Flying tends to bring out the worst in people. The same is true when it comes to how different countries deal with ailing airlines. Together with other bankruptcies, the ones of Northwest and Delta will leave about half the passengers travelling in the US flying under court protection.

US legacy airlines are not alone in their suffering. Despite steady growth in air travel, most of the world's airlines have been unable to cover their cost of capital for decades. That has more to do with arcane regulation and government handouts than such recent threats as low-cost competition and soaring oil prices. Several European flag-carriers would have gone bust many times over, had it not been for state aid in various guises.