Antitrust Law Daily Wrap Up, CONFERENCES: American Antitrust Institute to host 2015 Airline Roundtable, (Oct 5, 2015)

By Michael Menzhuber, J.D., LL.M.

The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) will host the 2015 Airline Roundtable on December 10 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The focus of the Airline Roundtable will be on challenges to competition, with the goal of refocusing antitrust and regulatory aviation policies to promote rivalry, innovation, and consumer benefits. Experts in antitrust and regulation from government, industry, advocacy, and academia will be present to discuss major competition enforcement and policy issues facing the airline industry.

As a result of the rapid consolidation among U.S. airlines in the past decade, domestic markets are now dominated by four large carriers. Evidence of tighter capacity, rising fares and ancillary fees, and growing airline influence over distribution continue to raise concerns among competition enforcers and policymakers. A decade of consolidation and change also highlights the connection between domestic and international competition; as well as growing questions surrounding open skies agreements, airline alliances, and antitrust immunity. These issues and, in particular, how market participants along the supply chain are responding to competitive changes, will be examined at the Airline Roundtable.

The Airline Roundtable will begin with a "Year in Review," which will be followed by a moderated morning panel and roundtable discussion. The focus of the panel will be on the industry competitive landscape and challenges faced by market participants and it will feature experts from the airlines, distribution channels, and consumer community. After the keynote luncheon, an afternoon panel and final roundtable discussion will follow. This panel will examine the tools of competition enforcement, the roles of public and private enforcement, and regulatory policy mechanisms for addressing potentially anticompetitive conduct, remedies, and promoting competition more broadly.

This event is by invitation. An invitation can be requested by emailing aai@antitrustinstitute.org and including name, title, organization, and interest in the topic.

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