Doug Parkers quest since he came to AWA was to establish and reinforce the "new Normal" as it relates to airline labor and what someone's expectations should be for a career at an airline. The legacy mindset of high wages and relatively low productivity evaporated with the onset of internet ticket distribution. It took an industry with razor thin margins in good times and slashed them to the point that they struggle to price their product even a few cents above costs. They roll out bag fees because they are "below the line" items that currently don't impact the posted fare at sites like travelocity,etc.
Does he do that because he knows that the industry's pricing model can't sustain wages anywhere close to where they were, or because he's a rank opportunist that will do whatever he can get away with. Probably a little of both.
We have watched as the tide has raised many of the fortunes of our competitors, yet we are firmly chained to the bottom, courtesy of the current pilot's union. There are some small incremental gains to be had, but witht he current crew, even that remains elusive.