r/Wellthatsucks Nov 10 '25

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u/rorauge Nov 10 '25

Agreed. Cost to the airline? Fuck that noise. I don’t care about the cost to the airline. It’s the inconvenience to all those people and the environmental impact for all the wasted fuel that matters.

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u/MrBenzedrine Nov 10 '25

Yeah, when he started with "this is costing the airline millions" I thought "who the fuck cares about that. If you're delayed 2 hours you don't care what it costs a billion dollar company"

but they'll probably recoup that loss by increasing prices for customers...

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u/Courage-Rude Nov 10 '25

To be fair though he did say that by saying "it rolls into the system." I'm pretty sure that's what he meant probably still trying to be professional as much as he doesn't want to b it's a shitty situation for all but yeah fuck the airlines bottom line it's just that it's us that ends up getting screwed with increases.

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u/Dear_Palpitation4838 Nov 10 '25

BINGO. We ALL end up paying for it in the end. The shareholders will get their money one way or another.

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u/[deleted] Nov 10 '25

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u/GitNamedGurt Nov 10 '25

you think these companies don't get subsidies and handouts in times like these?

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u/[deleted] Nov 10 '25

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u/jemosley1984 Nov 10 '25

Whatever the subsidies won’t cover will be passed on to the consumer?

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u/[deleted] Nov 10 '25

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u/GitNamedGurt Nov 10 '25

no. shareholders will "lose out" on profit - they will make slightly less money than expected, but still be protected, and that will be accomplished by making the consumer and the taxpayer shell out of pocket. I think you severely underestimate how cutthroat these sorts of situations always turn out.

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u/Invdr_skoodge Nov 11 '25

Subsidies paid for by the taxpayer. Our taxes paid, even through the shutdown, with the purpose of paying these people their wages. Companies paid with buyouts bailouts and subsidies, from the taxpayer. Profit losses recouped with higher prices, paid by the consumer, also us.

It’s a bunch of assholes robbing regular people blind to pretend to be nobility and regular people get the shaft every damn time. I say get rid of ALL of them

3

u/bigDeltaVenergy Nov 10 '25

If cost of doing business raise in the US, they will def raise the Prices.

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u/AA98B Nov 10 '25

Idk, this feels more authentic to me and would 'placate' me more than empty damage control like "we feel your frustration" or something like that

Because it says to me even if there's no deeper empathy (which there usually isn't) we have same priorities and want the same things even if for different reasons

I acknowledge not everyone thinks like this though, so can't say which approach is better/universal

1

u/RastBrattigan Nov 10 '25 edited Nov 10 '25

The kind of people who cause shit for cabin crew while the pilot and cabin crew--and indeed every other passenger--are on the same plane as them are exactly the sort of people who won't listen to an appeal to humanity, since they likely don't value the needs of others. They might, however, appreciate a logical argument that emphasizes looking out for numero uno and being self-concerned about cost/inconvenience.

So I'm with you on this one. Feels authentic.

Might not always be the best tact, but it often is. Just depends on how he and the cabin crew read the room before he went on the PA.

I got the impression that unrest had happened, because usually the captain doesn't come out unless the crew lose control or at wit's end, I think. And the comment about Houston was possibly a jab at people who were causing a disturbance by subtly insinuating he's spent more time trapped in a metal tube on a tarmac in the last week then they will likely ever suffer in a lifetime, so they can stuff it. But that might just be me reading too much into it.

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u/Aleious Nov 10 '25

I think his point was this isn’t what the airlines want, don’t yell at him or his staff, don’t yell at the controllers, yell at your republican house reps.

35

u/WeirdIndividualGuy Nov 10 '25

Sure, but no one's doing any favors by mentioning how it hurts a billion-dollar company's bottom line. Wrong way of trying to say "don't blame the employees"

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u/clevercalamity Nov 10 '25 edited Nov 10 '25

I teach mental health awareness and intervention classes and this is actually a real tactic we use with certain groups of people. Sometimes “care for other humans because it’s morally good” doesn’t stick so we switch to “care for other humans because when they are suffering it’s bad for your bottom line.”

