According to one analyst, the entire industry over the past 40 years has lost money overall. While some airlines have made profits for some periods of time, it’s always been a difficult business. I am surprised that stockholders remain so eternally optimistic.
Part of the reason is that the airlines do business in a manner that is antagonistic to their customers.
1. If there’s 300 people on a flight you’ll be hard pressed to find two of them who paid the same total amount for their flight. Even on Southwest.
2. When an airline sells enough seats to cover their costs they RAISE the price on the remaining seats.
3. When you need a last-minute ticket due to a family emergency you can expect to pay two-to-five times the standard rate for the ticket.
4. They charge fees for EVERYTHING.
5. They excel at losing your luggage to the point that a close friend of mine sends her stuff Federal Express to make sure it gets there.
&etc.