Other airlines spend about 2 cents more per mile and earn about a third less.

The airline spends $7 a passenger on food and beverage service, compared with an industry average of $4.

The airline spends about $45 million annually on advertising.

If the airline spent 18 months preparing for the strike, "they did a terrible job," he added.

Currently, the airlines spend about $700 million a year on security, or roughly $1 a passenger.

Nevertheless, the figures will provide some comfort to travelers skeptical that the airlines are actually spending something to feed them.

The airline spends more than 80 million Singapore dollars, or $48 million, a year on advertising.

He acknowledged that the airline would spend more on advertising in the second quarter, as it begins service from Philadelphia.

The airline will still spend, just not as much.

One important reason is that the nation's airlines are spending more than $1.5 billion a month on a new generation of aircraft.