Doug! Noooo Not your Alma Mater too!

[LoadMasterC141]

Got an email from my local flight school, which has actualy been forwarded on and endorsed by several other local schools.

Pilots,

Please see the request from AOPA (Airlines Pilot and Owners Association) below. It is in reference to a mass e-mail that Delta Airlines sent out yesterday to it's frequent fliers spreading lies about general aviation. Please respond to the Delta rep noted in the article.

Also, I have included the e-mail sent out. It went to my brother and he forwarded it to me asking if it would affect our flight school. I filled him in and asked he boycott Delta.

Please forward this e-mail to everyone you feel would be interested in knowing Delta is spreading lies.

I have also included my letter to Delta. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to. Please feel free to send your own response to Delta.

1) AOPA Article
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]PILOTS NEED TO SET DELTA AIR LINES STRAIGHT[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]The airlines are continuing their anti-GA propaganda campaign. Delta is the latest to launch an e-mail broadside to its frequent fliers, claiming that the current tax system is unfair to the airlines, and that general aviation is somehow responsible for traffic delays. Here’s the truth: Most airline delays are due to the airlines own scheduling practices and weather. So says the Department of Transportation. General aviation flights are less than 4 percent of the traffic at the nation's 10 busiest airports. Air traffic control modernization (NextGen) will improve things, but it's not a panacea. It can't make thunderstorms disappear, nor allow two airliners to land simultaneously on the same runway. GA is willing to help pay for NextGen and has accepted the fuel tax increases in the House FAA funding bill (H.R.2881) to do so. The airlines demand NextGen and demand a tax decrease. You can help set the record straight by e-mailing Delta Air Lines CEO Gerald Grinstein.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, Geneva, Swiss, SunSans-Regular]For complete coverage of the FAA Funding Debate, see AOPA Online.[/FONT]


2) Delta E-mail

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]delta.com[/FONT] | [FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Profile[/FONT] | [FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Mileage Balance[/FONT] | [FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Add to Address Book[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]SkyMiles Number: [/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]SYSTEM UNFAIRLY TAXES CUSTOMERS LIKE YOU[/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Please join us as we lobby Congress to update[/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]the Air Traffic Control System.[/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Hello Mr. xxxxxx, [/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Learn More[/FONT]​

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Providing the highest quality service to our customers is the guiding principle in everything we do at Delta. But it is difficult for us to provide the level of service you deserve when air traffic in the United States is controlled with pre-WWII methods and technology. [/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Within a decade, traffic delays will cost the economy $40 billion a year, and you, the customer, a great deal of wasted time. There will be 85% more jets in the sky in the next 15 years—an increase driven largely by corporate jets, fractional jets, air-taxis and very light jets. To an air traffic controller, a jet with a celebrity or a CEO takes as much effort as a commercial flight with 250 passengers. However, the current system is funded almost entirely by the airline ticket tax, meaning that you are paying for nearly 95% of the air traffic system while corporate and private jets get a free ride! [/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]You can help make a difference! Please contact your Congressional representatives and ask them to: [/FONT]
[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]

• [FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Quit forcing you to subsidize corporate jets through the current unfair ticket tax[/FONT]
• [FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Support a new cost-based ATC finance structure that will fund the system fairly and enable the FAA to modernize our aging ATC system[/FONT]

[/FONT][FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]Working in a partnership with other airlines, we will do everything we can to continue to improve upon the customer experience. For more information on this initiative, called "Smart Skies," go to smartskies.org/delta. We can make a difference! [/FONT]

[FONT=Tahoma, Verdana, MS Sans Serif]My Response to Delta[/FONT]

I am a general aviation pilot and have held stock in Delta, until today.

Your insane and ridiculous e-mail spreading lies to your frequent fliers made it's way to my brother, a former Delta frequent flier. He forwardrd the e-mail to me beileving all the propoganda until I set him straight.

