Another reason the government props up the Major Airlines, if it weren't for the major airlines the USPS would have a very hard time competing with UPS/DHS/FedEx. An absurd amount of cargo on a passenger flight is postage and freight. So in a way, they're protecting their own investment in these companies. And yeah, it sucks for the babies, but you gotta find your little niche when you're up against giants like that. It happens all the time in other industries.