SWA Jumpseaters Need Your Help

[chase]

Dear fellow Flightinfoers,

The fallout from the 10 March NYT article in which the reporter makes unsubstantiated quotes attributed to a SWA pilot is beginning to have a negative on my fellow jumpseaters. I am asking for your help & support in letting your fellow pilots know the truth behind the interview. As has been sited on here with an extensive thread posting, the quotes were either mis-attributed to a SWA pilot or were not spoken at all & were fabricated.

Regardless SWAPA has worked with ALPA & APA to get the word out to their members about this issue. The pilot himself has personally written on here & clearly said he never spoke to the reporter. The jumpseat is not a political tool to be used selectively by Captains who wish to make a statement toward any one company. It is always the right of the Capt to decide who jumpseats on their airplane & I fully support that. However, to base that decision on an erroneous story is unfair to pilots from Southwest or any airline that happens to fall under the crosshairs of a national media outlet. I ask of you to do the following, please post the following 4 letters that can be found on the public portion of the SWAPA website and are easily re-printed. Please consider helping your fellow professionals out by getting the truth out.

For the few who still believe the quotes are accurate, feel free to PM me & I'll be happy to engage the issue with you separately. For those hardcore folks who need more convincing feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to do that. Here is the website with the 4 letters, 3 from SWA & 1 from ALPA.

http://www.swapa.org/Union/Committees/AirSafety/Matthew_Wald_incident/SWAPA_responds.htm

The latest press release is below...the other 3 documents as well as a .pdf of this document can be found at the website above.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2006




Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA) Questions Authenticity of Quotes in New York Times Article

Capt. Ike Eichelkraut, President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association, released the following statement in regard to an article that ran in the New York Times, March 10 edition, entitled “Airline Pilots Still Flying, but no Longer Quite So High,” by reporter Matthew Wald.

“In an otherwise well written story highlighting the devastation which has occurred to many pilots as a result of 911, Mr. Wald credited a highly incendiary comment describing these victims as “spoiled brats” to a Southwest Airlines’ pilot. The pilot was never interviewed by Mr. Wald. Additionally, the tone of these quotes is the antithesis of the attitude of SWAPA members who share in understanding the sacrifice so many families have experienced in what is the worse downturn in civilian aviation history.”

SWAPA sent letters to the ombudsman of the New York Times asking to have the quotes attributed to the proper individuals with a correction or a full retraction. SWAPA has urged the New York Times to conduct an investigation which SWAPA was confident will show the quotes are unsubstantiated. “SWAPA has a great relationship with our fellow professional organizations. We wanted to make sure our fellow pilots, other airline employees and the general public fully understand SWAPA finds the unsubstantiated quotes in the New York Times article offensive and detrimental to our members and other professional pilots everywhere,” saidCapt. Carl Kuwitzky, SWAPA’s Vice President.


SWAPA, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is an independent Union which represents the more than 4,800 pilots of Southwest Airlines.

 

[AA717driver]

The New York Times fabricating a story? Tell me it's not true!!!!

The press was envisioned as the bulwark against tyranny by our Founding Fathers. It has since become a tool of those opposed to the principles on which this country was founded. TC

P.S.--SWA is (in my experience) by far the most accomodating and friendly environment in which to jumpseat. To mistreat ANY SWA pilot on the jumpseat is a huge injustice.

 

[Bobby Orr 4]

Any link to the NYT's article??

 

[Citrusflyer]

Maybe the NYT re-hired David Blair.......at least, I'm sure, he wasn't the only one with truth "issues" over there.....

Any SWA pilot is more than welcome on my JS!

 

[aa73]

SWA guys,

I'll set the record straight on the APA message board, if it hasn't already been done. I know someone posted the "fraudulent comment" but not sure if anyone responded to it.

Ditto, you guys are a pleasure to j/s with.

73

 

[180ToTheMarker]

Chase, is there any legal action you guys are pursuing towards the Times?

 

[elag777]

Any link to the NYT's article??

You can Google it!http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/politics/10pilots.html

Again the media is responsible for telling the story the way they want it interpreted to cause the turmoil it has.
What happened tho "Just the facts?" SWA pilots continue to show how professional they are when it comes to the JS, always a class act.

 

[crosscut]

Dear fellow Flightinfoers,

The fallout from the 10 March NYT article in which the reporter makes unsubstantiated quotes attributed to a SWA pilot is beginning to have a negative on my fellow jumpseaters. I am asking for your help & support in letting your fellow pilots know the truth behind the interview. As has been sited on here with an extensive thread posting, the quotes were either mis-attributed to a SWA pilot or were not spoken at all & were fabricated.

