# NEW Stupid Republican Idea of the Day (Part 4) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 22, 2025, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678 "2025-02-22T21:08:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 212
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4221 "2026-05-02T20:04:39Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I remember flying from San Diego to Lancaster in the early-'70s to visit my dad. Flying then couldn’t have been _that_ expensive It feels like it was slightly yet firmly more expensive than today. The only price I remember is $50 from Buffalo to Syracuse since it is a round number, and taking into account inflation, that’s the same price as the cheaper fares today, for a shorter flight. (It’s sort of hard to believe that that was an actual scheduled flight. The elements of regulation, and the 55mph national speed limit making the trip a 3 hour drive, and the hassle free and fast airport experience combined together to make that route viable, from a demand perspective if not from a supply one.) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4222 "2026-05-02T21:21:54Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’m old enough to remember flying before deregulation. I remember flying from San Diego to Lancaster in the early-'70s to visit my dad. Flying then couldn’t have been _that_ expensive. I’m old enough to remember how airlines competed on amenities, since ticket prices were regulated. Wa-a-ay back when, California had its own intrastate airline, PSA, that escaped federal regulation. I remember billboards in the Bay area, _Take our gourmet flight to Los Angeles. It costs you $13. It costs us a mint._ with a picture of a pillow mint. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4223 "2026-05-02T22:14:37Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > PSA 🎶_PSA gives you a lift!_🎶 I don’t remember them ever being $13. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4224 "2026-05-02T22:16:09Z")
Do you remember 1968 because that’s when it was. I’m old. 🙂 The inflation calendar says it would be $125 today. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4225 "2026-05-02T22:16:39Z")
I can bet they offered some loss-leader fare like that as a promo. Not that that was their actual baseline fare. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4226 "2026-05-02T22:32:19Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > Do you remember 1968 because that’s when it was. I remember the mid-'70s. PSA and Hughes Air West are the regional airlines I remember most. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4227 "2026-05-02T22:45:30Z")
PSA never really recovered after the San Diego crash. Too bad, because I liked flying them to the Bay Area. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4228 "2026-05-02T22:46:43Z")
Googling, PSA inspired Southwest Airlines, which initially only served Texas. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4229 "2026-05-02T22:59:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’m old enough to remember flying before deregulation. You had to wear a coat and tie? Poor thing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4230 "2026-05-02T23:55:45Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > PSA never really recovered after the San Diego crash. Too bad, because I liked flying them to the Bay Area. I disagree. I think it was the hijacking and intentional crash in 1987. They went under a year later. Also Southwest Airlines was really coming on strong. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > You had to wear a coat and tie? This was in the '70s, not the '60s. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4231 "2026-05-02T23:58:19Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > > > You had to wear a coat and tie? > > This was in the '70s, not the '60s. 😉 A leisure suit and gold chain? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4232 "2026-05-02T23:58:57Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > A leisure suit and gold chain? I was probably in 501s at that stage. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4233 "2026-05-03T00:03:07Z")
PSA didn’t die. They were bought by Allegheny and along with Piedmont all 3 were rolled into what became USAir. Today that lives on, sorta, as one of the many forerunner carriers inside American Airlines. They even have a PSA livery A321: > **[Aviation Photo #8060137: Airbus A321-231 - American Airlines (PSA Airlines)](https://www.airliners.net/photo/American-Airlines-PSA-Airlines/Airbus-A321-231/8060137)** > > Photo taken at Los Angeles - International (LAX / KLAX) in California, USA on November 14, 2025. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4234 "2026-05-03T01:48:54Z")
Oh, doesn’t it look happy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4235 "2026-05-03T02:19:03Z")
'Bout the same as always on the outside. The inside is much more miserable than back in the day. Neither a microskirt nor a go-go boot to be seen. Nor a smoking section. And least of all, a $13 fare. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4236 "2026-05-03T02:45:25Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > PSA didn’t die. There may be a plane painted in PSA livery, but PSA as an airline died in 1988. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4237 "2026-05-03T03:16:58Z")
There’s a difference between disappearing completely, e.g. Spirit, and continuing sorta as part of another outfit. Admittedly I’m speaking from the POV of a worker, not a customer. PSA’s employees mostly kept working until they reached retirement. Spirit’s employees lost everything a couple days ago. Enormous difference. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4238 "2026-05-03T03:28:40Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Admittedly I’m speaking from the POV of a worker, not a customer. PSA’s employees mostly kept working until they reached retirement. Granted. But you can’t book a flight on PSA, any more than you can book a flight on Continental. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4239 "2026-05-03T04:09:27Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I think it was the hijacking and intentional crash in 1987. For anyone else who was curious: > **[Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Southwest_Airlines_Flight_1771)** > > Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 1771 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco. On December 7, 1987, the British Aerospace 146-200A, registration N350PS, was intentionally crashed in San Luis Obispo County near Cayucos, after being hijacked by a passenger. > All 43 passengers and crew aboard the plane died, five of whom, including the two pilots, were presumably shot dead before the plane crashed. The perpetrator, David Burke, was a disgruntled former employe... ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678/4240 "2026-05-03T17:11:02Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > PSA never really recovered after the San Diego crash. Too bad, because I liked flying them to the Bay Area. Me, too. Remember Western Airlines? The oooonly way to fly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=211) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-stupid-republican-idea-of-the-day-part-4/1014678.md?page=213)