According to an internal memo, employees were going to be returned to full pay in September 2008. Of course, such cuts weren't evenly applied across the company: While trimming tens of millions out of labor costs, Bedford received a yearly bonus that jumped from $619,535 in 2007 to $620,000 in 2008. This was in addition to stock options, salary, and other benefits. Meanwhile, pay for crew schedulers airline is $11 per hour, while customer service reps pull in $26,000 per year.

According to Forbes, Bedford didn't receive a bonus in 2009, which meant that his total compensation package totaled $1,354,067. In other words, even with a 31% pay cut, he still made more than 52 times as much as the people who sell tickets for his airline, and his hourly wage was almost ten times that of the people who fly the planes.