rich a-hole who has the ear of a senator didn't want to pay for a private airfield. After all, what's the fun of owning a gulfstream if no one knows you own a gulfstream?

[@pegacorn13]

@@kennickel878 First of all, Glacier International Airport has gotten it's own complete renovation thanks to federal grants so I don't know why you are arguing about that airport. Secondly, Yellowstone Airport (not Bozeman) is only open from June-September for commercial passenger flights and it doesn't even come close to getting the amount of traffic as Missoula does. Flights to/from Missoula not only serve the second biggest population in the state but our town is centralized between Yellowstone national Park and Glacier National Park and allows access to all the beautiful splendor in between. Not to mention that Missoula itself is a huge tourist attraction. It's pretty clear that you're not from here. I'm certainly not a fan of all the rich people moving to Missoula and pushing us regular folks out but we still deserved the airport upgrade so that we all can fly for less money As for which rich a-hole who has the ear of a senator, can you elaborate?

[@pegacorn13]

@@kennickel878 Glacier Park International Airport is in the process of receiving a full renovation thanks in part to bipartisan deal called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) brokered by Montana’s U.S. Sen. Jon Tester. Yellowstone airport (not Bozeman) is a non-primary commercial service airport that is only open from June-September: so no, it does not receive anywhere even remotely near as much air traffic as Bozeman or Missoula: unless you are confusing the two. Regardless, Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is doing just fine: In 2024, the airport announced a $180-million dollar infrastructure upgrade and expansion. This expansion, the largest ever in Montana history, will include the addition of three new baggage carousels, a second security checkpoint, and the capability to add on three more gates. I of course am not a fan of rich people from out of state coming here and buying up land but we all needed the airport upgrade in Missoula: that includes us regular residents struggling to survive. I'm not sure what rich a-hole or which senator you are talking about but aside from Jon Tester we are pretty much a completely red state: and it's showing. It's pretty obvious that you don't live here so perhaps you should stop making judgments about Missoula and our airport.

[@pegacorn13]

@kennickel878 Glacier Park International Airport is doing just fine and is in the process of being completely remodeled with the help of a bipartisan deal called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) brokered by Montana’s U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and is awarded through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Terminals Program. As for Yellowstone Airport (not Bozeman), this is an airport that is open from June-September only and it is categorized as a non-primary commercial service airport (between 2,500 and 10,000 enplanements per year). Perhaps you are confusing the two? Regardless Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (8 miles outside of Bozeman) is doing just fine as well. In 2024, the airport announced a $180-million dollar infrastructure upgrade and expansion. This expansion, the largest ever in Montana history, will include the addition of three new baggage carousels, a second security checkpoint, and the capability to add on three more gates. Finally you clearly don't live here and if you did, you would know that Bozeman and the surrounding area is the MOST expensive place to live in Montana and it has been for years. The mad rush of rich republicans moving to Missoula is relatively new where as Bozeman has been packed full of them for decades. I don't know which rich a-hole or which senator you are referencing to here but I'm pretty sure they're from Bozeman: the place with the biggest airport that's getting the biggest remodel/expansion in the history of the state. So in the end, we in Missoula deserved our upgrade for the people who actually live here: in the second most populous town in Montana.

[@TetrisAddiction]

An important thing to remember about smaller airports like Missoula is that the local government often subsidizes airline operations. This can mean reduced leases, free landing fees, and/or cheaper services for aircraft on the ground.

[@ghoulbby]

It's because Montana has more millionaires and billionaires buy homes in the area, so they're getting upgraded infrastructure and airports to appease the new high class community.

[@visceratrocar]

Allowing cheaper carriers will attract less wealthy people, though.

[@pegacorn13]

While it is true that a bunch of rich people are moving here, the population in Missoula has exploded in general and it used to be EXTREMELY expensive to fly here. It was actually cheaper to drive 3 hours to Spokane and fly out of there. Having more flights and airline options benefits us all: including all the college students and those of us who aren't wealthy....

[@jimjernigan3670]

It’s not just squatting on gates. It’s landing slots. There must be a way to share landing slots more fairly than just selling them to the highest bidder.

[@mrAhollandjr]

Common use gatea work in small airports and maybe possibly mediym sized nonhub airports. It would be a disaster at O'Hare. O'Hare is a hub airport for both United and American. United flights operate from Terminal 1 and American flights operate from Terminal 3. Connecting passengers don't have to worry about changing Terminals which could increase the chances of missing a Connecting flight, as changing concourses within a Terminal could be challenging enough. Terminal 5 at O'Hare is mostly common use, with the exception of Delta having some assigned gates. The reason Terminal 5 is common use is that it is a primarily international terminal, though Southwest and Frontier also use termibal 5. It would be ridiculous to have to change yerminals to connect with a flight when you are only flying one airline. Also airlines operate their own airport lounges which are easier to access when the aurline flights are concentrated in one area. While common use works great for Missoula, it can't work for Chicago

[@mrpotter315]

EXCELLENT reporting. Keep it up.

[@user-ei7ed6zy9k]

“Europe doesn’t do this” is such an INSANE lie. Major airlines here do the exact same thing. Have you guys even been anywhere in Europe? 😭😭

[@legallyregarded]

Amsterdam Schipol has less common use, for sure. Even EasyJet has its own gates! Frankfurt has lots of common use but that has been leading to a lot of delays lately. 5 of my flights were delayed over the last 2 weeks due to poorly-trained refugee staff employed by contractors. Talking about Heathrow, again, less common use, but then at least boarding gates are shared by partner airlines.

[@louisrafaelcom]

Where have you seen airlines with their own gates? Check-in counters yes, but not gates in my experience - ZRH is my most frequent airport.

