Boycott Nwa

[Viper1948]

No G/A Pilot should ever fly NWA!

http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/aword/

 

[Echopapa]

I think NWA CEO made several excellent points. Hands down they are my favorite airline to dead head. (and no I do not work for NWA).

Everyone should pay their fair share of the cost of running an airport and using ATC. There should be no exceptions for those that are wealth enough to own their own gulfstream. G/A pilots use the same services, take up ramp space, land on the same runway, and should pay for the cost it requires to make the system work.

EP

 

[scoreboard]

So we should further the economic troubles of late by shuting down private aviation, the place we all started?

 

[luv2fly]

-outside-

I'm not sure that charging $4.50 per segment to the business traveler that just paid $25,000 dollars to fly DFW to LAX in a GV is going to shut down general aviation. I think it is safe to say that most of the fractionals and other charter type operators should be paying the same fees as the airlines. They are providing the same service. I don't think there would be any change in general aviation if the air taxi carriers had to pay a passenger service fee. I don't think the debate is aimed at the guy buzzing around in his C152.

 

[Viper1948]

Does he think G/A pilots buy tax free 100LL?

Where does he think his pilots come from - largely G/A and instructor ranks?

What would he think if all AOPA and EAA members suddenly pledged to only "Fly United" or "Fly the Best Care in the Air"!!!

Didn't the taxpayers (including G/A pilots) end up bailing out the airlines?

Pilots - One for All and All for Me!

 

[goaliemn]

So we should further the economic troubles of late by shuting down private aviation, the place we all started?

This irritates me. Here, in Minneapolis, NWA has been suing the local airport commission saying the reliever airports are costing them customers. I highly doubt they divert a noticeable number of passengers. I fly a 172. I pay an annual registration fee to the State which is supposed to help cover expenses. I also pay an extra 5% sales tax on anything I buy at the field (maps, training, food, hangar rental, etc..) All that goes to help pay for the field. NWA was trying to get the commission to charge the same landing fee that I'd pay to land at MSP to land at MIC They were pushing that real hard until someone reminded them of the delays that would be caused if we held a flyin there with 100 or so 172s and 152s.. Mine as well hold it there if we pay the same rate. The controllers at the tower asked to be notified ahead of time so they could have some extra on duty, as they agreed with our position.

Airlines have had many good years. They've had some bad ones. GA may have taken a small bite out of NWA's customer base, but not a big one. If anything, the new security/insecurity people at the airports have irritated some into going via private jet instead of arriving 2.5 hours early to clear the security point.

 

[a320drivr]

Richard Anderson has been blaming everybody else for the woes of NWA for years. He thinks everybody else should help support NWA and the rest of the majors instead of fixing whats wrong with them. I commute on NWA and they are a great airline and its not the employees that make NWA broken. Its lousy mgmt. decisions.

 

[Paul R. Smith]

BINGO!!!!!

Richard Anderson has been blaming everybody else for the woes of NWA for years. He thinks everybody else should help support NWA and the rest of the majors instead of fixing whats wrong with them. I commute on NWA and they are a great airline and its not the employees that make NWA broken. Its lousy mgmt. decisions.

Its never his ( The CEO's) fault. Its always a game where the blame gets put squarely on some group that should never be blamed in the first place...ie labor groups, and other GA aircraft operators. Ridiculous.

However, does it seem fair to have the airlines flip the bill for all airspace and airport improvements? A seminole would go from costing 150.00/hr to 155.00/hr wet. So for some guy who wants to buy 100 hours of seminole or duchess time the grand total of increase would be 500.00 more. That seems like a lot. Maybe you should be able to get your private pilot's license in a sim and never set foot in a plane until your certified to carry pax.. I'm just foaming but the airlines in fact do get stuck with the bill for **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** near everything aviation related it seems.

 

[AlbieF15]

As a lifelong GA renter (still cannot justify taking the plunge of buying with 3 girls and other bills at home), I was also irritated at Anderson's comments in this month's NWA magazine.

I fly NWA EVERY time I use a commercial DH for FDX, and last time I checked the FEDs shoveled tons of tax money into saving the industry after 9/11. However, that's not enough...he wants to take something I cannot yet afford and keep it that much farther out of reach. I know he's aiming at Learjets and King Airs, but my Tiger, Cardinal, or Twin Comanche dreams will also end up costing more too.

This is why I've been an AOPA member since 1982.

 

[goaliemn]

Re: BINGO!!!!!

However, does it seem fair to have the airlines flip the bill for all airspace and airport improvements?

Who makes money from using the airspace? I have no problem throwing in some for changes. I do that every year paying my registration fees and all the taxes I pay on fuel/supplies at the airport. See my post above.

I can definately promise you that as a GA pilot I will never see 90% of airport improvements done at larger airports. Most improvements are done to the passenger terminal or to the apron area in front of them. Heck, some airports put up little fences across taxiways that lead from the GA area to the passenger terminal now for "security reasons"

I'm just foaming but the airlines in fact do get stuck with the bill for **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** near everything aviation related it seems.

I landed at RST for a $100 hamburger on Valentines day. They had just built a brand-spaking-new GA terminal. It was quite nice. The first new GA terminal I've seen in years. As I was leaving, they asked me for a $5 ramp fee. I have no qualms paying for improvements I will use in my little plane.

More and more little airports are charging landing fees for small planes. Yes, I'm not paying the same $$ amount as the airlines, but based on the size of my cessna vs a 727, I think I may be getting overcharged.