Lets follow the money.

[isobars]

OTOH, I believe the users should carry the extra burden they add to the mix. The 300-pound guy who carries six bags should pay extra for two seats and the extra weight and bulk of his luggage. People who drink to excess or smoke should pay a sin tax because of the extra burden they place on society. I should pay extra for the wear and tear my Winnebago incurs on the roadway (and I do, in the form of the nation's highest gasoline taxes on my 7 mpg rig). If I want to attend Harvard, the extra (hell, the WHOLE) cost should be mine to bear, not the taxpayers'. Preexisting medical conditions (such as mine) should trigger commensurate extra premiums and/or coverage exclusions (otherwise it's unearned welfare, not insurance). My VA health care coverage is means tested and limited, as it should be. And when I want 6 toppings on my pizza or in my omelet, the extra ingredients should cost ME, not the basic price everyone else pays for 2 or 3 ingredients. Buffets should, as some do, charge me by the pound, not a flat rate (one DID switch from flat rate to charging by the item after I went through). The list is boundless.

As long as the government stays the hell out of it, competition can reign in any "overcharging" airline -- or butcher or baker or candlestick maker or HOSPITAL (we can save up to 90% by price-shopping for our colonoscopy or heart transplant or by paying cash rather than a fat copay). The problem right now with the airlines is that competition is limited by consolidations, fuel costs are down by 2/3, and demand is through the roof.

From the NYT:
"Rick Seaney, co-founder of FareCompare.com, says airfares have been essentially stable for the last two years except on some routes where airlines have faced competition from low-cost carriers like Spirit Airlines.

Analysts say there is little mystery why. A decade of consolidation has reduced the number of airlines competing in many markets, making it easier for dominant carriers to charge more for flights. At Newark Liberty International Airport, for example — where United, which merged with Continental Airlines in 2010, accounts for 70 percent of flights — airfares are the highest among the nation’s top airports, according to government figures.

At the same time, demand is rising, meaning flights are full and airlines have few incentives to discount fares.

“This is like a perfect storm for the airlines right now, and it could keep going on for the next year,” Mr. Seaney said. “Giving free peanuts and chips is a way to address the issue that consumers think the airlines have been nickel-and-diming them.”

For now, airline executives have been clear about their priorities: to show improvements in their financial performance."
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It's still cheaper (and 6 days quicker) for me to fly -- even if I go first class -- than to drive to the other side of the U.S. OTOH, I get FAR better food driving. [I ordered a diabetic meal (hoping to keep up my almost-no-net carbs eating style) on my last flight. It consisted of five servings of sugar (muffin, coffee cake, fruit, granola, milk); I rejected it.]

[mac]

The 20 wealthiest Americans--with wealth ranging from $23.4 to $76 billion each--now control more wealth than the lower income 50% of Americans. And in the post Citizens United world they contribute most of the campaign funds. You bozos think that any Republican will do something about this. Delusion.

[real-human]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-new-gilded-age-close-to-half-of-all-super-pac-money-comes-from-50-donors/2016/04/15/63dc363c-01b4-11e6-9d36-33d198ea26c5_story.html?wpmm=1&wpisrc=nl_evening

[MalibuGuru]

[real-human]

[mac]

Even if the facts are available, make up some to fit your fantasy world:

Malibu Bard claims about big donors:

[MalibuGuru]

20 wealthiest was the comment. Zuckerberg, Buffett, Gates, the l I st goes on.

[isobars]

[MalibuGuru]

I forgot to mention George Soros. He's in the top 20.

[real-human]