@Jerry Poon I don't know how it will affect real estate, but I'm glad I'm glad we're not in the airline business!

Perhaps lower gas prices and more efficient vehicles will buffer this but I wonder what the effect of younger folks and families not having cars will have on travel destinations that are not airline or other transit accessible travel hubs.Specifically places like the upstate New York lake region, northern Michigan, smaller coastal towns in New England, and the Poconos in Pennsylvania.

"Fees and Commissions" are one of my 12 categories of income strategies for landlords.I particularly hate the luggage fees airlines charge.

Before singing anything I would highly recommend to visit down here and see it for your self what you are getting into.The Southwest Airline Hub is located right here, at BWI (Baltimore Airport) if you catch them on a good day you can fly here probably for about $200 round trip.     

@David KrulacI think true investjng is finding problems and offering solutions and making money using many creative tools.Low level Investing is paying retail, 20% down, non portfolio lenders, obeying conservative bankers, having no reserves puts panic in your lives and many sleepless nights.Gordon Gecko (Wall Street) could not buy Blue Star Airlines without his 72 million in poker chips so he could break it up and sell off the pieces.Gordon Gekko: "The most valuable commodity I know of is information."

Another asset heavy business is the airline industry. 

I think its a niche as you state but probably not viable unless you do the J martin travelling nurse gig like he does  or those that do flop houses for airline employees..   

Texas in general has a lot going on when comparing it to other markets, like not having state income taxes, it's located in one of the major airline hubs, they have plenty of Fortune 500 companies that are headquartered there and etc.  

Consumer patterns have changed, and now capacity decisions on the part of airlines are the main driver of passenger levels.Chemosphere.

A little about myself aside from my current Real Estate venture, I'm also an Airline Pilot and a Travel/Cruise consultant by trade.