Let American Airlines die, please!

It's been a good news, bad news kind of day for me.

Good news: American Airlines filed for bankruptcy.

Bad news: American Airlines will continue to fly.

AA is the last of the big American carriers to file for bankruptcy protection - a cute ploy by which they pay off creditors about 25 cents on every dollar they owe and get yet another excuse to raise fares and charge for extra baggage, etc., when they resurface as a "restructured" airline.

Just as people are occupying Wall St., airline passengers should be occupying airports demanding this bankruptcy tactic be stopped. Not only are we being gouged as passengers but also as taxpayers because governments lose money when airlines take this bankruptcy route.

If just one of these big carriers was allowed to fall from the sky, the bankruptcy practice would soon stop.

There's not an American carrier that deserves to be flying - AA, Southwest, Continental, et al are the worst airlines in the world and they've been bankrupt of good ideas on how to improve service for years.