FewCloudy:
The expression "self-loading freight" is how some airlines' so-called 'leadership', to use the term very loosely, view their passengers.
Partly due to the perishable commodity concept, some US companies view their passengers as a commodity.
Therefore, "self-loading freight", from their viewpoint, is quite valid and accurate.
If some of these companies were operated under the actual leadership of aviation professionals (and some are not) this would not be the situation.
Pocketing an extra $20,000,000 worth of free corporate stock
does not equate to leadership by example or 'people skills'. There are often no connections between these two areas.
It still surprises me that many elements of the general media are often not nearly bright enough to figure this out by themselves, or simply lack the motivation without a plausible 'story'.