Poor old WAIF-er. Someone must leap to his defence. Might as well be me.
WAIF-er is right. With the exception of 411A's remarks, the rest of you above are also right to some degree. What is overlooked here is the undeniable fact that state enterprises delivered a SERVICE that free enterprise (for want of a better phrase) would not, or could not.
By way of mere example, Sabena flew to Conakry (Guinea). Who else would do that (well, other than to rip diamonds off the Guinean Government)?
And what about the taxpayer's righteous expectation that some of its pennies must be spent on providing reliable transportation services?
Let's face it, it is unlikely that the modern aircraft would ever have been developed were it not for state enterprise (and war, of course).
Come on chaps/chapesses, there is surely a place for both state and free enterprise in our world. That is not to say that hopelessly inefficient state enterprise should be endlessly supported by gratuitous handout.