Since all those “improvements,” airline fares have gone up 17.7 percent in just the last year alone. Given that travel had already reached pre-COVID levels by mid-2022, you can’t just blame that on increased demand either. //

Some people actually do want a budget flying experience without all the bells, whistles, and perks. If Biden gets his way with this latest executive order, mandating all sorts of new costs for airlines, that 17.7 percent jump in prices since 2022 will look small by comparison. Is that really what Americans want? Because there’s a difference between something that sounds good and something that produces a deluge of unintended consequences.

But while the market effects of Biden’s proposal are clearly seen, is there a more insidious explanation for his move than simply trying to protect consumers? What happens if airline travel becomes even more expensive? The answer is that demand will eventually drop, which means fewer people flying.

Ask yourself, given the left’s obsession with global warming, what would make them happier than for you and others to be stuck at home and not on an airplane? As far as the White House is concerned, hammering the airlines accomplishes two goals. It lets them pose as faux warriors for the little people, but more importantly to them, it crushes an industry that they despise.