On Sunday security officials at Chicago’s O’Hare airport literally yanked a passenger off a United flight because the airline needed seats for its staff. In recent years, big airlines have squeezed seats in coach closer together, forcing average-size Americans to become intimately familiar with their knees. Four large airlines — American, Southwest, Delta and United — commanded nearly 69 percent of the domestic air-travel market in 2016, up from about 60 percent in 2012, according to government data. Many people have only one or two options when they fly because the big airlines have established virtual fortresses at their hub airports. United, American Airlines and three regional airlines affiliated with them served nearly 80 percent of passengers at O’Hare last year.

Source: New York Times April 11, 2017 23:48 UTC