Last post since I don't want to derail the movie thread too much. I work for an airline, and the managers that run the place "invest" the company's capital into things such a fuel hedges. These are simply bets on whether the commodity will go up or down. The fuel in question isn't even jet fuel but heating oil. Over the years we've had some good times where those hedges helped the bottom line and other years where it crushed the bottom line. So in the end it isn't totally about whether they actually carry passengers for profit but a whole list of things that determine whether the company is successful. And to top it off, the investors drive the decision making process at the company to a high degree, pretty much deciding for themselves whether we are going to grow or shrink or make other strategic moves. It is a ridiculous amount of control exerted by Wall Street. I find it incredible that someone can make an "investment" which is nothing more than a casino style bet, and then have enough power to be able to manipulate the key factors that control whether than bet pays off or not. Its a disgusting broken system and every one of us, whether we know it or not, its taking it right up the pooper while these guys get rich from it.
