Here's why Southwest and Alaska are doing well. Southwest has a very unusual culture. They have employees who are paid less than the industry average but who don't mind. They like working there so much that they don't care that they're getting a hell of a lot less than the big boys. That makes things a lot easier for them. They also aren't as dependent on business travel as other airlines.

As for Alaska, they are a regional airline and don't play near where the terrorists hit. From what I hear, they have one transcontinental flight, from DC to Seattle.

You can't compare a regional airline like Alaska or a unique airline like Southwest to the rest of them, who cater to a very different market -- one that was already reeling due to the economic slowdown and that will get hit again due to the attacks.

Besides, I would hate to think of how bad things would be if it was just Alaska and Southwest. I've never flown Alaska, because it doesn't have the routes I need. I don't like flying Southwest at all, and if I had to go cross country on them, it would really suck.