Yep, ticket cost is the bottom line. Management just likes to cut the fat from our paychecks.

However....

It is an industry wide issue...

No matter how d@mn professional we are as Pilots it doesn't mean a darn thing when the gate agent in EWR hasn't shaved in 3 days and hasn't had a haircut in the last month and flight attendants don't speak proper English. And I can't forget about the TSA hiring former gang members. Pilots are only one piece of the pie.