Originally Posted by
T28driver
Greatest factor? Sure. I'll give you that. Only major factor? Not a chance.
Wanna talk fuel prices? How about Frank Lorenzo and the Eastern/Continental merger? The rise of Code Sharing? REGIONAL JETS!!!!!!! I can go on.
Individual pilots going to Norwegian will have zero effect on the industry as a whole, you are correct. The long term success or failure of Norwegian and the others will absolutely have an effect on this industry. You are being naive if you believe otherwise.
Hereby Notify!
(You worked in China, right?)
Fuel prices are directly tied to economic health, so therefore I would include them when talking about the overall economic climate.
ALPA's gross miscalculations in the early 1990s directly led to the growth of RJs at regional airlines, by refusing to discuss even allowing them at mainline carriers and insisting they be flown by poorly paid pilots on substandard contracts.
Frank Lorenzo took advantage of U.S. bankruptcy laws and corporate laws to impose subpar working conditions. The bankruptcy laws are again a double edged sword - they allow courts and management to impose some very poor working conditions, but they also allow companies to survive lean times and turn into to companies that are thriving and greatly improving working conditions. Had America West, American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, USAirways and United not had U.S. Chapter 11 available to them, the industry today would be very different. Sometimes you do have to take the good with the bad.
Of course the long term success or failure of Norwegian will have an effect on the industry. The long term success of Southwest has had a major impact on the industry too, and remember for many years they were paid significantly less than their peers at legacy airlines. The long term success or failure of Delta, United, Lufthansa, ANA, easyJet, Spirit, British Airways, Scoot, and others will all have an impact on the industry as well. Singling out one airline, which is doing what several others have been doing for decades (despite what ALPAs false and misleading propaganda videos are saying), and attributing any and all future potential failings or hardships in the industry on them is being naive.