Less competition shouldn’t always be illegal, but we shouldn’t pretend it’s good for consumers, something that the federal government is supposed to take into account today in deciding whether to grant anti-trust immunity to airline collusion. Neither the United-Air Canada nor Delta-Westjet deals should be approved. And existing deals should be regularly revisited to determine whether the promised consumer benefits have materialized.
Ultimately we need a new approach to anti-trust, but piecemeal exemptions that favor one company over another while going through the kabuki theater that is it’s all about benefits to passengers is simply bad policy.