Obviously the airlines operate on razor-thin to no profits some years and it's a complicated business that has to deal with the same BS fuel costs the rest of us do... but this...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7562165.stm
...seriously pisses me off and makes me wonder which other airlines are doing this. US airlines have a nasty habit of cutting corners, either on their employees or their flight ops and ground ops, when economics get harsh. However this is one industry that should never operate in this way for obvious reasons. Clothes makers cut corners our socks get holes in them... airlines cut corners and 400 people die at a time.
I don't know what the answer is but clearly private competition doesn't seem to work, nor does government operation work. The industry needs restructuring and probably that means all kinds of zoning laws and airport operators need to get their asses kicked into shape too. Somewhere out there there are rules in place that someone is benefitting from, that is making it impossible for airlines to operate like other successful businesses in hiring the best people, etc and never cutting corners.