Justice Dept. takes an overdue look at airline pricing

Average Americans who take a plane ride once in a while don’t need the Justice Department to tell them that air travel is expensive and uncomfortable, what with crammed planes even at off-hours and on weekdays. Air travel is simply not as pleasant nor as convenient as it used to be, and it’s getting more expensive.

What Justice is looking into is whether the major air carriers have colluded to limit capacity –º in other words, fewer flights and choices – and keep fares high. The industry is doing much better financially after some tough years with cut-rate fares and half-full planes.

If the department investigation finds collusion, meaning the carriers are talking a little too much to each other about how they do business, then fines will follow. And there’s precedent here, which is why although the airlines are defending themselves in public, they’re not in a position to claim persecution. In 1993, the airlines settled a $396 million class-action lawsuit involving charges they colluded on fare hikes, and the following year they settled a suit involving the Justice Department and similar accusations about fares. Along the way, 10 states also brought suit over price-fixing, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The problem that could have been seen coming here was prompted by mergers or consolidations of airlines, to the point where those mergers cut what used to be eight airlines to four. The Justice Department got some concessions in the last five years or so after it of course determined that fewer airlines would mean less competition which, surprise, surprise, wasn’t going to be good for consumers.

And consumers deserve a break from brutally crowded flights, extra charges for bags and considerably fewer choices. As The Journal notes, after all, the drop in fuel costs have meant $25 billion in earnings for the airlines since 2013, after losing $33 billion in the decade prior.

The Justice Department should be aggressive in its investigation. Consumers need someone on their side.

This story was originally published July 5, 2015 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Justice Dept. takes an overdue look at airline pricing."