You don't need a business degree to understand that many corporations use an earnings per share compensation metric to pay their management. Hence, all the stock buybacks in America, they're at a record high. Subtract X number of shares from the public, and the earnings per share go up. That's why Delta is buying back billions of dollars. So yes, there is money left on the table. It's going to management's compensation plan.

The question is are CEO's being distracted from reinvesting in the company (i.e. ever wait 3 hours to get deicied). Or waiting for a gate when 10 are empty within clear sight. Virgin America was just named best domestic airline again, they're installing wifi 10 times faster than ours.

The TA is little more than cost of living increases when you factor in concessions. And we get to feel the concessions 6 months early. Nice.