Airlines: Too much regulation or not enough?

Regular visitors to this space probably know what this blogger thinks of the campaign to get airlines to fully disclose how much fees will add to the cost of a flight, the subject of a Department of Transportation rulemaking process this fall. Scroll back in the archives of the blog to Winging It columns written for The Inquirer earlier this year to see the stands I took if you have any doubt (the columns say "The column:" in the headline.)

The "Mad As Hell" campaign that is the subject of previous posts in the last two weeks has captured the attention of the media, and is part of a larger effort by the administration and Congress to make airlines treat customers better. In a nutshell, the airlines themselves created the need for the fee-disclosure regulation, making the likelihood of their adoption great.

But some people have different opinions about the wisdom of regulations or legislation regarding airlines. A long article by a USA Today reporter who's still being paid to report such things offers a wide range of opinons, as well as including multiple links to other information for those who want to read all about it.