Security issues were discussed in Dallas at some length. The lack of consistency at and among airports was mentioned as a problem. Also discussed were the mixed messages coming out of Washington and the media that can have a dampening impact on business travel levels. The federalizing of airport security screeners was discussed an important step in rebuilding the nation's confidence in the integrity of the air safety system.

The impact of extra security time at the airport on short haul markets was reviewed. It was noted that NASA recently issued a report that suggested that the time benefit of flying in markets of 500 or fewer miles, versus driving a car, had virtually disappeared in recent years. Overlaying an extra hour or more now due to new security measures will cause problems for airlines in these short-haul markets. It would not take many full fare passengers to decide to drive to erode the economics of short-haul routes.

Finding a replacement for the current domestic U.S. airfare structure was also thoroughly discussed and thought to be an industry priority. Simplification was the number one objective with respect to airfare structure reform. It was noted that simplification would enable self-booking technology to cover all of a corporation's air travel.

There was a healthy debate regarding trust in the industry among the principals. It was noted that because airlines assume the complete risk from the "manufacturing" of the product through to the consumption of the product, that this situation causes great instability as manifested by hundreds of thousands of daily airfare changes as airlines chase every incrementally passenger.

The great number of daily airfare changes, among other issues, can lead to mistrust among industry participants. Some buyers also contribute to mistrust by way of misleading suppliers with respect to how much business they can deliver. …