Continental and other US aircarriers cannot blame the cost of "enhanced security procedures" for the increased cost of doing business. Most of these same airlines have in the recent past bought or leased far more aircraft than the traffic dictated, only to find now that increased traffic simply is not there.
So, their reaction is to blame "someone else" when in actual fact the airline managements have way overestimated aircraft needs...big time. This is to say nothing of excessive pilot unions' salary demands. The other shoe has now dropped.
[ 15 September 2001: Message edited by: 411A ]