Originally Posted by tomgoodman

That's true. One reason may be that the share holders are different now -- instead of proudly choosing to be part of a worthwhile enterprise, most of them don't even know that they own airline stock. It's buried in a giant mutual fund, held by their bank or insurance company, etc., and the "suits" are simply chosen by other "suits". Their need for quick profits, by any means necessary, trumps any desire to build and sustain a great airline.