Regardless SWAPA has worked with ALPA & APA to get the word out to their members about this issue. The pilot himself has personally written on here & clearly said he never spoke to the reporter. The jumpseat is not a political tool to be used selectively by Captains who wish to make a statement toward any one company. It is always the right of the Capt to decide who jumpseats on their airplane & I fully support that. However, to base that decision on an erroneous story is unfair to pilots from Southwest or any airline that happens to fall under the crosshairs of a national media outlet. I ask of you to do the following, please post the following 4 letters that can be found on the public portion of the SWAPA website and are easily re-printed. Please consider helping your fellow professionals out by getting the truth out.

For the few who still believe the quotes are accurate, feel free to PM me & I'll be happy to engage the issue with you separately. For those hardcore folks who need more convincing feel free to contact me and I'll be happy to do that. Here is the website with the 4 letters, 3 from SWA & 1 from ALPA.

http://www.swapa.org/Union/Committees/AirSafety/Matthew_Wald_incident/SWAPA_responds.htm

The latest press release is below...the other 3 documents as well as a .pdf of this document can be found at the website above.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 15, 2006




Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association (SWAPA) Questions Authenticity of Quotes in New York Times Article

Capt. Ike Eichelkraut, President of the Southwest Airlines Pilots’ Association, released the following statement in regard to an article that ran in the New York Times, March 10 edition, entitled “Airline Pilots Still Flying, but no Longer Quite So High,” by reporter Matthew Wald.

“In an otherwise well written story highlighting the devastation which has occurred to many pilots as a result of 911, Mr. Wald credited a highly incendiary comment describing these victims as “spoiled brats” to a Southwest Airlines’ pilot. The pilot was never interviewed by Mr. Wald. Additionally, the tone of these quotes is the antithesis of the attitude of SWAPA members who share in understanding the sacrifice so many families have experienced in what is the worse downturn in civilian aviation history.”

SWAPA sent letters to the ombudsman of the New York Times asking to have the quotes attributed to the proper individuals with a correction or a full retraction. SWAPA has urged the New York Times to conduct an investigation which SWAPA was confident will show the quotes are unsubstantiated. “SWAPA has a great relationship with our fellow professional organizations. We wanted to make sure our fellow pilots, other airline employees and the general public fully understand SWAPA finds the unsubstantiated quotes in the New York Times article offensive and detrimental to our members and other professional pilots everywhere,” saidCapt. Carl Kuwitzky, SWAPA’s Vice President.


SWAPA, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is an independent Union which represents the more than 4,800 pilots of Southwest Airlines.

Wasn't it one of their NYT reporters misquoting a female army private wounded in Afghanistan a few years ago? I’m sorry I don’t remember the details but it was along the lines of an interview taking place on the porch of the victim's house somewhere in the Midwest and it was later discovered the journalist never even left his apartment in New York. If so, I hope this floats back up to the surface to discredit NYT even more.

SWAPA, if there is any legal/litigious ground, I hope you take them to court. Libel comes to mind.

You're always welcome on my jumpseat,

Crosscut

 

[CALnTX]

denying JS is stupis anyway..especially to SWA guys......most CAL pilots know the story is false......but still there are those FEW..we'll watch out for you though

 

[FNG_that's me]

I have a feeling that these are captains that have always had a 'problem' with SWA, now they feel that they have a valid reason to execute their emotions.

Too bad, SWA is always very friendly when it's their jumpseat.

Spread the word to the uninformed.

 

[kc81900]

denying JS is stupis anyway..especially to SWA guys......most CAL pilots know the story is false......but still there are those FEW..we'll watch out for you though

Those few at CAL are they the left over scabs that ALPA welcomed back with open arms (because they needed the dues money..there thirty pieces of silver every month)

 

[MINIME]

Just a regional guy here,

But I commute on LUV quite a bit and it always has been and I'm confident always will be a nice experience. No pilot that I know will EVER deny a JS to a SWA guy/gal. For those of us that benefit from your hospitality on a regular basis, we know better. But just in case there are non-believers out there, I'll definitely do my part to spread the word to whoever I come in contact with.

 

[CALnTX]

Those few at CAL are they the left over scabs that ALPA welcomed back with open arms (because they needed the dues money..there thirty pieces of silver every month)

Actually EVERY airline has their few.....scab or not......but to answer your question......probably

 

[Caveman]

......

 

[T1bubba]

deleted

 

[Caveman]

Thanks T1.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

SWA pilots welcome on the jumpseat

 

[chase]

To all,

Thanks for the overwhelming support both verbally & in posting....there has been a spike in denials (4 legacy carriers) to SWA jumpseaters....there are some unofficial reports about some inflammatory boxstuffers found in some lounges. If anyone has any information on that I'd appreciate a PM on that issue.

