Originally Posted by zayo

It doesn't make sense because this JP character seems to be mistaken (or just a kook). No fee-for-departure airline would have an incentive to keep costs down if their mainline partner wrote a blank check to cover expenses.

Originally Posted by zayo

I don't think the confusion lies in the fact that the mainline partner pays a fee for each departure (hence fee-for-departure airlines) regardless of load factor. The controversy is over the fact that this JP character is saying that it isn't a set fee per departure but that the fee varies depending on variable costs at the FFD airline.