[azstar]

Originally Posted by Burgers

The issue in the US is legacy carriers are saddled with long tenured employees with ridiculous union wages.

I have to strongly disagree on this one. The problem is not "ridiculous union wages" it's executive level excess compensation and entitlement programs. Plus, the airline business complete disregard for the accountability of their employees towards their customers. There is no incentive for any airline employee to be better than the worst employee.

Southwest is one of the most heavily unionized, and profitable, airlines in the world. I'm pretty sure their executives don't have company provided limousines and drivers, or expensive townhouses for their executives to live in, rent free.

The former CEO of Chrysler once said "I don't mind paying union wages because they're the people buying our cars". The collapse of the American job has been the "Walmarting of America" (paying substandard wages so that full time employees must depend on taxpayers for their survival while Walmart owners and executives are multi billionaires) not unionization.

Oh, btw, foreign corporations can own up to 25% of a U.S. airline.