[@sidewinderrider]

“Your own ground staff” brotha that’s unifi 😭

[@SimGunther]

1:30 Oh good. Finally some labor thing that we can't 100% blame Reagan for 😅

[@frances4797]

President Carter

[@starventure]

Reagan had zero to do with that. That was the Peanut that did it, not the jelly bean.

[@SimGunther]

@@starventure But Reagan was the final punch for the union busting in a lot of industries, including the airline industry.

[@starventure]

@@SimGunther Reagan went after PATCO, that's it. He didn't sic Icahn or Lorenzo on anyone. Blame Wall Street and the SEC for that, but Reagan didn't do squat to cause that, and quite frankly he was right to fire the ATC guys because what they were doing was not just illegal but highway robbery of the public.

[@alquinn8576]

@@SimGunther lol, keep trying to blame Reagan when it was Carter. Reagan went after the ATC union because they were being bitches. BTW, airline and trucking deregulation were Carter's best policies

[@everyonexist]

Thanks for this, uplifting.

[@ecthelion83]

2:45 "The big guys stopped competing with each other head-to-head on price...around 2001-2002" - hmm, I wonder what happened in the US in 2001-02 that was particularly relevant to air travel?

[@dannyluelee]

I remember as a kid, flying from Milwaukee to Fresno and getting a whole meal. Now, we get pretzels and half a coke lol.

[@chucky187]

Airlines sharing gates is a terrible idea. One airline can cause a delay to multiple other airlines. Not to mention the safety issues and excess fuel used by moving equipment around. This "expert" knows nothing.

[@starventure]

Ding Ding Ding, winner winner!

[@johnp139]

Only works for relatively small airports with very few flights.

[@jdp486]

Delays are known about hours in advance - I think airlines could manage.

[@XenaphobeJoe-n1j]

My secret way of never flying again

[@NoNotThatPaul]

Every capitalist is out for their own interests, and every capitalist wants a monopoly

[@starventure]

But every socialist craves a slave.

[@12B4Christ]

Brainwashed much?

[@juanlee337]

i never thought i would say this but now I am rooting for budget airlines to do better

[@DaRedGoldfish]

"There are more flavors of Coca-Cola then there are airlines to fly from" perfect illustration of the illusion of choice consumers have in almost every industry nowadays

[@kendallsmith1458]

Yes but how many brands of cola?

[@exactemphasis]

Kind of a bad analogy, 4 airlines control 80% of the air travel market, 3 soft drink companies control 90% of the soft drink market

[@pleaseenteranamelol711]

@@exactemphasis That's an almost perfect match. Are you demented?

[@SamSitar]

airlines should allow competition that people want.

[@krisshnapeswanipeswani3190]

​@@kendallsmith14587-8

[@KazuH72]

Great reporting. 👍🏼

[@bevarsii]

Really good video! Flying basic economy on United is basically the same as flying on the cheaper airlines but the cost is almost 2-3x more. We need stricted airline regulations

[@jeanjasinczuk7543]

It is a really bad click bait video, made of many misconceptions. Airline are not making much if any profit on tickets. Consolidation is due to the fact that too many companies cannot survive a complex business like airline. Sharing gates looks good in theory... except when delays occur, then it become a real mess.

[@cloudyfordays852]

​@@jeanjasinczuk7543Yeah, this video also doesn't go into how the margins in the airline industry are 2-4% which alone makes it incredibly unattractive for new competitors to get in. Unless they do some extreme price cutting measures like fly much smaller aircraft and collect fees on every piece of comfort the way Spirit does. Not even to knock on Spirit because they're just doing the job in their niche. But we can't just pretend the value you're getting from a Spirit flight is the same as the value from a United at a fraction of the price.

[@caesarg3676]

Just bring Amazon into the airline industry.

[@yamamaahoe789]

probably already in the works

[@markdocherty682]

Biden Harris Administration? Is this a political ad?

[@12B4Christ]

It is absolutely a marxist ad. Its why she keeps repeating the "Harris" rather than any unbiased journalist would just state "Biden Administration"...which is no administration at all, its a globalist marxist circus bent on the destruction of the US.

[@sopranottt]

It is

[@derrickbutler6854]

The infrastructure bill was bipartisan and passed by Congress. Even hardcore repubs like Hawley co sponsored it. Im sure Trump and his billionare buddies are going to fight even harder for the average US citizen! I will be waiting for air fares to go down....😂

[@EarlofSalop]

I’d love to know what the airline lobby’s argument is for not stopping junk fees or refunds for cancel flights

[@draneym2003]

I love how red states vote against this, they get a shiny new airport and I'm sitting in a 70s relic in Pittsburgh that I actually voted for.

[@burlingo]

Excellent reporting! Wish more people watch it

[@kylewollman2239]

Always cool to see a Missoula shout out! Does it seem odd to anyone else that the Biden administration hasn't been more vocal about the positive impacts they've had? I pay fairly close attention to politics and I hardly ever hear about these things.

[@TimEssDub]

Those are not "sexy" topics, but it should be touted

[@johnchedsey1306]

Democrats aren't great at messaging, plus it gets lost in the right wing noise/disinformation chambers. And Biden seems allergic to self aggrandizement.

[@user-ux8hg8bk3e]

How about allowing foreign competition in the domestic market!

[@St_Fish]

MPU's analysis paces between "X is being ruined by capitalism" and "X is being ruined because we're not doing enough capitalism." Why was there no mention about how that bipartisan climate and infrastructure bill was massively watered down for corporate interests? And why still no videos on war profiteering from the genocide in Palestine?

[@Bacarruda]

Thanks this is a great report

[@unggrabb]

Now with trump, it will get even worse