"There will be fewer of the legacy, or network carriers. What is
harder to fathom or figure out are which ones are going to make
it."
Source: American Airlines CEO Gerald Arpey,
speaking at a round-table discussion in Fort Worth (TX) on the
future of the airline industry. His fellow panelists, Continental
CEO Gordon Bethune and Southwest President Jim Parker, agreed that
change is in the wind. But, while Arpey and Bethune said the field
of competitors will probably be narrowed to just two or three
legacy carriers and as many low-cost carriers, Parker suggested
that the number of airlines in the business might not drop.