Originally Posted by
RAH RAH REE
I'm guessing to reduce dividends paid out.
I don't think they'll ever reduce it by as much as the never ending billions in burnbacks.
While we all would like all of that wasted money put into employee compensation etc, there's also still a pressing need for infrastructure. Its frequently mentioned how much money is spent on AC and needed airport improvements, but until and unless every single gate in the system has awesome, high volume AC then the ship isn't being steered enough. Likewise when we have multipile AC at the same station at the same time departing at the same time (scheduled not diversions) with only one tow bar that can be used, that needs to happen first.
Everyone is blinded by this new era of profits as if its permanent. Its not. In this always highly cyclical industry its very likely airlines burning billions and billions on this worthless B-school accounting trick will rue the days they did it. Or they would if they didn't have platinum parachutes I guess. Remember when SWA had their fuel hedge advantage? What was that worth in total, like one billion or so? They almost took out at least one legacy and bled all the rest deeply for a while.
History will judge the burnbacks very negatively, but that will be someone else's problem (and ours of course).