Quote of the day

Maybe it’s sex appeal, but there’s something about an airline that drives investors crazy.
–Alfred Kahn

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Southwest’s Kelleher gives Lindbergh Lecture

Herb Kelleher, the legendary founder of Southwest Airlines, proponent of low fares, and friend of deregulation, delivered the Charles A. Lindbergh Memorial Lecture tonight at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. He reflected on his long career in aviation, on the fundamentals of Southwest, and offered a few comments about the future [...]

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1978, 2008

[Alfred] Kahn and the [Civil Aeronautics Board] were facing not just one but three airline mergers in the summer of 1978. In addition to the battle for National, Continental Airlines and Western Air Lines had filed for approval to merge, and two local service carriers — North Central Airlines and Southern Airways — also wanted [...]

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Airline regulation revisionists face the wrath of Kahn

Alfred Kahn, the eminent economist and chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board who oversaw airline deregulation in the 1970s, has published a fascinating new working paper on the AEI Reg-Markets Center site. He addresses the difference between “liberal” and “progressive” views on economic policy and regulation, and he argues that “progressivism” as defined by those [...]

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The more things change. . . .

In 1929, Juan Trippe, president of Pan American Airways, was competing for the lucrative airmail contract for Puerto Rico. (At that time, holding an airmail contract was virtually the only way for a U.S. airline to stay in business.) His competitor, West Indian Aerial Express, was already operating on the line and competing for the [...]

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Airfares: you get what you pay for

Last week, Sean O’Neill addressed the tricky nature of measuring changes in airfares. Air fare indexes pick up or decreases in base fares over time, but they don’t pick up “nickel and diming” (the addition of lots of charges for luggage, food, over-the-phone booking) or declines in service (cranky flight attendants, less legroom).
I’m on record [...]

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What’s in an airport name?

I was thinking recently about names of airports. The standard formula in the United States is to name an airport after its locality, and if there are multiple airports, to name it after a local personality or feature. A small proportion of our airports are named after truly national figures, unlike in Latin America or [...]

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A little presidential trivia for Presidents’ Day

President Lyndon Johnson takes the oath of office aboard Air Force One on November 22, 1963.
In honor of Presidents’ Day, enjoy a little trivia. Have I missed anything interesting in this list? Add it in the comments.

First president to fly in an airplane: Theodore Roosevelt, who flew in a Wright bros. biplane in 1910, a [...]

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“An achievement that warrants inclusion among the country’s landmarks of art, science, and history.”

My review of the National Air and Space Museum’s “America by Air” exhibition is in the February 11 issue of The Weekly Standard. It’s subscription only, for the moment.
UPDATE: Nonsubscribers can read the article here.

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