Originally Posted by CousinEddie

Do you really think the pilots at SWA have been "along for the ride" for decades and just accidently ended up in the position they are in? There has been a decades long era of cooperation over there between labor and management. SWA management figured out long ago how to keep costs in check while simultaneously keeping the employees on board and still offering a product that the ever expanding customer base has been happy with. Pick any average air fare on that chart above in any economic condition, and SWA figured out how to make money and gain market share. The SWA pilots got to where they are today by getting slow but steady contractual improvements that stayed in line with the company's performance while offering unmatched productivity. Throw in the internet era where the vast majority shop based on ticket price, and SWA became the market maker. The further the chart above went downhill, the more makret share they gained. Econ 101.