Looks like you were a furloughed USAir pilot, so I can see why you have animosity towards airlines, and are probably nervous due to the latest cutbacks at your company. To say that everything is the same from when you were jettisoned at USAir is not correct. Some airlines have found successful strategies, and some are still lame and treat pax and crew the same (your old company).
Um, old news General. 8 years old. When the "recall" was offered after a 7 year furlough, I made the easiest decision of my professional career. I happily declined... with a smile.
I'm still trying to understand your correlation between my successful escape from the 121 world to something completely wonderful. Well... I didn't completely escape actually. You see... I just flew Delta back today from SFO. This flight was like all the rest. Long lines to check in. I made the mistake of asking for something from the ticket agent too... I simply asked how to change my FF # to another partner airline. You'd of thought that I asked for her placenta. After she picked her eyes up off of the floor, reluctantly she helped a customer out... me.
Longer lines to get the body cavity search and poke... TSA. These guys were nice TSA agents today. Undress, redress. A big machine blows 200 mph air in my face and up my nostrels, over my groin area and I'm not sure that air is capable of goosing a rear, but I got that too.
Now to the gate... Overcrowded. A line 50 deep for Peets Coffee and Tea. As I sit and recharge my laptop for my cross country flight someone's kids are climbing on my things. Yes, climbing them like Mt. Everest. I look at the father as if it would do any good but... he's useless skin. I can see the future's of these kids... wow.
Wait... LOUD PA, LOUD PA... set to 11 out of 10. Maybe I'll phone someone to pass the time. Don't even think about making a phone call... having a private thought in one's head. "Gate 15" is making a PA for God's sake!!!!
Boarding process. NOW BOARDING "GATE 15" for DESTINATIONS BEYOND. NOW BOARDING FIRST CLASS OH, and thank you for flying Air General! Say hello to the chap, he just got a sundae!!! Of course the whole damned terminal stands and gets on the plane simultaneously. I think I was the only one to wait for my zone.
I board. I say hi to the A and the F/O. "No, I'm not a jumpseater. Contributing to the cause!" I make my way to the exit row seat. I'm admiring the fact that today, I didn't sit in gum. I'm watching one 8 year old eacha ham sandwich like a baby Mamma Cass. She's dropping crumbs, half-masticated meat and segments of mustard all ove the floor. It's awesome. I'm watching the older coupke try and find their seats while getting run over from behind by some sort of Asian toursist from behind who will not wait. The PA now start coming from the F/As like an aerial barrage in Normandy. "WE JUST STARTED BOARDING 2 MINUTES AGO BUT GET IN YOUR SEATS NOW OR WE'LL BE LATE!!!
Now General... this is where I achieved my own personal best today. While the rest of the plane is boarding, the dude behind me crunches my seat forward shoving me 6 inches ahead and a rather LARGE manatee with a moomoo on shoves her azz right up in my face as she makes way for people to pass. Just as that happens I get a swift elbow from the dink behind me square in the back of my head. It kinda hurt. Oh yeah... Loving to fly and it be showing now brotha!
The insanity continues for several hours durign all phases of flight until deplanement after we arrived early and had to wait while the tried to find a jetway driver.
And you wonder why I'm not worried about NetJets? Come one!! Anyone who can, WILL fly on us with experieces like that! You are our best advertising. 1st class looked like a damned crew room filled with pilots and F/As. No revenue up there.
Glad to be home though. I could tell that the front end crew was happy. They had ice cream.
My meals to Europe are consistantly good, with choices and the sudaes are good too. (No LGA food court for me in YEARS) Obviously your peanuts on USAir were not good. You tell me about sitting around at FBOs---which has happened more and more for you lately. That isn't a good thing. The Holidays were busy, no doubt, but you are about to hit another slowdown. Playing with your drumstick (is that what you call it? O....kay....) at the FBO instead of producing extra revenue for your company is not something I would brag about.
Actually, I've been sitting at home more than not. If the company needs us, they use us. Home is just as good as anywhere as trips originate from anywhere and go anywhere. I wouldn't say that we are sitting at FBOs either. If there is a slow day, I am usually tucked away at a nice Hilton or only flying 2 legs instead of 5. It's a'ight. It's a good gig. As far as producing revenue... I don't think that you quite understand the ways that NetJets makes money. It's quite different from Delta and needent be gone into here. It's a Frac thing. You wouldn't understand.
And I am sure some of your owners have had bad experiences with the airlines. Joan Rivers had a bad experience too in Costa Rica the other day. Thing is, she may have been able to afford a frac ride a few years ago, but thanks to the bad economy and guys like Bernie Madoff, a lot of your owners are going back to the airlines, because they cannot afford a frac ride. Sad but true. And why again did that family you talked about even go on an airline in the first place? They had their OWN plane, right? Probably trying to save some cash. Ever ask yourself that question? We both know why they even considered the airline flight---MONEY. Your story doesn't really add up.
Leave Britney alone!!!
Wait, you said the airlines have a broken model? What about the fracs? Can you name one Frac that hasn't had problems in the last year? I am waiting.....Maybe Avantair, and that is because fuel hasn't hit them as hard. They are taking a lot of your customers, since they have planes that can do shorter flights for less money, and at about the same time in their P180s. What is the difference flying LAS to SNA in an Ultra or Encore vs a P180? The answer: a lot of saved cash, and about 15 extra minutes in the Avanti.
Can you name anything that hasn't seen a decline in the recent 2 years? NetJets Owners look a t a broader spectrum of things that short term cash savings. Flying as NJA Owner a far better value when one considers the total package one gets. Block cost is only a single metric to consider. There ar far many more. Why not just fly Delta? Ask the Owners we flew the other day who walked off their airline flight. They just had enough and voted with their wallet.
Hey, I don't want to consistantly fight with you guys, I think your product is great, except a lot of you are thinking things are great, when there is unfortunate change ahead. A bad economy can affect some businesses that once thought they were invincible. (ask Capt Dad---he thought Netjets was immune. Guess not) How about we stop the crazy banter and just hope our industries get better and everyone does well? Let's do it. Take care.
Bye Bye--General Lee
