You can pretend all you want, but our ticket prices have remained steady while other fees have been created and increased. That's called smart business.
Raising ticket prices or charging for commodities are all one in the same, wouldn't you agree?
I agree with Wheelsup, its just how business works. If you say that pilot salaries didn't effect the revenue at Airways, than how can low pilot salaries make a company thrive? For example, the comments about Republic being cheap labor allows RAH to thrive. That statement doesn't hold water if pilot salaries are such a small fraction of a companies expense's.
Mesa and Colgan have very low pilot salaries, but why are they not in the same cash position as Republic? Why didn't they make any bids to take over a Major brand?
Like wheels said, the market will determine what a pilot is worth. Not just one market though. Supply and demand of employees willing to do the job and supply and demand of the end result product.
The problem I see, is that the airline business models are flawed. The airline industry is flawed. Changes
have to be made. Everyone likes to dwell on the past and how much pilots used to make, well where was that money coming from? Why were pilots paid so high? What made such a lucrative career hit rock bottom?
I think the answer is because it was doomed to hit rock bottom from the start! It is a very very complicated industry, and not a single pilot on this forum or probably anywhere on the line knows how to fix it. But yet, everyone inputs their opinion, as IF the Republic pilots are to blame for the company business decisions.
Yes, its ashame for the Frontier pilots and the industry compared to what was "once" a great career. But change is happening and it will continue to occur regardless of what anybody thinks. Unions will never have the ground to stand on to demand such high salaries ever again. It is a thing of the past. We all know its not what we want, but again, you either play the game or you quit.
You work with your union to negotiate the best CBA you can. Thats about all you can do.