"Carriers' Own Hub-And-Spoke Route System Is The Rotten Apple
In This Barrel"
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association put the call out...
and the pilot advocacy group says more than 3,000 of Delta Air
Lines' best customers have responded, telling the airline's bigwigs
why they are wrong.
As ANN reported, last week
Delta sent a mass email to its customers, blaming airline delays on
general aviation and the current FAA funding system. AOPA promptly
responded, stating "most airline delays are due to the airlines'
own scheduling practices and weather" -- and then invited its
members to share their opinions with Delta management, as well.
"The scheduled carriers' own hub-and-spoke route system is the
rotten apple in this barrel," wrote an Arkansas pilot. "When you
and your Air Transport Association colleagues insist on
figuratively cramming 16 lanes of traffic into a four-lane road two
or three times a day, what do you expect will happen?"
A Delta frequent flier and pilot from Georgia wrote to Delta Air
Lines CEO Gerald Grinstein, "I urge you to look out the window
sometime at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport and count the
number of airliners and the number of general aviation and
corporate aircraft that operate at your own headquarters. Then look
yourself in the mirror and ask, 'Have I been 100 percent honest
with my customers?'"
AOPA notes most of the responses
came from Delta frequent fliers, many of whom pointed out that GA
pilots were also the airlines' best customers.
Airline pilots weighed in, too. A retired 747 captain said,
"General aviation aircraft operating at airports served by
airlines, especially those served by your airline, are almost never
the cause of any delays and you should know that. Ask your own
pilots what the causes are." He devoted nearly two pages to the
true causes of airline delays.
A Kentucky pilot told Delta's CEO, "As a Delta SkyMiles member,
a business traveler, and general aviation pilot, I take offense at
your use of my SkyMiles e-mail account to push half-truths and
misrepresentations about aviation funding and traffic delays. My
use of general aviation for business and pleasure actually allows
me to bypass the very airports that Delta serves, so I absolutely
do not add to traffic delays or congestion for the airlines."
Some made note of the various taxpayer bailouts of the airlines
and the multimillion dollar salaries of airline executives.
"The costs of redoing the ramps at LAX to accommodate the new
Airbus is not borne by the airlines, but by the taxpayers," from a
Massachusetts pilot. "The costs of your pension bailout is not paid
for by your airline but borne by your employees and taxpayers. For
all the billions of dollars that we taxpayers pay to subsidize your
airline's needs and mistakes, you pay a pittance of fuel tax, which
you now want to not pay at all. Once again, you are looking for a
taxpayer bailout and trying not to accept blame for your bad
business decisions."
Finally, many pilots told Delta that they supported the NextGen
air traffic modernization program and were willing to pay for it.
"I want to do my part to support this new system that will provide
greater safety for all of us," wrote one.
"GA is willing to help pay for NextGen and has accepted the fuel
tax increase in the House FAA funding bill (H.R.2881) to do so,"
wrote a Tennessee pilot. "I respectfully ask you to cease this
misinformation campaign and work with AOPA to seek fair and
balanced solutions that will improve our nation's ATC system for
all who use it."