All across the globe, the future of commercial aviation is evolving, leaving most of us wondering what it's all going to look like in the not-too-distant future. From Argentina to North America, to China and Europe, different forms of consolidation are taking shape, and not all are following the same business principles in the quest for success. Could pride be getting in the way?

Fewer passengers are traveling and airlines are cutting back on available seats by retiring planes and reducing schedules. It sounds like bad news, doesn't it? Not if you're interested in faster service and better on-time performance.

After the initial tsunami of airline fees in 2008, we've either become used to them and have accepted them, or are still frustrated by them. Maybe it's all of the above. A recent round of new fees now appeals to our need for creature comforts like more legroom, or getting a choice window or aisle seat. The airlines know that many of us will pay a little extra to avoid the dreaded middle seat. So what's left? Pay for better service? You had to ask.

Pricing transparency – or the lack of it – has generated a great deal of customer complaints. Fares advertised to attract buyers have not often displayed the total price of the ticket, including taxes, surcharges and other fees, until the commitment to purchase is made. That's now changing in Europe as new legislation requires that the total price be made available to consumers at the point of sale. With all the gloomy news about airlines, can airline passengers finally put something in the "win" column?

In March, 2008, the United States and the European Union enacted an Open Skies policy permitting any airline based in the EU and any U.S. based carriers to fly between any point in the EU and the United States. While this agreement was heralded as a great victory for airline competition and access, there are unresolved issues that are sensitive enough to topple the pact.

Put aside the well-known airline alliances. Two industry heavyweights are trying to form their own European empires. While airline-hungry Lufthansa is buying up smaller carriers around the continent, British Airways is looking to merge with carriers from Spain to the United States and now Australia. If global reach and dominance is the goal, neither airline is being shy about it.

In the decades after airline deregulation took hold in the United States, planes went from 50% to 80% full. More planes in the sky also created a very congested air traffic system. As other world markets deregulate their airline industries, the problem will continue to worsen. Two key initiatives, one in the United States and one in Europe, are meant to deal with congested skies. But, will there be enough motivation and money to see them implemented?

In 1978, stylish airline uniforms and service, fares set to guarantee profits, and restrictions on routes and new airlines became history in the United States with the stroke of a pen. After 30 years, has airline deregulation worked?

On 12 November, 2008, IAPA completed its six-month representation on the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Tarmac Delays Task Force, a nationalized initiative commissioned to identify proposed standards and processes for easing passenger inconvenience and discomfort during lengthy ground delays.

Airlines insist that the practice of code sharing – branding and selling other airlines' flights as their own – is beneficial to customers. Critics call the practice deceptive. With more alliances between airlines being forged, code sharing is more prevalent than ever, and it can get confusing for many customers.