Gordon Bethune makes the stupid statement of the day.

Bethune allowed that traditional carriers’ costs are higher, but said this was because staff are more senior than at low-cost carriers that have started up in the past few years.



Continental recently calculated its 2002 financial statements assuming it had the same revenue and network, but the labor cost structure, of JetBlue. Instead of a $350 million loss, Bethune explained, Continental would have had a $450 million profit. The difference is “directly attributable to wage rates and seniority levels,” he said.

Yup, it’s just the unfair advantage of a lower cost structure that makes JetBlue better off. Don’t blame us!

This from the head of an airline that has had the cost-shaving advantages of two bankruptcies.

Wonder who Gordo thinks negotiated those higher costs?