Originally Posted by kingairip

My apologies then. I must have gotten the wrong impression when you said, "that airlines who go through bankruptcy feel they deserve to keep the slots that could be sold to satisfy creditors and maintain pensions for their employees."

********Again, my response was to a poster who felt that somehow SWA felt entitled to the slots that might be given up but that somehow the employees and creditors were not entitled to have valuable assets sold to satisfy their claims.


Unfortunately, management (in all industries) will make poor decisions. And, bankruptcy code is designed to get companies back on their feet. Like it or not, that's the way it works.

(As an aside, do you see a little irony that a guy that works for SWA is now the vocal champion of worker's pensions? I won't suggest that SWA was the deciding factor in killing airline employee's pensions; but, don't you think they played a significant role in ending pensions?)


************As a union member I feel that the pensions promised to the employees were negotiated in good faith and should be honored. The managements involved felt that it was okay to under fund those pensions to fund day to day operations (including growth) and then claim there was no money for the pensions.

********BTW SWA has honored and funded my pension through negotiated matching contributions. I will acknowledge that there might be some argument that a DC program could cause the demise of a DB pension at a competitors company.

I agree with you. I think GM should have failed...and the large banks too. But, I don't think liquidation is appropriate in AA's case. In fact, I think AA will be quite successful moving forward...just like Delta and United before them. I think you think that too....if you didn't, I don't think you would waste time on a Saturday arguing with a bunch of poor saps whose employer is in bankruptcy. If you did, that would be poor form, wouldn't it?