I realize that passengers could care less about what it costs Airline X,Y or Z to provide them a seat. Like all consumers these days, We want it now..and we want it completely to our liking...and as cheap as humanly possible. Now days the cost of a Flight Crew, A Mechanic and all the other needed supporting staff is in the forefront. This is an issue for the company endure...and those whom work for the company to sweat. Many only see our world from one perspective..and that is the frontline customer service perspective. This is understood..but very sad. Just for those of you that never see things in it''s full 360 degree spectrum , I will site you a story of what it takes to make it happen for you the flying public. Tuesday night I walked into a hornets nest...No sooner than I had a sat down at my desk , I was approached by my dept. supervisor. He said , Hey AOG-N-IT...I need you to do some searching for us. He said that during the day , one of our B757''s had sustained a "Lightning strike" This is a very common occurance...and the time of year has little impact on this taking place. The aircraft was going to be down for hours pending a thurough "Post Strike Inspection". The Inspection of NXXXAU noted exit holes in it''s ruddder. This is indeed a bad bad thing. The time to remove a rudder , repair un-determined amounts of damage , can run into days..or even weeks. You can use a figure of about $8000 dollars an hour for a B757 to just sit static. I was tasked to source a rudder. I made my usual circuit through the suppliers , other carriers and vendors. Keeping in mind that the closest "Geographic Source" would save both time..and ground transportation costs to move it. Sadly..The closest place was Boeing in Seatle Wa. I made inquiries as to purchasing..and leasing while CLT could repair our unit. A Rudder costs about $431,000.00 for a 757...or in leasing terms about $13,000 a day. This does not include the tranport costs to and from it''s place of origin..Installation costs...or removal at the time our unit is ready again. This also does not consider the added downtime of said aircraft...or the need for a Test Flight/Flights for a major control surface change. Issues like this make aviaton a very costly business..and nothing to be dismissed too lightly. So before you complain about the cost of a ticket...consider for a moment , the costs of what you don''t see. Crews, Fuel and People are just part of the cost...The issues run very deep. I hope before someone slams us ..or airline X,Y or Z. They take a moment to rationalize the cost of keeping John Q. Public aloft safely. We love what we do..and we strive to provide a safe enviroment for you the public. Remember we fly with you too..and so do our famalies. Consider the omninous responsibility of this fact. We in this business remember this , and never take it for granted. "Take-Offs are optional..."Landings are Mandatory" [] []