WN is pretty well, the last I checked (okay, maybe not the most recent quarter). When you start talking about pax "paying enough to cover the cost of flying", how much are you talking about here? If WN can survive at similar fares, why not US? Well, it's because the costs are different. Are you (not you in particular, but US employees) willing to work for the kind of pay that WN employees are getting (I have no idea how much they make)? BTW, some people have mentioned that WN actually gives its pax more bang for their bucks on the same PIT-PHL route at lower costs. Hence, don't start complaining about pax not paying enough for the costs of flying.
LAX
I would be ecstatic to make what the f/a's at WN make. I haven't seen their hourly wage in actual writing, but after talking to a WN f/a that was riding jumpseat lately I was shocked to hear that they make ALOT more than the f/a's at US. I think their pilots are also very well paid, higher than the pilots at US.
Not that it matters, I know what my salary is and I accept it and try to do a good job regardless of what they're paying me. If I found it unacceptable then I would quit and go to work in another field, I wouldn't offer less service or have a crappy attitude because of my own decisions in life.