THE FRENCH TRANSPORTATION CARTEL.

Air France, in common with all the other air carriers, has suffered a major loss of business (the quarantines simply confirming what a lot of people would have done anyway, that is, asking "is this trip necessary?") and the terms of its bailout are interesting. "According to Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, a €7bn support package for the Air France business is to be made conditional on limiting competition with rail services. This means that Air France would not be allowed to carry domestic passengers on flights lasting less than 2 h 30 min on routes where there is a clear rail alternative."  There's some environmental virtue-signalling involved.  "Speaking to the economics committee of the Assemblée Nationale on April 29, Le Maire said that Air France would have to become more profitable and more competitive, and set it a target of reducing its CO2 emissions by 50% on 2005 levels by 2030. ‘Where there is a rail alternative, we expect to see a drastic cut in domestic flights, limiting them to feeding transfers at hubs’, he explained."  At the same time, those fast electric trains that connect the major cities of France (and their counterparts elsewhere in Europe) offer comparable business district to business district times and some room to stretch out, walk around, buy coffee or a snack when you want to rather than when the crew decide to roll out the beverage cart.