Why the hell does is cost $1400 to fly from EWR to SAT non-stop?

[BreastInspector]

I will never fly American again if I can't help it due to their S80s that fly between SA and Dallas. I've had to make an emergency landing on one last month due to the fact that only one power generator out of three was working. They sent us up with only two working and one of those failed in the air.

Scary times.

Two working is still two more than 0. Don't blame American, blame the Minimum Equipment List.

OP: The airline industry has NEVER earned back the cost of capital expenditure. Ever. They spend 50, 100, 150 million dollars on a single plane that makes them a profit of $50,000 to $100,000 a day IN THE BEST OF TIMES. Yield management is a bitch, which is why they sell the $1400 seats to the business travellers or those flying on short notice but it is a halfhearted attempt at paying the bills.