By ANN Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell
On a recent jaunt to DC,
I worked the halls of Congress as well as the offices of many of
the alphabet associations and government agencies that support the
aviation world. It was a fascinating week... with some interesting
intel and rumors coming to light.
While the most interesting aero-gossip surrounded the bad
blood created by the NTSB's Ellen Engleman-Connors actions in
speaking about accidents before the facts were collected (wholly
unprofessional and counter-productive says nearly everyone who
commented) and the poor relations she has developed with her staff;
one other bit of intel asserted itself as a dangerous possibility
for our collective future.
It seems that the airline industry is looking for new whipping
boys... ways to apportion the blame for their years of poor labor
relations, neolithic management programs, pi**-poor planning,
escalating fuel costs, and the staggering effect of burdensome
security regs. Some VERY knowledgeable folks indicated that a
stratagem for the future (which has made itself known here and
there already) will see the airline industry increasingly blaming
BizAv and GA for the ills being faced by the poor, misunderstood
and under-appreciated air carriers.
The modus operandi seems to be to create a public climate in
which the airline business will be able to spin off a greater
portion of their costs onto the shoulders of those "Fat-Cat" bizjet
operators and ever-so-rich GA pilots (concepts already seen in
a number of major media outlets). Over a period of time, they'd
also like to see GA and BizAv access to some of the nation's
busiest airports and services curtailed, if not eliminated
altogether.
OK... outside of the
fact that various studies have already proven that BizAv and GA are
paying their fair share of the bills for their access to the
nation's aviation infrastructure, there is also a divide and
conquer mentality here that makes no sense at all. I've little
doubt that the airline industry sees the growing BizAv industry as
a threat to their bottom-line, but the fact is that poor airline
service, burdensome security tactics and ridiculous antics like the
Christmas massacres at Comair and US Air will drive more people
away from the airlines than any effort currently being made by the
BizAv world to attract users.
These blame-game tactics are the highest form of idiocy.
Aviation needs to band TOGETHER as a collective entity to protect
itself and grow in a productive manner. I already know of many GA
and BizAv flyers who won't fly Northwest for some of their
Anti-Private Aviation antics -- but if want to see a real problem
-- just start picking our industry apart, piece and piece, and the
airline industry may find itself with a costly and very public
reaction that will backfire in some amazing ways.
This is NOT the GA and BizAv industry of old, where it took
phenomenal pressure to provoke a reaction... this is a
proactive as well as aggressively reactive industry that knows that
it must protect itself at all costs... even from foes who should be
on their side to begin with. We lost a lot as a result of 9/11,
we're not going to give anything else up without one hell of a
fight.
I think this is a
serious concern. For those of you who read ATA President James
May's dangerously myopic Op-Ed in Wednesday's USA Today, you may
have seen one of the latest (but not last) shots to be fired across
our bow in an upcoming war that may try to feather the airline's
nests at the expense of the rest of the aviation community. May
slips in a line that suggests we're not paying our fair share of
the costs... "Ensuring that airlines and their customers are not
forced to overpay for services used by business jets and others, or
to disproportionately fund federal responsibilities such as
national defense and security, are matters of simple fairness
— not quests for special treatment."
The Op-Ed, an excuse-riddled essay on how the airlines are the
victim of misfortunes not of their making, may be the tip of the
arrow. The airlines are hurting... and rather than admit that their
business model is a mess and that they must adapt or die, finding a
popular and misunderstood victim may be a great tactic to keep the
heat away from where it belongs... in the boardrooms of the airline
industry.
A final message to the airlines -- BizAv and GA want to be your
allies -- but if you dare to turn us into the enemy, you may find
that you've picked the wrong enemy. Don't force us to prove it.