Someone else on another thread recommended contacting your local media, so that is what I did. I have sent emails to all of my local news stations as well as to The O'Reill Factor show on Fox. Look what he did to Pepsi last week. Perhaps if we cna get his interest this story might make it into the mainstream media. My email to the O'Reilly factor is posted below.

Dear Mr. O'Reilly, Good Day,

I really enjoy your show and am grateful for the issues you discuss and the areas of concern you bring to light that affect so many of us.

There is an issue brewing in the shadows of the travel industry that has gotten little to no attention in the media. I hope you can correct this oversight. The issue I am referring to is changes the airlines are making to the fare rules. These fare rules are nothing short of the largest fare price hike in the history of the airlines, and they (the airlines) are trying to sneak it in under cover of darkness. Sorry if I sound like a conspiracy theorist, but I feel this issue warrants further investigation.

Just take a look at what many of the major airlines have done in the last few weeks/months:

1. Took money in the form of wage concessions from their employees. Much of this was done under the threat of bankruptcy, take our cuts now or we may be forced to file bankruptcy and a judge declare your labor contracts void.

2. These same airlines applied for/took tax payer subsidized bailout loans.

3. Drastically cut services, airline capacity and routes.

4. This week many of them have announced new fare rules that amount to one of the largest fare increase in airline history. This was done at the travelers expense. These changes don't just affect frequent fliers, they affect anyone that ever steps on to a plane. These new rules may actually affect the non frequent fliers more since they are the ones that will understand these changes the least and because of these are the ones that may be penalized the most.

There is no question that the airlines are in trouble and that they need help from many sources, including wage concessions and possible cuts in service. No one I know of is denying this or denying them the opportunity to make changes. It is vital to our economy that these airlines return to profitability and become a viable company for the long haul, but it must be done in a fair and legal manner.

I am not the best person to talk to about this issue. There are many people out there much smarter then me that have concerns with all of these changes. All I want is someone to research this further and determine if anything is being done that isn't completely above board. I would recommend that you/your staff visit one of the many websites where this issue is raging. I have listed a few below.

Thank you for your time and consideration and keep up the good work. We need more people like you holding people and companies feet to the fire.

For more info visit the message boards on the following websites:
http://www.flyertalk.com
http://www.usaviation.com/

See ya in the air...
"I have made up my mind, please don't confuse me with the facts"