U.S. air chiefs hit back at ‘dinosaurs’ claim
The United States Air Transport Association (ATA) has hit back at comments by a senior congressman that the major US carriers are ‘brain-dead’ dinosaurs.
As reported by News From Abroad, John Mica, chairman of the House of Congress aviation sub-committee, accused some airlines of being like “pigs at the trough” during the months following the 11 September attacks, during which there was financial help available from Congress.
Mica reportedly said: “You can only feed dinosaurs for so long. The only way to be attractive is to have a profit – you guys haven’t found that out yet.” However, according to the Financial Times, the chief executive of ATA, James May, has refuted the allegations.
He reportedly told the newspaper: “The airline business collectively is a dynamic business working under some of the most difficult conditions imaginable. Since 9/11 we have taken nearly 1,000 planes out of service, we have cut hundreds of millions of dollars in operating costs, we have made every conceivable move to economise.”
Have your say Cancel reply
Subscribe/Login to Travel Mole Newsletter
Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. If you are receiving this message, simply enter your email address to sign in or register if you are not. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. ITR is free to our subscribers.































France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt