DISQUS

Bostonian_Queer_in_Dallas · 1 year ago

Compare the salaries of American carriers' CEOs with those of the European companies. Most of American business today is based on paying out hundreds of millions in exec bonuses while fucking the consumer at every turn. And the pilots and the flight attendants and everyone else but the top fifty guys. We need some kind of government intervention but won't get it with GOP presidents. With Hilary trashing Barack and the party, I have little hope anything will improve next year. Bush 3 seems a fait a complit.

Paul_In_SF · 1 year ago

"Bush 3 seems a fait a complit."

I think that you are in for a pleasant surprise. I might be wrong though. Check back with me Tuesday night after the PA returns are in.

Bush_Bites · 1 year ago

It's weird how the airlines are all in it together.

If one has shitting maintenance, they figure they all need to have shitty maintenance to compete.

I'd love to see one airling put maintenance and inspections first, then use that as their main selling point. That'd shake the industry up.

Of course, I wouldn't count on it because it would also upset the little ballgame they're all playing.

jr · 1 year ago

these corporate toddlers have been allowed to stay home alone and want to be left unguarded after they've burnt the house down 10 times

mike31c · 1 year ago

And people wonder why I refuse to support industry "self-regulation". Give them (pick any industry) and inch and they will expect a yard and a taxpayer handout.

Rab · 1 year ago

Give any corporation free reign and the first thing they will do is find the nearest street corner to bring their own mothers to sell. Since the chimp took over, business understands its every business for itself, to hell with the rules. Northwest is hooking up with Delta and they want the Minnesota taxpayer to forgive what they owe us. Oh, our wonderfully crappy governor Pawlenty hasn't said too much about this....too busy working his way to be McCrazy's running mate.

Bluestocking · 1 year ago

Increasingly, I find myself asking just how much these big companies want (and not just the airlines, but virtually all of the big consumer product/service companies) and how much the American people are willing to give them before we finally throw up our hands and send them this message -- IT'S NOT WORTH IT. I for one am becoming thoroughly fed up with consistently paying more while receiving less -- either for quality or quantity, if not both. I do recognize that some degree of price increase is legitimate, because businesses which don't make a profit and don't stay competitive don't stay in business and people have to at least keep pace with the cost of living (especially when said business relies heavily on a commodity such as oil which is itself experiencing dramatic price increases) -- but I think at least some of it boils down to basic greed, the desire to get and keep as much as possible for oneself while cutting whatever corners one can get away with in order to pay out as little as conceivably possible. I think this problem is affecting nearly all of corporate America -- but it's particularly bad in the airlines industry and others like it, where cutting corners on issues such as safety could potentially result in deaths.

nova · 1 year ago

Last week, my wife completed a flight from Washington state to the east coast, with one stop in Denver on a now bankrupt airline. It was deliberately over-booked. The day before they filed Chapter 11, the bribe not to fly at your paid-for time was that you can have a flight for free to anywhere we fly, plus free overnight motel and meals. No one volunteered until they announced that oh, by the way, we now fly to Costa Rica.

Now, Frontier is in BANKRUPTCY. Does that in anyway diminish the chances to going to CR? Did they Lie? How come that L-word is not used more often about politicians and Corporate America?

Eight passengers took the enticement. The math is 8 x WHO THE HELL KNOWS concerning the money. Would that be $2k per? Is this anyway to run a train, or an airline?? Don't even discuss if the plane left with enough fuel or passing adequate safety regulations.

It seems that Corporate America does not realize that it is much easier to run out of fuel on the first half of tank of jet fuel than the last half.

I realize I just jumped in my argument. However, planes have been taking off without adequate fuel supplies if they should be required to wait for landing due to weather or whatever delays.

It is much easier to have your planes checked for safety in the USA by competent mechanics avoiding a crash, than to go on the cheap in China to have less than competent mechanics to rubber-stamp inspections. But the rubber-stamp, In-God-We-Trust, who-gives a fluck attitude that has kept this country going for the last 25 years seems to prevail.

I guess the question is would these corporate Titans have their Mommas ride in these planes? Do they believe in the Golden Rule? Do they know how much is enough?

Obviously, not.

And finally, if you do not pay good wages for your employees in this country to make a living, raise their children, provide health care and retirement, WHO THE HELL CAN AFFORD TO FILL YOUR PLANES????

Henry Ford got it over a century ago, and he was no flucking saint.

Mike_G · 1 year ago

Let's not forget that these "free markets uber alles" economic legends-in-their-own-mind were HANDED $15 billion in taxpayer dollars after 9/11 to compensate them for being grounded for a grand total of four days.

A government with integrity might have invested in the airlines' stocks to stabilize them, or guaranteed loans to tide them over until demand picked up again; not 'free market', but perhaps an acceptable temporary stabilization of transport infrastructure under extraordinary circumstances. But the airlines were just GIFTED taxpayer money. Think about this the next time you are screwed over by an airline.

lynchie · 1 year ago

The Airlines are like the Auto Companies in Detroit. They are bloated top heavy and without the slightest idea that serving their customers matters. If they used a little common sense they might realize that 15 trips a day to a single location with 1/2 empty planes costs too much. If they provided some creature comforts like enough room for my legs and feet, an aisle that you can actually walk down and pay employees enough so they start giving a shit again we might feel better about flying. Now the only decision is who is cheapest since the Customer Service has been eradicated from flying. The Auto Industry want to pass off shitcans as real cars. In 1910 the Model T got 25 miles to the gallon. Few cars made in America get that now. Everything about the car has built in obselesence and it is almost impossible to even change the oil without going to a dealer, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but the Dealers do shoddy work, fix things not broken and exude an air of contempt if you question them. We as Consumers keep closing our eyes to how we are treated, we jump on the plane, we buy that car, we sit for hours waiting for the next voice to tell us if you want repairs push 5, if you want to go back to the start push 6. By the time you get to a human you forgot what you needed or simply didn't give a shit any longer, so the company wins both ways.
Even more remarkable is when you do run into good Customer Service you are so shocked and surprised that you don't believe it and walk away confused and dazed.
As long as we keep throwing money at shitty service, contempt for our purchasing power and continue to reward Corporate Greed nothing will change. Sounds like Politics to me.

doggril · 1 year ago

It's amazing to me that they would even try to make the argument for de-regulation even as we continue to watch the trainwreck caused by the lack of regulation in the mortgage industry.
Of course, there seem to be plenty of folks who can't connect the dots between the lack of regulation and screwing over the consumer, even when the dots are right in front of them.