Tranquility, I'm not baiting, but honestly interested. Despise is fairly strong language and I know you've been around here long enough to have an opinion worth hearing out. I've been called into Miramar, literally on the carpet, and thankfully absolved more than anyone I know. So I too have an old, fat, grey haired dog in the fight.

Personally, the most involvement I have with whatever the current operational flavor of the day is to read through the old DMI's that were "cleared" so I know what to expect and where to find it in the COM. I can still actually find the COM by the way. Usually faster and more accurately my newer colleagues. Less bad days at work than good days, I could not care less about about seat pitch, bag fees, or anything behind the door except their safety and what little communication and comfort we can assuage the masses with.

Of course my myopic experience is only FLL centered, as you say, and many of our other bases from my perspective look like hell on earth. Remember when Nashville was going to be the new Miramar? WTF? That's a long drive to the carpet for anyone.

Merger or no, bubbles always burst, and the eye of Mordor is looking our way.

Obviously, you're referring to more global and strategic issues. I respect that, so what's up?

We did bid for them. AA overbid us and didn't even have the planes to park there. That's why they reactivated old 145s.

Its not that two small airlines are merging. I don't think DOJ cares if a 5% and 4% market share merger to become a 9% share airline. its that an ULCC is going to be GONE and on many routes, fares will rise substantially. JetBlue/Alaska would probably be allowed, but they have a problem with Spirit going away, which is why all the large airlines are FOR the merger, with the CEOs of United and American coming out publicly saying its not anti-competitive (because they don't have to deal with Spirit going forward.)

Just think how ridiculous that makes the government argument. They are telling a private, deregulated company that they have to be forced to sell tickets at (now unprofitable) low rates, just so consumers can have low rates.

Hey, the American way! Biden will bail out everyone! Even the EBT card paying spirit pax! Gots to give them away to gets to Vegas!

You can’t expect to be taken seriously when you use both “ridiculous” and “government” in the same sentence, when in fact those words are synonyms.