I forwarded the e-mail to every pilot in our flight school asking them all to boycott Delta and forward it to everyone they know passing on that Delta is and has been airline that is drowning in their poorly managed company and is throwing out one last attempt to keep from sinking. Well, the 200 pilots in my flight school, all of their families and friends along with the 500,000 members of the general aviation community and their family and friends are going to throw you a leaded weight and ensure you go to the bottom of your ocean of deceit.

By the time the outrageous Delta lies reach all of the general aviation family and they pass it on and one and on and on. Delta is going to be sleeping with the fishes leaving only the memory of a failed airline and the lingering stinch of their execuitives.

You have committed suicide.

SO LONG DELTA!

 

[derg]

Hey, I just work there, bro!

And owning airline stock! Y'oughta know better! For shame!

 

[B767Driver]

I just have one question. Why would you own an airline stock?

 

[LoadMasterC141]

Oh hell no...not me that owns any stock. I DO know better. The only words that are mine are those in bold at the top. The rest is just forwarded.

I do have over 200,000 skymiles though, and two AMEX Delta Skymiles cards. Reading things like this makes me want to get rid of them, but I know it is not just Delta. All the airlines will get on the bandwagon; alot already have. Cutting their own legs off if you ask me. I also know you just work there. Nothing against you either sir. You know I have the utmost respect and admiration for your contributions to young pilot's worlds like myself.

 

[derg]

Some pointers on communicating with an airline:

Trust me, the airlines would love for you to dump your frequent flyer (flier?) miles. It's one of those things that they got drug into like a misbehaving Chihuahua tugging against the leash because everyone else was giving away cash 'n prizes because they had to compete. If you forfeit the miles, that's extra cash on the books and it helps them meet their EPS target.

The best way to fight an airline is to say that you'll stop flying their airline, no matter how low the fare gets and then literally refrain from booking them. Generally, American will get a few thousand "I'll never fly American ever again, EVAR!!!111" but when there's a fare sale, 9 times out of 10 they'll rebook. However if you tell an airline, "My organization's corporate travel department will now exclude your airline from consideration for the over ($Big Figure) in travel dollars we spend annually" -- that'll get some attention.

I'm not trying to be a negative Nancy, just give some pointers on effectively communicating with an airline!

 

[LoadMasterC141]

Thanks. I forwarded on to the flight school owner.

I agree that corporations would make a larger impact. My company operates a Lear 60 and 35, but most of us travel on Airlines. We travel ALOT. I wonder if it would be in the company's interest to boycott certain airlines.

 

[v1valarob]

Well back in may this is what usairways had up on its employee webpage:

"Smart Skies" for The 21st Century

The Air Transport Association launched the “Smart Skies” program to push for a “21st Century air traffic control system – and a new funding mechanism to support it.” With the nation’s ATC system rapidly moving the gridlock, ATA is urging Congress to replace the current air traffic control system with updated digital systems that will allow airplanes to be flown more efficiently. And, ATA is lobbying for a more fair way of funding the ATC system. ATA members, including US Airways, are supporting the “Smart Skies” program. For more detailed information, go to www.smartskies.org

They also had a link on usair.com pointing to smartskies.com

I was very unimpressed. However I had to do some digging just to find the above paragraph. Maybe they thought better...

-Rob

 

[H46Bubba]

Delta even posted a plea to employees on Deltanet to support the airline and it's pursuit of "Smart Skies" Didn't just a month or so ago, they gave up on this or was it a feign to regroup and hit AOPA on it's flank? "Hey gullable passengers and SkyMiles members, the reason you're getting taxed is because Billy Bob in his 172 is clogging up the atc system doing his 8's on Pylons. He and everyone like him is causing all those delays and cancellations, and ....gasp...he's doing it free of charge!" Muwhahahaha!:crazy:

 

[tonyw]

I just have one question. Why would you own an airline stock?

Yeah, I'll make an offer to anyone who wants to buy airline stock here.

Give me half the money that you wanted to "invest" in the airline and I'll come over and kick you in the nads.

It'll hurt just as much and you'll only lose half your money.