WASHINGTON - A new study released today concludes that consumers will continue to benefit from airline competition under nearly any scenario, including "industry consolidation," a notion that has been met with continued criticism from elected officials and the media. In building its case, the study points to one of the most compelling stories of the skies -- Southwest Airlines -- whose growth has been under-recognized by regulators and lawmakers, and under-reported by the media.

The report, released by George Washington University Aviation Institute Director Darryl Jenkins, concludes, "There is almost no believable turn of events that could derail Southwest's expansion." In fact, Jenkins believes that within five years, Southwest will surpass Delta Air Lines as the carrier of the most domestic traffic.

Jenkins' study goes on to state: "For unexplained reasons, neither regulators nor politicians currently consider Southwest to be a 'major' airline, and regularly ignore its plans for growth and the subsequent effect on the industry. This is one of the most amusing non-events in Washington."

Upon releasing his study, Jenkins added: "After closely examining numerous possible scenarios concerning the future of the airline industry, it is clear that low-cost upstarts like JetBlue and well-established carriers such as Southwest Airlines will continue to thrive and expand even if various merger scenarios occur."

In addition to addressing the need to focus on the pressing problem of gridlock in the skies, Jenkins' paper maintains that:

• Under any realistic scenario for the future of the airline industry, there will be at least four big carriers of domestic traffic. There is no reason to believe there will ever be only a "big three."

• The most compelling story of the skies is Southwest Airlines, whose growth has been under-recognized by regulators and lawmakers, and under-reported by the media.

• There is almost no believable turn of events that could derail Southwest's expansion.

Jenkins' report concludes: "The biggest danger from industry consolidation is the risk that regulators and government officials may be distracted by merger issues. That distraction will "put important air traffic infrastructure and traffic control issues on the back burner."

Jenkins is executive director of The George Washington University's Aviation Institute. One of the best-known authorities on aviation in Washington, D.C., Jenkins was a member of the Executive Committee of the White House Conference on Aviation Safety and Security (at the request of Vice President Al Gore) and is a regular commentator in the national press, including CNN, CNBC, ABC News, NBC News, the Nightly Business Report and various other cable programs.