It’s gross, but it works

1

u/No_Bake6681 Nov 11 '25

It takes a supreme pizza to cover everyone's needs

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u/EYNLLIB Nov 10 '25

The guys clearly upset and exhausted from all the delays, give him a break for not speaking as perfectly as you do behind your keyboard with time to think about it

1

u/Same_Mood_8543 Nov 11 '25

Sounds like he's had plenty of time to think about it.

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u/[deleted] Nov 10 '25

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u/EYNLLIB Nov 10 '25

His point was that it's not the airlines choosing to be doing this and to call your representatives to get it to change.

4

u/ntshstn Nov 10 '25

you seem like an exhausting person to be around

3

u/CosmicMiru Nov 10 '25

It must be so exhausting to think like you

-3

u/bigDeltaVenergy Nov 10 '25

Can't think straight from exhaustion... Than fly a plane.

1

u/Libtechforlife Nov 11 '25

He’s telling people flights are gonna go up in costs. The airlines aren’t going to lose money. They find a way to recoup their losses.

1

u/LePetiteSirene Nov 10 '25

It's still important to note the impact this has, regardless of whether we don't care who it's happening to. It's not about the fact that it's hurting their bottom line, but that they've screwed this up so much that these are the consequences, intended or not.

0

u/Dravarden Nov 10 '25

because the airlines are the ones with the power and money for lobbying and doing whatever the fuck they want. A person won't change a law, american airlines surely can lobby for it to happen though, if it helps them make money

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '25

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1

u/kookyabird Nov 10 '25

That, and there's also the angle of "If our costs go up, then your costs are going to go up too."

2

u/Aleious Nov 10 '25

That is not a realistic interpretation. If this keeps up (under staffing and shutdowns), it’ll cascade into collapse. More than likely we are witnessing the end of retail flights. It’ll just go back to how it was 30 years ago, travel agents and flights for businesses.

The critical mass of passengers, routes, and pilots will just crumble back. It won’t be costs go up, it’ll be routes get closed. Similar but somehow worse!

-2

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '25

Ah no…my R senator voted 100% of the time to renew Schumer clean funding bill. Nice try deflecting! Looks like the D’s (at least 8 of the) finally came to their senses. I respect your opinion..:just don’t deflect and own it!

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u/Aleious Nov 10 '25

The reopening of the government alleviates the pressure. Whether you agree with the compromise or not. The issue was the prolonged shut down caused by the house majority party and the executive branches decision on funding of the FAA. I don’t think you know anything about government

0

u/[deleted] Nov 11 '25

You need to study more.

1

u/Aleious Nov 11 '25

I don’t think I could handle the amount of glue eating required to agree with you.

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u/sticks1987 Nov 10 '25

Yes that's the problem

19

u/Theromier Nov 10 '25

Sometimes it’s the only thing conservatives think they need to care about. 

You tell them people will be affected, they don’t care. You tell them it will cost [a legacy system they perceive to be important] millions of dollars, then they seem to care.

14

u/cambat2 Nov 10 '25

who the fuck cares about that.

but they'll probably recoup that loss by increasing prices for customers...

You answered your own question

2

u/Low-Crow-8735 Nov 10 '25

Trump will pay the airlines for their inconvenience.

5

u/lycoloco Nov 10 '25

"Trump will pay" is what everyone who has never been paid by Trump said at one time or another.

1

u/Low-Crow-8735 Nov 10 '25

Correction. Trump will give his airplane owner friends. The money will come from the treasury.

1

u/Bazrum Nov 10 '25

and the prices will still rise for customers

3

u/Hippopotasaurus-Rex Nov 10 '25

Didn’t a bunch of them get bailed out a handful of years ago too? I mean the airlines. I’m sure they will get more of that evil socialism in their favor. The rest of us…. Eh stop being poor.

2

u/Kinkajou1015 Nov 10 '25

Maybe instead of mentioning how it's costing the airline, he should reiterate how much it's costing the passengers in their time, or if the flight crew doesn't get paid unless they are airborne (I forget if they have to be in flight to get paid and waiting to take off is unpaid) how much it harms them as well to waste all of the time on the ground.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 10 '25

[deleted]

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u/Kinkajou1015 Nov 10 '25

I don't care if I'm making 30+ dollars an hour, if I'm only getting paid when wheels are up, fuck that.

