Re: “Another View: Airlines care little about alienating their customers” (Feb. 15):

As I read this Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial in your paper, I had to wonder if the writer realizes this is the first time in history that U.S. airlines have made any profit.

In the history of U.S. commercial aviation, airlines have lost money. From recessions, to wars, to terrorist actions, it’s been a constant barrage on U.S. airlines. As a 25-year airline employee, I have endured losing pensions, pay and benefits because of airline failures, bankruptcies and many other factors.

To say “airlines care little about alienating customers” is totally false. Does the writer think flight crews like delays and disruptions any more than passengers do? Of course not.

We have connections to make, and we want to get to the destination and then back home just as much as passengers do. Weather and other delays affect us just as much as they affect passengers. As airline employees, we care deeply about our passengers and crews.

When you consider everything it takes to get a jetliner off the ground, it’s amazing the commercial airline industry does as well as it does. Airline employees strive to get you to your destination safely and on time, and have an amazing record of doing just that.

The airline industry is a labor of love for all the employees involved. We love flying, and that’s why we are here – not for big profit-sharing checks or pay and benefits. Airlines are not oil companies or pharmaceutical companies, with a long history of profit and disdain for their customers.

If airlines can make a little money while the price of oil is low, then good for them. It’s only a matter of time before the next onslaught brings profits to a screeching halt.

Rob Smith

Boeing 737 captain, American Airlines

Cumberland