Thread by @kevintumlinson

The airlines do not deserve a $50 billion bailout.

The monopoly the airline industry holds over national and global mass transit should never have come to pass, and now we have an opportunity to break it.

There are several good alternatives to the bing airlines.
1/

High speed train systems would be better, faster, less expensive.

We used to have the infrastructure for trains in the US, but it was largely abandoned in favor of flying. After that, any attempts to initiate a national train system have met lobbyist resistance.
2/

Another alternative would be smaller airlines, commuter flights that are cheaper to run, but run more often, to more places. These should be competitive with each other, to force costs and overhead down for airlines and consumers alike. They’d share international hubs.
3/

Self-driving vehicles could be mainstream right now if not for resistance from various entities, including the airline lobbyists. In this moment of COVID-19 crisis, self-driving cargo trucks could be a salvation, if they were allowed to exist. Put $50b into that.
4/

Airlines have spent decades gouging ticket holders, with non-governmental fees, upcharges, unreasonable luggage charges. Cramming too many people uncomfortably into a space, to maximize profit per flight w/o investing to improve conditions or equipment, all on our dime.
5/

In the midst of a crisis that will impact millions of Americans and billions of people from other nations, the answer should be no. You don’t get $50B. You get to do what the rest of us have to do: Figure our how to survive and rebuild with what we’ve got.

6/

It’s dispicable that airlines would rush to hold their hand out, to reduce the public coffers, while millions of Americans may end up struggling for food and medicine or even to just keep a roof over their heads.

Trust me, flying anywhere is going to be their lowest priority.

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