as per above as posted by another pilot, the saving are much more than $200 for a family of four. I have nothing against you making more money, shut the place down until you get what you what, it may come out better, it may come out worse, and anyone who says anything else is guessing.
YIP,
I never made an argument for more money. I had three issues...none of which was pilots making more money.
1) It's not good to tell people to "fly because you like to" and forget about quality of life/security issues with their careers. That is not responsible. I think people should be fully engaged in their careers. FI provides a source to vent but also can be a place to help direct their angst.
2) You made the statement that ANY increase in ticket price would cause a percentage of passengers to not fly and then made an example that many would choose to drive 1100 miles each way than spend a extra on a ticket. I say if the increase is not drastic, the leisure traveler is going to choose to fly vs drive because of limited vacation time. I also say there is more that can be added to tickets because they are artificially low due to excess capacity and numerous start-ups/LCCs fighting for marketshare.
3) Last, if labor were to get increases you said it would lead to increased ticket prices. That may be true if the increases were large enough, but I make the claim that there is a "pie" in regards to available money. Management, shareholders, employees all vie for their piece of the pie. Union negotiating committees get to see the company books during contract talks so they know how much "pie" they can realistically get. This year it is a HUGE pie. Next year, maybe not.
I don't know why you are so against the betterment of this profession. I don't know any rational person who wants to burn their company down with unrealistic expectations. You argued against the Spirit guys during their labor dispute against a horrendous management. You only argue for passengers and management. Tell you what, maybe instead of flying because you like to, maybe you can advocate making this career people of high caliber are going to want in the future.l
Here is something from the "Delta 3rd Quarter Profit" thread:
Passenger revenue rose 19 percent on higher demand and ticket prices, while revenue from cargo shipments surged 28 percent on higher volume and prices. Higher baggage fees also drove results.
