Meanwhile, many advertisers have expressed concern that consolidation will reduce their leverage and lead to monopoly pricing.

The market becomes distorted, market power is used to move prices away from perfect competition toward monopoly pricing, and you become worse off.

The deadweight loss is then the economic benefit foregone by these customers due to the monopoly pricing.

But, monopoly pricing is also not in the public's interest.

However, if monopoly pricing is the issue, by far the best way to deal with it is to find a way to encourage real competition.

And if current taxes proved insufficient, few travelers would balk at paying a little more to reduce delays and deter monopoly pricing.

The potential for monopoly pricing is increasing as carriers consolidate their markets and grow ever more sophisticated in defending them against interlopers.

Is airline competition dying, a victim of increased market concentration and monopoly pricing?

"There seems to be sufficient conflict of interest among the various carriers and differences in their strategy that you are not getting monopoly pricing, but it certainly bears watching," he said.

They said the commission's action would allow monopoly pricing.