Which Airlines Offer the Best Perks Based on Elite Status? This New Report Spills the Beans

2016 was a banner year for the airline industry, with 928.9 million domestic and international passengers being served by airlines that flew into, within, or out of the United States. That marked the highest total in history, besting the previous all-time high of 897.9 million passengers set the year prior. Expectations for 2017 are that we could wind up setting a new traffic record yet again.

This added traffic is a bit of a double-edged sword for the airline industry. While the boost in travel demonstrates that demand from consumers is healthy, it's also increased the voracity of competition among the airline industry. This competition, especially fare-price wars, has been weighing on margins for the industry as a whole. Lower fares may not be good news for airline margins, but it tends to make the consumer pretty darn happy.

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Source: Fool.com