More than six months into his term, left-wing darling New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is still trying to pitch New Yorkers on government-run grocery stores, an idea that has local bodega owners up in arms. City entrepreneurs are rightfully alarmed about the government crowding out small businesses, and taxpayers are concerned about the price tag.
Now, a close political ally wants to copy and paste the strategy to micromanage flying.
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Claire Valdez, a Mamdani-backed Democratic Socialists of America member, recently secured the party’s nomination for an open House seat in New York’s 7th Congressional District. If she makes it to Washington, what kind of proposals can her constituency expect? When asked about her political hot take in May, Valdez, in part, said, “We need to, like, nationalize the airline industry.” Move over, Mamdani Marts. Meet Mamdani Airways.
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Unlike other foolish ideas being floated by the fringe Left, it’s not difficult to imagine what a government-operated airline would look like in the United States. We flew pretty close to that route up until about 50 years ago.
Before Congress deregulated the airline sector in the 1970s, Washington tightly controlled where airlines could fly, which routes they could serve, and what fares they could charge. The de facto government-run skies didn’t result in affordable travel for Americans. In fact, government-managed flying yielded the exact opposite.
With regulators pulling all the strings, passengers got the short end of the stick. Competition was virtually nonexistent, innovation slowed, and some areas were left with few or no meaningful options for air service. As a result, flying was largely reserved for business executives, celebrities, and the ultra-wealthy. A round-trip ticket from Chicago to Miami was often triple the price when adjusted for inflation compared to today.
The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 changed all of that. Once competition replaced central planning, innovation flourished. New carriers entered the market, while low-cost airlines challenged the status quo with their no-frills business models. Today, several airlines compete fiercely for passengers on routes, prices, and services with nearly two dozen carriers operating commercially in the U.S.
How has this free market dynamic affected travelers? Prices have fallen as access increases. According to a recent Government Accountability Office report, average domestic airfares dropped 15% between 2007 and 2024, continuing a multidecade trend. On less-traveled routes — think small or rural communities — that change is even more dramatic.
Meanwhile, more Americans are flying than ever before. Data shows that nearly 9 in 10 consumers have taken to the skies today compared to just under half in the 1970s. Travelers who want the luxury of free-flowing champagne, steak dinners, or lie-flat seats can still get it. They just have to pay for it. At the same time, more cost-conscious passengers are free to hunt for bargains.
Putting the government back in the cockpit would create an “Amtrak of the skies” that no honest American is asking for.
For more than half a century, Amtrak has demonstrated the shortcomings of operating as a quasi-government entity. The commercial rail service is expected to function like a private business while ultimately answering to — and receiving money from — Washington. The transportation secretary, for example, holds a permanent seat on Amtrak’s Board of Directors, giving the government influence over the company’s investments and infrastructure decisions.
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Because of this top-down dynamic, delays have become a routine part of the passenger experience, while expansion efforts move at a snail’s pace. Despite raking in over $100 billion in federal support since its founding in 1971, Amtrak has yet to turn a profit. Even with the best intentions, government-run enterprises rarely deliver the innovation, responsiveness, or customer service that competition demands.
A government takeover of the airline industry may sound like a socialist daydream, but history tells a different story. Consumers have already been promised Mamdani Marts. The last thing they need is a ticket to board Mamdani Airways.
Jackson Shedelbower is the executive director of the Center for Transportation Policy.
