Every airline needs to raise airfares !

[SWA GUY]

Well it's hard to say. Since we at SWA don't have hourly caps, other than FAA limits, it just depends on how many trips you can pull in for the month.

I can give you an idea of how much I'll make as a CA in 2006. I use that year because I've looked at my senioirty and calculated my upgrade to be in that year. By 2006 I'll be on 6th year pay, with 5 years of service.

I took an average of how many "trips" I fly and averaged it into how many hours it equals...roughly. By 2006, 6th year pay is $160.00 per trip. I usually fly 105 trips per month, or about 67.5 hours.

So, 105 trips per month, or 67.5 hours, equals $201,600.00 annually.
That does not include profit sharing, per diem, or stock options. I leave that stuff out for simplicity. Who knows what the options will be worth when they are fully vested? Maybe a lot, maybe nothing. It's just too hard to predict something like that.

The scenario above is based on 810 hours of flying annually. So, there is room for more flying, or more income. Also there is the possibility that I may not fly that much for whatever reason. In which case my annual income would be reduced. 105 trips per month is not very difficult to do at all. For instance, last month I was paid for 128.66 trips and flew 64.5 hours ( 1 week of vacation). In 2006 that month would be worth $20,585.60.

I'm sure there are carriers out there that pay more, but I think I can manage on that income. Who knows, by 2006 we might have a new contract with more money. Then again by 2006 I could be on the street.

Best wishes and best of luck to all my friends at the other majors who are on the street or about to be there...I feel for you. And I wish furlough on no one.

 

[LiveFreeorDie]

LasVegas777-


Have you taken Economics? I'll make it simple for you.


Say 1000 people fly from San Diego to LAX on a given day.

If you raise the price $10 you wont make $10,000 more dollars.

Why?

Because some of the 1000 will decide to drive to LAX.

It isn't a zero sum equation. (It is just like raising/lowering taxes doesn't increse or decrease govt revenue on a 1 for 1 basis.)

Taxes do the same thing. You put a 25$ tax on an airline fare to pay for security incresed it affects the airline and the public.

Either the airline has to lower the ticket price, or less people will decide to fly because of the higher cost.


So when you say, "ALL AIRLINES SHOULD RAISE TICKET PRICES", it makes you sound ignorant. We live in a free market. The CCCP had a planned economy. Look where it got them.


Any questions?

-LFD

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

The flying public is significantly different 15 years later... They're smarter!!! A lot of this progress is due to the internet and the ability of the consumer to obtain the lowest fare available-- as long as there are airlines offering cheaper fares and not in collusion with each other, that's capitalism at it's best.

 

[resistance]

I've have been on the theory that if you can go from New York to Florida (or New York to L.A. for that matter) cheaper by air than any other means of transportation than the system is broken. You can look into any modes of transportation (bus,train,car or ship) and I can bet that air travel is the cheapest fare. That is the problem right there!! It costs a forture to keep an airline...any airline in business due to the government regulating the business, however they won't regulate the fares?? Personally I think they need to get back to the days of regulating the route fares (a minimum set fare but the airlines could charge any price higher).

If the government want to regulate the operation than regulate the fares!!!

 

[100LL... Again!]

First of all, regulating fares will not work. KKnow why we all got flying jobs? Deregulation made new carriers easier to start.
If we go back, pilot jobs will be as scarce as they were in the 70's.

Repeat after me:

Supply and demand
Excess Capacity...

Supply and demand
Excess Capacity...

Supply and demand
Excess Capacity...

Screwing around with free markets invokes thelaw of unintended consequences.

 

[resistance]

I ask these very simple questions to all members who support deregulation of the airlines....

Can you count the number of airlines that started and went bankrupt since 1978?

Can you count the number of start-up airlines that formed after 1978 and remain in business today?

I think the airlines had much more stability before 1978 and pilot's lives and families were much happier.

 

[ivauir]

Why do the airlines exist?

To provide pilots with careers or to provide customers with a service? Fast cheap, reliable air travel has been the result for the consumer - the genie has been let out of the bottle and there is no way the public would put up with reregulated air travel and all of its built in inefficiencies.
As has been pointed out price fixing is illegal. Furthermore, the LCC would be hurt more by hirer fares as thier customers are more price sensitive. Instead the traditional carriers need to either cut costs to compete with the LCC directly (good luck) or offer something that entices the public to pay their rates. I think AA goes along way toward this: their seats have good pitch, 30 min prior show times, and overall I like their service. (Full disclosure I am a SWA poolie)