Editorial: A business that won`t fly

It is worth bearing in mind that the international situation is no different, with airlines going belly up at the rate of one a week. The industry was in the red after 2000, returning to profitability only in 2007, but is now back in the red because of high oil prices. All the major US airlines are either bankrupt or in some kind of crisis: United is downsizing by 18 per cent, Continental has announced massive lay-offs, and so on. Some major European airlines have been swallowed up (Air France by KLM, and Swiss by Lufthansa, for instance) or are being hawked (like Alitalia) but unable to find buyers. In sharp contrast, the Asian airlines have been busy expanding