> Another "new normal" How come anything that is "new normal" is never good?
If it allows them to reduce costs (and there's enough competition to force them to pass that on as reduced prices), I'm fairly happy with a new normal.
See also how air travel in general used to be a lot more glamorous, but also a lot more expensive.
Cynicism aside, air travel is one of the industries with pretty healthy levels of competition. (At least in Europe and South East Asia. I haven't spent much time in North America, so can't judge the market there.)
People love to hate eg RyanAir, but their effect on prices is felt throughout the industry; even if you never take a single RyanAir flight.
I wasn't referring to airlines specifically. I see how I was unclear now. We are in a decade+ era of record corporate profits yet incomes are stagnate and costs are rising.
Airlines are weird. I think warren buffet said something about airlines being the most complicated way to guarantee losing money as a business or something like that once.
If it allows them to reduce costs (and there's enough competition to force them to pass that on as reduced prices), I'm fairly happy with a new normal.
See also how air travel in general used to be a lot more glamorous, but also a lot more expensive.