SWAPA is working to get the word out to the appropriate professional agencies to correct the record & remove the jumnpseat from the "poliitcal arena". The threatening phone calls and mailings sent to the pilot involved are distressing to all involved but he is handling it as well as can be expected.

I'll beg your indulgence on what other options are being considered by the those in charge but I'm confident other actions will be occurring in the near future. Thanks...

 

[80drvr]

To all,

Thanks for the overwhelming support both verbally & in posting....there has been a spike in denials (4 legacy carriers) to SWA jumpseaters....there are some unofficial reports about some inflammatory boxstuffers found in some lounges. If anyone has any information on that I'd appreciate a PM on that issue.

SWAPA is working to get the word out to the appropriate professional agencies to correct the record & remove the jumnpseat from the "poliitcal arena". The threatening phone calls and mailings sent to the pilot involved are distressing to all involved but he is handling it as well as can be expected.

I'll beg your indulgence on what other options are being considered by the those in charge but I'm confident other actions will be occurring in the near future. Thanks...

FWIW: The NYT reporter, Matt Wald, stood by the accuracy of the quote in question when contacted by a member of the APA.

IRT the jumpseat, SWA has been among the most accomodating in the industry. It should not be used to make a political statement over something as trivial as a newspaper quote.

 

[chase]

80drv,

Thanks for the update. He said the same thing to the president of SWAPA when asked. However, when asked for specifics to confirming dates/times of when he spoke to the pilot, he failed to respond with any evidence the conversation occurred. To say he stands by the story is wise....providing the wrong attribute to a quote is one thing....to have claimed he had a conversation with someone & not have it, well, careers are lost for that. He has much more to lose than what SWAPA or the pilot has already incurred.

As you said, the jumpseat shouldn't be held hostage over this issue but the SWAPA is still engaged in the process to correct the record. The NYT has not responded (not that I'm aware) to a valid request from SWAPA to provide any evidence the interview occurred except to say, "we stand behind the story". The initial information that Mr. Wald provided to the President of SWAPA one day after the story was originally posted has proven so far to be inaccurate and not verifiable. SWAPA has indicated they will be happy to share that with the NYT but it would appear as if their silence indicates they wish to have the story go away.

In the March 19 edition of the NYT, there are 16 corrections for errors in previous papers. Six of those involved the mis-identifying of persons in the story.


As the story below indicates, the NYT isn't as infaliable as the editor or Mr. Wald would like everyone to believe.

NY Times says it erred in Abu Ghraib photo report
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Mar 18, 10:57 AM (ET)

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The New York Times said on Saturday it had identified the wrong man as the hooded prisoner standing on a box in a photograph that came to symbolize U.S. military abuses at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison.
The newspaper's March 11 profile about Ali Shalal Qaissi was challenged by online magazine Salon.com, which said an Army investigation had concluded the prisoner was a different man.
"The Times did not adequately research Mr. Qaissi's insistence that he was the man in the photograph," The Times said in an editor's note accompanying a front page story on the misidentification.
"A more thorough examination of previous articles in The Times and other newspapers would have shown that in 2004 military investigators named another man as the one on the box, raising suspicions about Mr. Qaissi's claim," it said.
The Times, one of the most respected U.S. newspapers, was stung in 2003 when former reporter Jayson Blair was found to have fabricated and plagiarized dozens of articles. Last year, the resignation of star reporter Judith Miller amid questions about her reporting in the run-up to the Iraq war further damaged the paper's standing.
In last Saturday's article, Qaissi, a former Baath Party official, described how he was arrested in October 2003 and held for nearly six months at Abu Ghraib. It said prison records confirmed he was in detention at the time.
The Times said other media outlets, including PBS and Vanity Fair, had accepted Qaissi's account and identified him as the prisoner in the photograph, which shows a man wearing a hood and a poncho with wires attached to his outstretched arms.
The paper said Qaissi did appear with a hood over his head in other photographs seized by Army investigators.
"However, he now acknowledges he is not the man in the specific photograph he printed and held up in a portrait that accompanied the Times article," the Times article said.
But, Qaissi told the newspaper, "I wore that blanket, I stood on that box, and I was wired up and electrocuted."
[/FONT]

 

[Draginass]

The NYT "misquoting." I thought their normal mode of report was to make-sh*t-up.

 

[JB Bus Drvr]

Don't worry about it over here with us. As long as we got a seat, you've got a place to sit. It even comes with Blue Chips, too!