[The Old Hoosier]

Agree on ANWR, but I disagree on everything else. It's about time the airlines actually tried to make money, instead of conserving their quaint but inefficient business models that rely on government subsidies at teh slightest hint of a financial problem. Why is it that Southwest and Jet Blue make money, but these guys can't?

[misterrob]

No union and newer planes

[conservative in nyc]

JetBlue didn't make money last quarter. Southwest is making money because they hedged fuel costs. Those hedges are becoming more costly.

Neither Southwest nor JetBlue are full network carriers. They cherrypick flying the most profitable routes, and generally avoid flying to small cities or more congested airports. You can't fly Southwest from New York City (Islip is too far out for most of us) or Fargo. And you can't fly JetBlue from JFK to the more congested San Francisco or LAX.

Northwest's move will backfire unless other airlines match. Their coach product is already one of the worst of the 6 major network carriers. This makes it even worse.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Southwest makes money because they have their fuel hedged better than anyone else, without the hedge they are losing money. And their hedge will be over soon, and they know it, which is why they just raised all their fares this week. Jet Blue ain't making money. Air Tran is much better run than Jet Blue.

[Flavius Josephus]

They should be deregulated and desubsidized, and let the fittest survive. Northwest sucks. They all suck, I won't fly them. I have to believe people's desire to travel has decreased with the nazis in the airports, the terrisn, the incessant America bashing, and the basic problem of being stuffed like a sausage into a thin skinned metal tube.