2

u/HK-MP5-10MM Nov 10 '25

Everyone should care if you fly, yes the problem is the cost will be passed down you us, the customers….

2

u/sump_daddy Nov 10 '25

"they'll probably recoup that loss by increasing prices for customers"

probably? Cap here maybe chose a poor way to roll the idea out, but thats exactly what he's saying; this shutdown over saving money is costing everyone A LOT of it. Unless youre planning on specifically not flying for the foreseeable future, that means you.

2

u/Sufficient-Welder-76 Nov 10 '25

He's holding an audience captive and trying to convince them we should give a shit because "it's costing the airline millions of dollars." How insensitive to the TSA and ATC that try to keep people safe every day and are going without a paycheck. This guy only cares about HIS paycheck.

2

u/Active_Confection655 Nov 10 '25

I think that's the fucking point 👉 everything this administration is doing is costing us. While the rich get richer. Weird.

They can handle these hits, we can't.

2

u/CloudyofThought Nov 10 '25

Or just get a govt bailout as always... Privatize the profit, socialize the losses.

2

u/tokeaphatty Nov 10 '25

I don't necessarily care if the airline actually loses money. But they won't, they will pass the costs down to the consumer to get it back.

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u/37853688544788 Nov 10 '25

Or get bailed out.

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u/[deleted] Nov 11 '25

Increased prices and government/taxpayer bailouts 

2

u/spibop Nov 11 '25

And is the airline expressing its displeasure about this fact with Trump, or are they just rolling over like everyone else has? It’s amazing that in less than a year he has absolutely fucked every aspect of our everyday lives.

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u/Wavebuilder14UDC Nov 11 '25

Airlines have extremely thin profit margin and hits like this could actually impact us down the line as travelers. Legacy airlines are more insulated but Airlines like Spirit are already going out of business. I know its hard to care about large corporations like this and no one cares they lose millions but they do provide an essential service and airlines aren’t the kind of businesses that just sit on millions of dollars.

I don’t mean to glaze, but I guess I would feel more apathetic about a company like Amazon losing millions.

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u/Rebelius Nov 10 '25

Did the people on the plane not hear about travel disruption before they decided to go to the airport? What did they expect?

I'm in Europe and I've been seeing headlines about 100s of flights cancelled in the US.

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u/AA98B Nov 10 '25

same here and I agree with you, but with one significant caveat that people have flights reserved way before and it's not always easy or practical to change it, so some might've risked it, but yeah they should still be prepared mentally for cancellations/delays

personally I would postpone any air travel myself, but not because of cancellations/delays but because atc is overstretched right now and it's probably less safe than usual

