By Joel Widzer

Travel columnist

updated 3:39 p.m. ET Sept. 14, 2005

The future of American air transportation rides in the cabins of the nation’s big airlines. For more than 70 years, airlines like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have proudly served the interests of American travelers. Along the way, they have helped businesses earn trillions of dollars, worked with the government to secure our borders, and given travelers a way to explore the wonders of the world.

And what have they gotten in return? Travelers have taken advantage of airlines’ willingness to maintain competitive fares and repaid it with fleeting loyalty and indifference. At the same time, selfish labor unions have drained the big airlines’ coffers and predatory upstart carriers have poached their routes.

In other industries, consumers build mutually beneficial relationships with providers of goods and services. Wal-Mart shoppers won’t shop anywhere else, just as BMW owners won’t let anyone else service their $70,000 vehicles. These consumers are fiercely loyal, no matter their income bracket.

But when it comes to air travel, consumers toss loyalty aside in search of a better deal. I call this the “Southwest Effect” — the naive idea that the best deals will be found on Southwest Airlines, JetBlue, and other low-budget carriers, as well as on third-party Web sites. Not only do these better deals not exist, but this greedy strategy is wreaking havoc with the U.S. air travel industry.

In my opinion, it’s un-American.

Whenever travelers fly a low-cost carrier, they disrespect the contributions that the major carriers have made to the United States of America. Failing to repay the debt of gratitude we owe the major U.S. airlines is unpatriotic.

Why should we reward the major U.S. airlines?

Without the major U.S. airlines, my neighbor would not be able to visit her brother twice a year in Israel; she would not have been able to explore Central and South America, taking time to become fluent in Spanish. Without the major airlines, many Americans would be unable to share Thanksgiving and Christmas with their families.

During the past 10 years, the airline industry has been in turmoil. In that time, we lost several great American companies, including TWA, Pan Am and Eastern. Chock it up to competition — that’s the American way. The remaining big airlines have answered their challenges with innovation and reinvention — that’s also the American way. Responding to market conditions, the airlines have whittled their cost structures and profit margins to the lowest in any industry.

At the same time, the full-service airlines have continued to serve the American public with pride, especially in times of trouble and hardship. When America was terrified by the events of 9/11, the big airlines responded quickly and got passengers on their way. When winter storms pummel the Northeast, the major carriers still take you anywhere in the world. When Americans become displaced by harsh hurricanes, the major U.S. airlines offer their services and ferry those in need to safe ground.

During such difficult times, major airlines also waive their usual change fees, rebooking rules, and refund policies. Unlike other businesses, the big airlines typically forgo opportunistic practices in order to serve their customers’ needs.

Think about it. At a time when gas prices make it more expensive to drive than to fly, airlines have done their best to maintain low fares (and they have high fuel costs, too). In fact, today you can fly from coast to coast and stay in a five-star hotel for less than it costs to drive the same distance.

The major airlines are big contributors to charity, too — and not just in times of national tragedy. In fact, they routinely donate miles and services to such causes as the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the American Red Cross, cancer victims and their families, and many other worthy causes.

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