At 08:14 PM 7/9/2002 -0700, Greg Newbold wrote: >Dennis, I am trying to determine how best to restore airlines to >profitability. If you're suggesting Boeing should lower their prices for >their goods so that airline labor costs levels can remain the same is >unrealistic. Who said anything about Boeing lowering their prices? How about recalling DC-10s instead of deploying new 757-300s, 767-400s, and A330s? How about using DC-9 model 30s instead of 717-200s? And thus you get into the mesh of trade-offs on capital costs and acquisition costs compared to fuel costs and staffing costs. Taking a DC-10 from the desert is cheap, but it takes a three crew members in the cockpit, and it drinks a lot of fuel. Can an airline refinance some of their leased airliners? Can they down-size from 737-800s to 737-700s? Are 737-700s worth it compared to 737-300s? Equipment costs are not fixed. As you noted elsewhere, shelving equipment is an option, although rarely is equipment dedicated to one set of runs. Fuel costs per gallon might be beyond the airline's control (but some are using futures contracts to hedge their fuel cost bets), but they can move to more fuel-efficient planes. Landing fees? Some carriers such as Southwest and Pan Am III choose airports with lower landing fees as part of their frugality. It'd be expensive for an airline to move from STL to Mid-America, for example, but it might be an option. I don't have the answers; that's why I'm a computer programmer, not an airline manager. :) But there are more costs to be managed than just labor. Nick