Originally Posted by
chrisreedrules
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.
AA, like every other company, tries to minimize unnecessary costs and only runs the WOs because they expect them to contribute to mainline profitability, if not directly then indirectly. If their WOs have a higher cost than third parties, they will lose flying. Take it to an extreme and they get shutdown like Comair.
Having a financial background means I can more easily pick out certain silly statements often made by sales people (I.e recruiters) trying to attract applicants. Or pilots looking for $5k in referral fees and a boost to their flow numbers.