Sick of increased airline fares, fees
Once again the major airlines, whose leverage increased in 2015 with the loss is of US Airways, have announced increases in fares despite the fact they are in boom times for revenues and profits. The airlines’ costs on the other hand, are significantly down due to the lowering of aircraft fuel costs, due to continuing lower oil prices. I understand the economics of “hedging” fuel costs, but the profits from low fuel costs will be forthcoming, if a little delayed. In addition, we the traveling public have had to put up with additional fees levied by the airlines for services, which were once considered to be free and part of the service.
It is time for the traveling public to say enough and for government to look into the obvious airline “cartel” which raises prices in unison.
IAN SHAW, CUMMING
Some coverage not in public interest
A few weeks ago, Jay Bookman’s column opined how crime stats are improving and how this should (to paraphrase) moderate some of the right-wing calls for use of guns, military-style policing, etc. Doesn’t sensationalistic media coverage of racial violence and dashcam images of shootings feed the polarization that results? It’s well known that such emotionally charged coverage is mostly for the purpose of increasing ratings and profits, which is not generally in the public interest and most certainly not going to soften the hard right’s insistence on using such brutish methods to achieve their ends. Such media coverage smacks of hypocrisy and has far too much in common with the propagandizing of money-driven religious hucksterism; both are equally disgusting and manipulative.
ALAN HULL, CONYERS
