megacarriers

Noun

megacarrier (plural megacarriers)

1. A very large certified airline.
   • It was only because of concerns about how to maintain viability as a regional airline in a megacarrier environment that both Western's management and its employees responded positively to overtures by Delta, resulting in Western becoming a significant part of Delta's entry into the megacarrier...1995, Peter Cappelli, Airline Labor Relations in the Global Era: The New Frontier, page 224
2. A large aircraft carrier or other ship.
   • Twenty-one Sheltok megacarriers vanished without a trace, and others had close calls.2010, Julian May, The Sagittarius Whorl: Book Three of the Rampart Worlds Trilogy
3. A freight transport company offering many shipment methods, such as rail, truck, and air service.
   • According to Metz, megacarriers will evolve gradually, first with common ownership of several individual companies, followed by integrated marketing among subsidiaries, integration of operations will occur very slowly and cautiously.1982, Modern Railroads, volumes 37-38, page 69