This may be old news, but I haven’t really touched on it yet.  As you may all know, Delta, and Northwest Airlines decided to merge, leaving one less airline company in the dust.  It seems as if maybe there may be only one powerhouse airline one day, right?  Well, probably not, but today, I wanted to touch on why an airline merger is bad for us, and all of the travelers out there.

The fares are going to go up: When airlines merge, they have to cut back on costs somewhere.  When they cut costs, you’re going to find that they will cut back on flights as well.  When flights are cut back, the demand is stronger, and travellers are more than willing to pay a higher price.

Watch out for the crowds: When the airlines cut back on routes, this means that more people are going to cram on those planes.  Gone are the days when you fly with half the plane being full.  Since the airlines want to make the most of their money, they want to pack the airplanes full.

Less flights leaving: If the airlines are cutting back on flights, you may find that your favorite cities are going to have less flights going in, and out.  If you’re a frequent traveller, and you’re used to a time, this can change.

Confusion among airlines: You can’t expect a merger to go clean when things happen, do you?  With this being the case, there may be problems with mechanics, customer support, and who you should talk too.  Just because they are merging with each other, you may find that one customer representative may not know anything, while the other does.

Now, mergers aren’t bad, but like everything, things are going to have a positive, and negative.  Do you think the Delta and Northwest mergers are good for the airline industry?