Consider that every nation has its own airline, even if it runs at a loss. It’s simply one of the trappings of nationhood. Airlines are part of the national infrastructure. In bigger countries–particularly free-market ones–a few competing airlines can survive. The U.S. has several competing brands, for example. They’re heavily regulated, but they compete.

In every country, there are other airline business models. Take Netjets, a timeshare approach to air travel. Or Air Ambulance services to transport patients on critical journeys. Or regional airlines that feed a larger national carrier. Or the military.

Like clouds, airlines need to interoperate, to ensure that luggage and passengers get where they’re going. Competitors will honor one anothers’ tickets to help out in cases of interruptions, and a set of agreed-upon routing codes and baggage tags make interoperability possible. Regulatory bodies fine airlines for violating service level agreements. Indeed, airports are simply the peering points of airlines, with frequent travellers having the equivalent of private peering.

The model works at the consulting and professional services level, too. We have self-service travel, but we also have travel agents, stitching together trips across multiple carriers and adding related services.

I like this analogy because clouds, like airlines, tend towards consolidation. There are economies of scale to be had, and both are essential to national security. While each airline must work with those of other countries–indeed, there are loose marketing alliances between airlines–every airline has an allegiance to its home country.