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Why are all the
airlines bankrupt?

Had I obtained a degree in economics instead of animal husbandry at Oregon State University I probably would understand why just about every airline in the country is in bankruptcy. (I actually received a degree in liberal arts, but because all the journalism classes were held on the second floor of Agriculture Hall, I picked up quite a few tips on the care, feeding and mating of large farm animals.)

It will be refreshing to have an airline in Hawaii not in bankruptcy. I'm talking about Mesa Air, the Arizona-based airline that plans to start operating in Hawaii. Hawaiian Air technically isn't in bankruptcy any longer but the stench lingers. Aloha Airlines is in bankruptcy, which puts it in the company of most mainland airlines.

Mesa has somehow found a way to actually remain solvent in the airline biz, a trick apparently kept close to the vest in Arizona. Mesa appears to be the nerdy braniac of the airline world, having actually made money for almost seven years. That's some kind of record in aviation, considering that the Wright Brothers' second flight was down to the country courthouse seeking protection from creditors. It's surprising that Mesa would put its financial well-being in jeopardy by coming to Hawaii. Maybe there's something contagious in the air here that causes airlines to get the financial sniffles.

It will be fun to watch, anyway. If Mesa kicks butt, people might begin to ask what's up with Hawaiian and Aloha. Like, for instance, why does the Aloha CEO pull down a half-million dollars a year for running a bankrupt airline? Even with my background in liberal arts and farm animal reproduction, I suspect I could keep an airline from making money. And for a lot less than $500,000 a year.

My little pea brain insists on trying to keep things simple. Airlines provide a product: Air travel. This product costs a certain amount of money. Passengers pay for this product. If the airlines are going bankrupt, doesn't that mean they aren't charging enough for their product?

If I own a manapua wagon and sell manapua for 7 cents each, the bank takes my manapua wagon. If I sell manapua for $47 each, I get rich. OK. Forget the manapua wagon. That doesn't work.

What I'm getting at here is there must be a true cost of an airline ticket and obviously Hawaiian, Aloha and most mainland airlines aren't charging whatever it is.

Now, the trick to getting boy and girl horses to make hoochie-koochie is ...