Why Do Airlines Keep Going Bankrupt?    Borenstein says a big
part of the reason costs for these airlines are so high is
because of labor relations. It’s not just about higher wages —
it’s because of what their contracts say workers are allowed to
do.  “If you look at what low cost carriers do that is
different, they get much higher productivity out of their
workers,” Borenstein says. “The jobs are defined more broadly.
The workers tend to cover more of the work load.”   Low cost
airlines have been part of the market for decades now. Southwest
began flying in 1971, but for years the legacy carriers didn’t
really see them as a threat.    After the Sept. 11 attacks,
there was a huge drop in demand for flights, and Borenstein says
demand has stayed pretty much flat ever since. Meanwhile, low
cost carriers have been expanding — cutting more and more into
the legacy carriers’ customer base by offering lower and lower
ticket prices. Borenstein says lower ticket prices combined with
higher costs have pushed many leg