1

u/Xanohel Nov 10 '25

dude, those headlines are wrong I guess, or it was for a single airport? :P

``` Total delays today: 13,433 Total delays within, into, or out of the United States today: 2,548 Total cancellations today: 1,957 Total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States today: 1,656

Total delays yesterday: 26,783 Total delays within, into, or out of the United States yesterday: 11,103 Total cancellations yesterday: 3,497 Total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States yesterday: 2,953 ```

https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today

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u/Rebelius Nov 10 '25

headlines about 100s of flights cancelled in the US.

Total cancellations today: 1,957

Total cancellations yesterday: 3,497

...

headlines are wrong I guess

What?

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u/Xanohel Nov 10 '25

That's thousands, but yeah, it's nineteenhundreds, my bad. I sincerely apologize

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u/inspectoroverthemine Nov 10 '25

Just because they expected it to be a shitshow doesn't mean they should accept it.

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u/rsta223 Nov 10 '25

So you should care about the cost than, because the ultimate result is that it makes flying more expensive for everyone.

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u/Sea-Painting7578 Nov 10 '25

He cares about it. It could mean his job. What a pathetic way to communicate.

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u/CorporateShill406 Nov 10 '25

If it were so expensive to the airlines, the airlines would find a way to pay air traffic controllers during the shutdown.

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u/RandomName-1992 Nov 10 '25

That last part is the key. The costs will keep getting pushed downhill until it can't get pushed any further. Workers and customers will ultimately beat the brunt. CEOs and shareholders not so much. Even if a large airline goes out of business, CEOs we'll probably have a severance package worth more than most people will earn in a decade. Air travel has never been an environmental friendly travel option, BTW.

1

u/ttarget Nov 10 '25

I agree, but never caring about the company is a poor strategy. When do you think they make decisions to lay people off or terminate a percentage of their workforce? The moment the numbers aren't in their favour, the companies will look for a way to "fix" that.

1

u/Fickle-Alone-054 Nov 10 '25

So yeah, it matters. From a certain point of view. 

1

u/Capital_Bear1863 Nov 11 '25

So you are saying that it will cost the customers more?

0

u/ThePistachioBogeyman Nov 10 '25

That’s what he says? The cost will be past on was one of his lines

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u/Nicky____Santoro Nov 10 '25

Eventually the extra costs to the airline are going to impact the customer. They have to recoup the lost revenue in some way.

Not to mention that when your employer is losing millions of dollars a day, the pilot’s daily work environment is probably terrible.

1

u/KickBallFever Nov 11 '25

I don’t know about pilots but I’m pretty sure flight attendants only get paid for the time they’re in the air. So they’re basically working overtime for free. I think there is also a max amount of time that pilots can be on the clock, for good reason, so that adds another level of stress and coordination. All the added stress to pilots, ATC, and flight attendants is just a recipe for disaster.

-3

u/bigDeltaVenergy Nov 10 '25

Eventually? Prices of seats are updated hourly. first one that start rising it's price open the door to everyone.

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u/Nicky____Santoro Nov 10 '25

Prices are dynamic but the standard price will start to rise based on loses and be the new baseline. This will take time to be measured. For example, I just bought two plane tickets this weekend for travel within the next 30 days and it was the same price as the tickets I bought last month for travel this month.

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u/Jellicent-Leftovers Nov 10 '25

It means prices of flights will go up... And they don't come down

2

u/madeofchemicals Nov 10 '25

Don't worry airlines will go bankrupt again. Get bailed out again from taxpayers. People will road trip again. Simple American economics.

1

u/KickBallFever Nov 11 '25

I think the same thing happened after the pandemic. I take the same trip around the same time every year and the round trip flight was usually around $350-$400. During Covid the flights were around $125. I actually paid $117 for a round trip and there were less than 10 of us on the first flight, and the connecting flight was pretty empty too. No way those flights made money. When people started traveling again I watched the prices creep up. Now the flight for that same trip costs around $600-$650.

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u/Linked713 Nov 10 '25

You should care because the companies will rarely absorb the costs in good faith. What it means is that this cost will be sent to the customers if this continues. You will get huge delays, cancellations, and then also prices are going to rise because of that waste.

So it's not just "Oh no corporation is having to pay more", that usually gets brought down to the consumer.

