The railroads were built to move freight. Passengers was a sideline that was heavily subsidized long after it became unprofitable, in "the national interest"
Commercial aviation was established to carry the mail. When planes with pressurized cabins appeared, passengers became practical. Subsidies were small compared to the cost of the infrastructure and services like air traffic control, weather reporting and now Homeland Security. Again it's done in the name of "the national interest".
__________________
The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.
|