The straw man arguement that FedEx and UPS are so different as to warrant exclusion from our compeitive peer group is completely self refuting. If all the money flying airplanes is truly into cargo as the arguement for competitive peer excusion is made, then why are those very same managers making that arguement the same ones saying there is no money in cargo? And then tripping all over themselves to sign massive postal contracts as fast as they can precicely because of how lucritive it is?

We have difficulty with payloads and performance on several long haul routes due to the tons of cargo we load, and some of those routes have nothing to do with short runways or high terrain (like ATH when we were carrying so much yogurt and/or marble we were load limited).

So if all the money is in cargo and we therefore can't throw those rates in for comparison, then why are we not going into cargo? If there's no money in cargo, how can they afford those rates?

Bottom line, they fly the same equipment in the same airspace and hire from the same talent pool of pilots as we do, and they are global powerhouses like we are. So it is pure fantasy to think they are somehow so seperate that they are irrelevant.

And absolutely ROFL @ anyone who claims SWA isn't not only a competitive peer but also an absolute floor for compensation as they are 100% relevant.