When I used to ride the jumpseat in the mid 1990s on AC (on 320s), the pilots frequently took huge pride in coming in significantly below their fuel burn targets. It was almost a contest between them, in their otherwise mundane lives. I guess for many, the novelty was burning a mere fraction of fuel in the A320 as opposed to their former 727s. During this time, due to the efforts of the pilots, AC gained a leading reputation for doing things such as single-engine taxi-ins, agressive use and compliance with the EMS on the A320, condition/performance based monitoring and maintenance of engines, and derated takeoffs, while most other carriers lagged behind on the fuel efficiency front.

I know certain types of rewards are completely innappropriate for pilots (ie: rewards for on-time departures), but there must be some way of developing transparent metrics to reward individuals for exceptional individual performance. Simple 'employee of the month' awards are irrelevant and counterproductive if the criteria isn't clear, and such awards are given out at the discretion of management, and not based on identifiable performance criteria.