USA Today Editorial Supports Norwegian Longhaul LCC

[johnsonrod]

USA Today View:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...ghts-pilots-union-editorials-debates/9255831/



Lee Moak's Opposing View:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/opini...ilots-association-editorials-debates/9256103/

 

[scarlet]

Cruise ships, shipping ships. Scary

 

[Flopgut]

A powerful well financed union can sometimes make a behind the scenes move or political maneuver that will have a profound effect in blocking this sort of threat. It's the sort of thing that happens in the middle of the night in a special session of Congress. Alpa already played this card...

 

[Bad-Andy]

Not to support the destruction of my own career here, but is this the best we can really offer in opposing NAS? "Can we really trust a foreign airline with a convoluted business scheme that threatens the U.S. airline industry and its employees?" That's the ad that ALPA is running.

Just to be clear, ALPA, it is acceptable for us to accept a domestic airline with a convoluted business scheme that threatens the U.S. airline industry and its employees, but not a foreign one? Plenty of those around...

Or even better, we want the government to butt out of our lives (e.g. healthcare), except in the areas that threaten us? Which is it we want -- more regulation or free-market competition? When has the government ever really helped us (pilots, I mean)? To the Republicans, we are nothing more than over-paid business expenses (hourly, unionized to workers) to be reduced in order to increase the bottom line. To Democrats, we are over-paid, rich white guys -- part of the 1% (regardless of the reality). I wary of anything they do to "help" me...

If the airlines REALLY want to block Norwegian, and we REALLY want to help, we will do what it takes to add value to our product, making it worth the cost. We already run some of the safest, most efficient airline service in the world. It's time to also provide the superior service that we are certainly capable of. Why is ALPA (and management) not beating that drum? Additionally, compare levels of service on many foreign carriers (the majority, not the elite few that are top-tier) with the US domestic carriers. That is the drum ALPA should be beating -- not trying to demonize the new entrant.

Let's face reality, the traveling public does not care about the company running the show. Nor do they care about 'Merican jobs. They care about safety, efficiency, and price. Period. That's where we need to crush NAS, because that's what will drive them out of our turf -- not weak, fickle, government intervention.

 

[flyboyike]

If the airlines REALLY want to block Norwegian, and we REALLY want to help, we will do what it takes to add value to our product, making it worth the cost. We already run some of the safest, most efficient airline service in the world. It's time to also provide the superior service that we are certainly capable of.

According to some, we're not capable thereof, because of age discrimination laws, behind which we continue to hide and intend to continue to hide some more.

 

[PCL_128]

Andy, it's delusional to believe that you'll be able to compete based on the level of your product when you're starting out from a severe disadvantage when your competition is able to skirt regulatory oversight with such a ridiculous scheme.

Look, I'm no Moak supporter, and I think he's a little too melodramatic about some of this foreign carrier stuff. But of all the foreign carrier boogeymen he's propped up, this is one that's actually a legitimate threat. Not NAI individually, which will never be a very sizable operation, most likely, but the precedent that it sets that other foreign owners will see as a way of competing on an uneven playing field giving them the advantage. Moak is absolutely right to point to the maritime industry. Ask a longshoreman how important it is to kill flag of convenience schemes. You know, if you can still find a longshoreman.