Originally Posted by
dl773
As someone with a financial background, not really. This isn't a parent-child relationship where the parent doesn't mind pouring money into the child. The WOs have to make economic sense and they need to convince AA they are worth the time and investment.
And pilot pay is an expense, it isn't coming back to AA's bottom line anymore than increased pilot pay at Republic.
Thats the financial perspective. The WOs matter more from a strategic point of view, not so much financial.
AA looks at its WOs as a cost, not a profit machine. Non-WOs have to make a profit not only for their investors in many cases, but for their mainline partners. That is the fundamental difference. And having a "financial background" has absolutely nothing to do with understanding the airline business and doesn't lend you any more credibility than you may or may not already have.