"Colin W Kingsbury" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Matt Barrow" wrote in message
...

We could also have a good argument over chicken and egg here. If the
value
of the dollar goes down, and oil is priced in dollars, then it is
mathematically predictable that the price of oil will rise
accordingly.
That's how commodities work.

Yes, but fuel prices are still WAY different.

Experts figure that around $5-$12/bbl is an "uncertainty premium" due to
Middle East worries. The rest is due to economic growth in Asia, namely
China. This is only going to get worse, until somewhere above $70/bbl
where
we hit a ceiling as shale oil, of which supplies are enormous, becomes
profitable to extract.

The appropriate analogy to the foreign airlines is NOT theUS airlines,
but
AMTRAK.

Agreed, though an important fact is that many foreign airlines enjoy
quasi-monopoly status in certain markets.

Nothing quasi about it; many foreign countires have ONE national airline.

That is one heck of a subsidy.

Not only that, but their taxpayers support the companies as f they were a
national showpiece...ala Amtrak or the Postal Dis-service.

Also, most foreign airlines are primarily international carriers, which is
simply a more profitable market. I suspect that most US airlines turn a
profit on their international routes. One sign of this is that business
class is almost never sold at a discount for tickets originating in the
US.
It's full J-fare or coach.

Yup!!