Originally Posted by
jsloan
Those comments, if accurate, are extremely close to price signaling, which is a form of collusion and thus prohibited under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act.
Companies can't agree amongst themselves to set prices. A statement like "airfare should be twice what it is today," can easily be interpreted as a promise to double United prices if the competition were to double theirs.
It's not an open-and-shut case, but sincx is correct; Kirby would be better off keeping his opinions about pricing to himself.
It is a moot point since airfare is not doubling.
Regardless, is there any example in the US of a reporter interview turning into a Sherman anti-trust issue? If Kirby held a private conference call with DAL and AA, and prices all went up the same I see that as an issue. An interview, I can't think of any examples.