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Let's Buy Spirit Air

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611–620 of 628 posts

Re: Let's Buy Spirit Air

#611
post #610

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It would also cost hundreds of billions of dollars and a decade to build. Doesn't do much for seeing Uncle John next Tuesday. You just described the building of the interstate highway system, but I doubt there’s a person alive who would say it wasn’t worthwhile. I fear Americans are simple to selfish to have any desire to do time consuming expensive things that will improve their country long term. They just want b…

I think Americans aren’t as selfish as most people believe; it’s just that they don’t know any better. Education and awareness is key to change that.

I don't think it is neither education nor awareness, our core problem and what is an eventual doom of this country lies in the fact that with the two political parties that we have and extremely non-functional government we are no longer capable of doing long-term things. whatever party X tries to do, they get a few years and then when party Y takes over their first order of business is to dismantle everything that party X did (tried to do) in the previous two years. while china can create "10-year plan" the america is no longer capable of creating any such thing and this is destroying the country, little by little...

Re: Let's Buy Spirit Air

#613

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sounds good if you live on the East Coast. Even with Japanese level high speed rail NYC to LA still takes much much longer than flying. You need to buy land. Disrupt wildlife, and various ecosystems. The government should of bailed out Spirit instead. They served a public good. Allowing lower to middle income people to travel helps everyone.

Trains have been proven to be able to go at least 375mph [0]. That would make NYC->SF take 6.9 hours to travel the 4162 km. The current average flight time from NYC to SF is 6.7 hours. So, it's at least technically possible. China is doing R&D on a partial-vacuum train (basically Musk's hyperloop thing) with a target of 1,243 mph[1]. That's probably a pipe dream, but worth mentioning nonetheless. > The government sho…

> "China is doing R&D on a partial-vacuum train (basically Musk's hyperloop thing) with a target of 1,243 mph"

When the vacuum fails - mechanical failure, human error, natural disaster, attack - air is going to rush into the tube. The speed of sound is how fast air molecules move, so train doing 1243mph might hit into a wall of air coming the other way at 767mph for a 2000mph collision. Don't think "wind isn't that fast", think vacuum implosion[1][2]. The weight of 60+ miles of atmosphere pushing down trying to force air into the tunnel. The principle that moves atmospheric steam engines. The train will then be blown backwards into the train coming behind it for another 1000mph+ collision.

This will be the Hindenburg of the Hyperloop.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/j-s5Ut5cm50

[2] https://www.youtube.com/shorts/if9xxrRouRY

Re: Let's Buy Spirit Air

#614

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’ve never seen that work. There is a fundamental tension between those groups. Hence, member-owned co-ops and employee-owned co-ops.

> I’ve never seen that work. There is a fundamental tension between those groups. Hence, member-owned co-ops and employee-owned co-ops. Focusing strictly on shareholders (value) has been en vogue since the 1970s: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedman_doctrine Before that the general thinking was along the lines of: * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stakeholder_theory Somehow companies managed to survive and grow bef…

Huh?

Why did people buy stock then?

Re: Let's Buy Spirit Air

#615

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many studies show that consumers spend more when using credit cards, compared to both cash and debit cards, and it's not obvious to me that the 2% will win out.

In the case of air travel where you're, presumably, going to travel either way, I think it can work out. But it only works out if you travel A LOT. Even a moderate amount of travel means you don't win out with the cost of membership.

There are no-fee 2% cards out there

Re: Let's Buy Spirit Air

#616
post #71
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or they could actually charge ticket prices that cover the cost of doing business and stop treating their passengers like a it's a time-share sales pitch the whole way.

They can't do this most of the time because for most of the year on most routes, supply outstrips demand (i.e., many/most flights on most airlines fly at least a little bit empty, often significantly empty – overall load factors are about 80-85%). They have to charge fares that customers will be willing to pay, even if that means losing money on a given flight. They can only charge profitable fares on the routes and…

I only wish I could find these "a little bit empty", "80-85%" flights. Any flight I've been on in the past 4 years has been filled to the brim and gate-checking anyone who didn't pony up for Premium Economy or better - or even outright oversold and handing out "please take the next flight?" vouchers.

(Seattle is my home airport, so maybe this has something to do with it - but come on, SEA is no ORD or ATL...)

Re: Let's Buy Spirit Air

#619
post #598

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever tried to regulate an unregulated industry preying upon a population? Look what it took to wrangle the cigarette industry. Look how unfettered gambling is ripping through the USA. Or look at industries pre-regulation. Meat, building construction, medicine... At minimum we have as much evidence that "the market" is capable of being as bad as "bad regulation."

Gambling might be ripping though the US, maybe. But it's far from unfettered. > Or look at industries pre-regulation. Meat, building construction, medicine... You might like to read about what economists call 'Normal Goods': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Normal_good > In economics, a normal good is a type of a good for which consumers increase their demand due to an increase in income, unlike inferior goods, for whic…

That's far too cynical. A normal good is caviar, or wine. Health and safety are human rights. Not everything should be commoditized.

Re: Let's Buy Spirit Air

#620

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sadly only expensive because the unions bleed the companies dry.

When CEOs and shareholders take all the money out of a company while doing none of the work, you think it's fine. When workers do the work and get the money, you think it's "bleeding the company dry". Unions are one of the more effective ways for workers to fight back against "divide and conquer". Unions work to slightly adress the massive power imbalance between employer and employee; that's why the wealthy hate the…

LOL the company is dead.
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