Newsstand - Congress wants data on labor-related flight delays

Senate Majority leader Trent Lott criticized organized labor on Tuesday for its role in air traffic headaches, and sought data on the exact percentage of flight delays caused by union troubles.

Lott's comments at the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on airline customer service came four days after the Bush administration threatened to take decisive action against an airline union poised for a strike vote.

The White House said a week ago that President George W. Bush would explore all options for countering airline strikes if they threaten the economy or public welfare.
http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/010213/n13703611.html

The usual one-way street. Of course, airline management has absolutely no role or responsibility in any of this. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Rich G writes: Of course, airline management has absolutely no role or responsibility in any of this.

Neither do the pilots, of course, struggling to get by on their 6 figure incomes.


[This message has been edited by snake (edited 02-14-2001).]

Dear Mr. snake (if that really is your name):

Of course pilots and their union share some responsibility. I was commenting on the exclusive focus being placed on the unions by the Bush administration (which is not just any kind of moron, but an oxymoron) and, now, (all too predictably) by Senator Lott.

By the way, I have absolutely no problem with pilots, responsible for my safety, making six-figure incomes, paid for with my ticket dollar, about two-thirds of which, these days, is my own money.

If it was so easy, there would be about a million more people busy learning how to do it.

[This message has been edited by RichG (edited 02-14-2001).]

Maybe if the feds worried about fixing the air traffic control system and forcing communities to accept new runways, the other problems would go away...

Were it that easy, rxziebel. The same people who defend organizations like the pilot's union are also using every environmental regulation known to man to block the construction of new runways. And of course block new terminals, new airports (watch out when they try break ground at Petone in Ill.), new aircraft types (the A-380 will certainly meet with their disapproval). So when it comes delays, look no further than the political left (and perhaps a few non-partisan NIMBYS).

Sad, isn't it. For O'Hare, almost every single resident within 5 miles of O'Hare moved in after the airport was planned. Why do they get so much power?

No easy answers, I realize!

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

MUC flyer: When you characterize people's views based on a direction, like "left" or "right", it does save all that time that might otherwise be spent on actually listening to what they are saying.

By the way, the "pilots' union" (actually more than one union) has only one goal and purpose for being: advancing the interests of the pilots. There is no requirement for them to worry about anybody else's interest. In fact, the pilots who pay union dues would likely be very unhappy if they did.