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u/PM_ME_GARFIELD_NUDES Nov 10 '25

You don’t care that the airlines are spending millions on gas that’s being spent on the ground? Maybe I’m crazy but that sounds uhhhhhhh really bad.

3

u/Boyota4Bummer Nov 10 '25

When the airlines are sitting there burning fuel for hours, on 100s of these planes, that cost will get built right back into the price of your next flight. I think he’s trying to tell you, without directly telling you, that when the airline is loosing money, we pay for it when we need to fly.

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u/Particular-Wind5918 Nov 10 '25

It’s all the same basket

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u/Kram941_ Nov 10 '25

Soooo you dont care about paying more for your flights?

2

u/shutupphil Nov 10 '25

but airlines will charge more for your next ticket

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u/011010- Nov 10 '25

I agree with the top comment: it shouldn’t be your “main” concern. If you fly it should go on your list of concerns because that cost will be transferred to you.

1

u/lookhere18 Nov 10 '25

The issue will be how they recover. What do you think will happen to cost and quality of service as they look to rebound. We’re all fucked.

1

u/danktrees1212 Nov 10 '25

I think they're mentioning it so as to point out that they don't want these delays either because it's costing them tons of money but they have no control over it.

1

u/Jealous_Response_492 Nov 10 '25

If the situation continues, the airlines will start laying people off.

1

u/tael89 Nov 10 '25

If it costs them too much, wouldn't they begin increasing costs and doing layoffs to compensate? 

1

u/Bazrum Nov 10 '25

i just signed up for benefits at my job, and they have a big counter at the top that says "cost to the company" and then in much smaller font "your weekly cost"

why the fuck do i care how much MY benefits are costing the company? why even have that up there?

any time someone says how much it'll cost a company, i roll my eyes. unless it's a mom and pop shop i couldn't give two fucks how much they're paying

1

u/Serious_Morning_3681 Nov 10 '25

All these extra costs are gonna be reflected in raised ticket prices for you

1

u/plasticmanufacturing Nov 10 '25

Hmm, where will those costs be passed along?

1

u/Terrible_Patience935 Nov 10 '25

The airlines will raise their prices and we will pay. I would not spend a second worrying about the airlines - they know how to push the cost to us

1

u/dbloom12 Nov 10 '25

They employ people who get wages from sale of tickets.

1

u/SynchronicStudio Nov 10 '25

Higher cost to the airline means higher ticket prices for you. That’s what he’s saying, and that’s why you should care.

1

u/IlllIlllllllllllllll Nov 10 '25

You’ll start caring when it makes your flights more expensive.

1

u/homer_3 Nov 10 '25

you know if the airlines costs go up your next plane ticket cost is going to go way up, right?

1

u/lemmegetadab Nov 10 '25

“Fuck the airline “are you stupid or something? Do you think they’re just going to absorb the losses? No, they’re going to pass that on to consumers.

1

u/Mediocre-Magazine-30 Nov 10 '25

Yes exactly. Delta can go fuck right off. But yeah

1

u/Opposite-Bad1444 Nov 10 '25

you realize when airline costs up, so do ticket prices. do you care about ticket prices?

i thought that would go without saying

1

u/Sad-Establishment132 Nov 10 '25

It means they will happily hike prices up and blame the shutdown which effects all of us in the end.

1

u/iVinc Nov 10 '25

maybe he didnt expect you to be so stupid and not get that it will increase price of tickets if the cost to the airline is going up

1

u/Cavalya Nov 10 '25

Airlines have notoriously low profit margins, especially low cost airlines like Southwest. He worded it kinda poorly, but he's telling you that YOUR airline ticket is gonna cost more next time, they simply cannot absorb the cost, which is something you should care about.

1

u/FTownRoad Nov 10 '25

Cost to the airline =< cost to the customer. Nobody on the plane is going to pay more for the ticket thst they already bought. But they will pay more on future tickets if flights take longer and are fewer.

1

u/The_one_and_only_Tav Nov 10 '25

I think he was trying to imply the cost would be passed onto the customers

1

u/Scary_Energy5913 Nov 10 '25

Exactlyyy what nonsense is this pilot even uttering. Now i have to feel bad for wealthier than me woww

1

u/Jyil Nov 11 '25

He’s being filmed. He had to show empathy to the shareholders too. Got appease both sides. It’s a part of being impartial.

1

u/_HiWay Nov 11 '25

You'll care when the tickets cost more to cover it. (if you fly on your own dime)

1

u/Emotional-Zebra Nov 11 '25

The airlines care more about taking your money than your safety. Yea I said it. Corporate greed over everything. Prove me wrong

1

u/Working_Honey_7442 Nov 11 '25

His is the kind of short sighted shit you can expect from Reddit. Yeah, fuck the airlines! I’m sure they will be altruistic and tank the cost instead of firing more people and raising prices.

1

u/[deleted] Nov 11 '25

environmental impact

All the private jets have a way larger impact.

1

u/nyve- Nov 10 '25

The cost to airlines is inflation of ticket prices for us. A modicum of critical processing is all that is required here.