The Chartist April 2013

The Return of the Monopoly: An Infographic

More mergers, fewer players. Is this the end of competitive capitalism?
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If February’s merger agreement between American Airlines and U.S. Airways sparked a sense of déjà vu, that may be because it would create the seventh major airline coupling since 2005. Or because a similar pattern seems to be cropping up in most industries today, with fewer players holding more of the cards. As a result, it can seem as if we are growing accustomed to monopoly. Is this the natural evolution of a consumer-oriented market, or should we be worried?

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Jordan Weissmann is an associate editor at The Atlantic. He has written for a number of publications, including The Washington Post and The National Law Journal.

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