What would you do if you were swindled by someone? Now imagine that happening to over a million people a day, because that is what airlines do. The commercial aviation industry has glamorous, big planes flying high in the sky and bundles of inflight service. However, behind all the dazzling smiles and polished looks lies a darker truth. The way this entire industry abuses its power for better and for worse. Airlines swindle their passengers to make a higher profit, while Boeing, a company that produces planes, uses its voice over the industry to bash its competitor Airbus, for a profit. Also the United States government has helped Boeing unfairly compared to Airbus. On the contrary the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  uses their enormous power for good. Just because parts of the apple are bad, doesn’t mean it’s rotten.

Interestingly, airlines are great at swindling their passengers for a profit. Since the “Golden Age” of jet travel in the 1960s and 70s, air travel has become something most people have to do versus something that is enjoyable. That is how airlines take advantage of their passengers. In the article “10 Ways Monopoly Airlines Use 'Calculated Misery' to Make Flying an Increasingly Overpriced Nightmare,” the author Kali Holloway claims that, “The industry figured out that if it only made flying a nightmarish experience for the average traveller… customers would pay extra for even the most basic services.” Airlines are focused on making a profit, even if it requires making others miserable so that they will pay more to get what should be standard. Airlines also trick passengers for a profit by overbooking flights. The article “Bumping and Overbooking” states that, “Overbooking, [is] an airline practice designed to fill the empty seats that no-show passengers leave behind.” This definition of overbooking is a great example of a way airlines can make a profit. By overbooking a flight all seats are filled meaning that the airline is making the most possible money, but then some passengers have to take a later flight, one that could make them miss something. This is true, yet airlines will give ‘bumped’ passengers a voucher, or even an upgrade. With overbooking and misery, airlines are making a huge profit; and a profit is the bottom line . The is why air travel has gotten worse over time as the form of transportation has become a common way to get around.
However, Boeing, one of the biggest aircraft producers in the world, has also abused its power over the aviation industry. In January 1977, Airbus, Boeing’s main competitor, was busy working on creating the world’s largest passenger airplane. So Boeing came out with a statement that the Smithsonian documentary “a380 SuperJumbo” interpreted as, “Boeing believes that the future of air travel will be on midsized aircraft, flying directly between smaller airports.” This quotes shows how Boeing used its voice over the aviation industry to try to bash its competitor, because “when Boeing speaks, the aviation industry listens.” Airbus was creating the a380 for long distance, hub-to-hub flights, while Boeing believed that in the future people would want to fly directly to where they wanted to go and not have to connect through a major hub. Also, Boeing recently released a memo stating that they were cutting jobs on aircraft production and testing. By doing so, Boeing is keeping its profit margin up, and causing its shares to rise. The article “Boeing Airplane Unit to Cut More Jobs in 2017, Shares Rise,” written by Alwyn Scott, states that, “Boeing ‘will need to do more in 2017’ to lower costs and make its planes more affordable... Its shares closed up 1.1 percent at $156.18.” As Boeing uses its power to cut employees, the company earns more and their stocks go up. Boeing has used the power of its voice over others and the airline industry to bash its competitor and fire workers to earn a profit.

However, certain parts of the aviation industry have gotten extra treatment from the United States Government. A government gets to make a lot of decisions on what happens in a country, and in the US that includes a lot of the aviation laws and which airlines get to fly to certain destinations. In 1981 congress passed an act that said all federal workers and their families had to fly on a government picked US airline when on official business. The article, “U.S. Airlines Aren’t Happy With Federal Decisions They Think Favor Foreign Carriers,” written by Ashley Hasley III, mentions that, “The U.S. airlines took umbrage last year when the GSA approved JetBlue... to fly to Dubai.” Except, JetBlue doesn’t have long distance planes that can fly to Dubai. What will happen is the tickets will be bought through JetBlue so that the employes can fly on Emirates. This is completely unfair to the other US based airlines that do fly routes from the US to Dubai. The government is abusing its power by going against one its acts almost just handing the passengers to Emirates. But the government has also abused its power to help US carriers too. According to the article “Gulf Airline Blasts US for Aviation Subsidies,” some of the large Middle Eastern airlines, like Etihad, are unhappy that the US government is giving its airlines special treatment. Etihad is, “claiming that American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United Airlines have received a combined total of $71.48 billion in government benefits over the last 15 years.” It is important to notice that the US airlines are accusing the Middle Eastern airlines of getting special help from the United States government and vise-versa. Both groups of carriers have evidence proving their case, supporting the idea that the US government is unjustly abusing its power by interfering in the airlines competition and helping each of them.

Although not all parts of of the aviation industry abuse their power. A prime example of this is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They use their ability to create and change any laws and regulations for the greater good. The FAA’s website lists the regulations and what the FAA is allowed to change. For instance they have a, “process to consider environmental impacts before taking emergency actions necessary to protect the lives and safety of the public.” If something bad were to happen to aviation relating to the environment, the FAA would be able to take control and solve the problem. An example is there are laws on the noise pollution around airports, since many modern airports are in, or surrounded, by major cities. The FAA shows that not everyone with power uses it for bad. Although some people will point out that an organization that controls everything in a major industry, like aviation, could easily abuse their power for their own benefits. However, that is not the case.
In conclusion, the aviation industry is great at exploiting their power for personal  benefits. A prime example is airlines who cut amenities to lower prices so that passengers pay more for the extras. Boeing is currently cutting workers to save money so that they can earn a higher profit too. Finally there is the United States Government who has been accused of unjustly helping airlines. But the FAA uses its mighty power over the industry to keep people and aircraft safe. So next time when considering a flight, consider more than just the price, because often the lower the price, the lower the  comfort and amenities.