Is this some kind of joke? Air travel and telecommunications had some of the worst consolidations over time. Nothing good came out of it precisely due to decrease in competition.

This reminds me 1984 with its war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength.

Now add to that your "monopoly is free market" koolaid.

Prior to the 1980s, the government price-fixed airline tickets and legally instituted AT&T as the sole national carrier of the country. Legal mandates against price competition and the entry of new competitors into a national market is not a free market. If you've been able to have conversations with someone on the other side of the world at little to no cost or you've enjoyed multiple trips across world without breaking the bank, then you've benefited from the deregulation of these industries.