Anger at 30,000 feet

Before the airline industry was deregulated in 1978, it didn't matter much what the airlines paid their employees.

Since the government tightly regulated ticket prices, if the airline needed to charge more to make a profit, it wasn't a problem.

But after the regulations disappeared and the fare wars began, Jeff Brundage, American's senior vice president of human resources, says employee salaries never caught up with a changed industry.