Sunfish: "pithicus, well said. What happens next is we have our own Colgan disaster. Two pressurised pilots, worried about their job security and conditions of employment, make a fatal mistake through stress. When that happens all the savings made over a decade of cheese paring and cost saving will vanish in an instant, but unfortunately not the management bonuses already paid out.
So far there has been no "Colgan" so therefore the system is "safe", at least in the eyes of the beancounters. Their risk modelling is very different to that of a pilot.
When there is a "Colgan" those that created the problem have not only got their bonuses but have also departed the scene. They never seem to be held accountable and since it didn't happen on their watch they have the view it cannot have been as a result of anything they did.