the big difference between gulfair and alitalia is that the italian government doesn't mind letting alitalia go down. what i heard was the government here will not let gf go by the wayside. they're too proud to let that happen. and as ib57 mentioned, gf's contribution to the economy works out the losses it makes. this leaves us employees with the short end of the stick as far as remuneration goes because successful airlines reward their workers, not successful national economies. which is why i'm still outa here.