http://rickseaney.com/2010/01/15/dot-fines-united-airlines-must-treat-passengers-fairly/
I just read the above article. For those who don't want to read it the short version is that DOT fined United Airlines for adding on an illegal fee during a 60 hour computer glitch. I wonder if it's really a glitch and they're sorry they got caught or if it was just a glitch and bad luck. Here is the thing... United was fined $30,000, good for DOT. However, where does that money come from - our pockets. I'm not suggesting that fines are bad and shouldn't be imposed, but I wonder is there other ways that might hurt the airlines more?
How about taking away gates and peak take off times at airports, I'm sure that's a complex process, but I would think that DOT might be able to use that as leverage and it would hurt more then a fine that is passed on to the consumers.
