You can never go back. High paychecks (circa 1960s) and work rules are gone forever. Markets change. Industries change. When was the last time you saw a downtown airline ticket office? When was last time fligt attendants had weigh ins? or get fired for being married? Times Change. You can be flexible and adapt, or go out of business. Many of us have not realized this fact. Stop living in the past....

I'll bet GM, Ford, and Chrysler wish everyone bought a new car every 2 years. It not fair that Toyota and Honda built high quality cars that got good mileage and took market share when gas prices spiked in the early 80s. But that's what the customers wanted.

Now Hundai is making a move on Toyota and Honda. The "wheel of retailing" continues to turn.

It's not fair that shopping malls essentially closed "downtown" shopping in the 70s. Then Wal Mart, K-Mart, and Target and big box stores finished off small town mom&pop stores in the 80s/90s. Now shopping is moving away from malls entirely, and the classic "anchor" stores are suffering. But that's what the customers wanted.

People have come to expect low fares. Someone will provide them. In the end, there will be a finite number of planes/seats flying around the country. The only question is what color will they be painted.