Putting our (North) Worst Foot forward

I flew to India on Wednesday. I had a Delta ticket and had to re-route due to a change in plans out of Detroit and they offered me a direct flight on their partner Air France and I took it. I checked a bag and the baggage tag was issued by Northwest, another partner. Ironic that both Delta and Northwest filed for Chapter 11 protection that very morning. It hit me that all the major airlines which represent the US flag abroad, other than American Airlines, are in or have come out of Chapter 11 protection. They cannot compete domestically and so are trying to survive in less competitive global markets.

I think it is lousy for the US to have these weaklings carry our flag abroad. As I have written about Delta on the India route before, they are losing market share in one of the hottest routes going given all the technology and other trade going there. As they look for assets to sell as part of their bankruptcy clean up, we should be encouraging – pressuring –  these airlines to start shifting these routes to newer US players. I have written about Southwest’s operating efficiency or the tech savviness of Jetblue – airlines like them would do a much better job of representing US interests and image around the world.