Lawmaker, Citing Study, Says California Air Fares Too High
A state lawmaker criticized airlines Friday for California fares that have jumped an average of 40% over inflation since federal deregulation of intrastate service in 1978.
“It’s very clear the skies of California are not friendly for airline passengers,” Sen. John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) said at a Capitol news conference.
He released preliminary findings of a state Public Utilities Commission study that also found a significant decline in airline competition, with two or three airlines controlling most markets.
Garamendi, chairman of the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee, stopped short of accusing the airlines of price fixing. “I don’t have information to make a conclusion there is collusion. However . . . they seem to move together,” he said.
When Garamendi asked for the PUC study a year ago, airline representatives blamed the higher fares on increased jet fuel costs, he said. But the PUC study found fuel costs have decreased about 40% since the early 1980s.
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