Outside the United States, many nations had traditionally subsidized their national air carriers. There had been an economic benefit in having a nationally branded airline flying the flag overseas, bringing tourists into the country, and generating income for local businesses. National pride also played a role. An increasingly competitive global airline industry meant that small national airlines had become less cost effective. Airlines had been forced to ask for more money from their governments or else go out of business. This was why New Zealand stepped in to prop up Air New Zealand in 2001. For their part, many governments no longer had the money to support airlines as they did in the past. In January 2012, Spain’s Spanair and Hungary’s Malev foundered when their governments reduced airline subsidies.