It’s been an open secret in Washington that the government will unveil its plans to end aviation congestion just in time for the busy Thanksgiving holiday. That announcement could come as soon as today. But don’t expect much. At least one of the airline industry’s apologists, the misleadingly-named Air Travelers Association, is cheering the plan — which means the airlines are pleased as punch with the idea.
In a press release issued this morning, the association’s president, David Stempler, predicted that, “Passengers will be elated that the President has stepped up to the plate to confront the ever-worsening problem of aviation delays.” Stempler said the changes, to be announced today, “are a good first step in tackling this major problem.”
Never mind that the Air Transport Asso … er, I mean, the Air Travelers Association, seems to be taking credit for today’s announcement. The question is, how did an airline lobbyist get advance word of this government plan?
The answer is pretty disturbing. Turns out Stempler is the “airline passenger/consumer representative” on the Bush administration’s committee to combat delays in the New York metropolitan area.
That’s right. An airline lobbyist is “representing” the interests of passengers in Washington.
“We have been working week-in and week-out to come up with solutions for the aviation congestion problem, and we are very gratified that the President has cut through the red tape and will immediately institute some of these solutions, just in time for the upcoming holidays,” Stempler says in the press release.
What’s wrong with this picture? Everything.
First, we have a government that is so shortsighted that it can’t see past New York. I can’t really blame it for that. If you believe everything you read in the mainstream press, you’d think the nation’s air travel delay problems are limited to the New York metropolitan area. Maybe it’s time for some of the talking heads who churn out a never-ending stream of negative airline stories to spend a little time in flyover country.
Second, we don’t have an organized and recognized lobbying group for air travelers. I think the Coalition for Airline Passengers Bill of Rights is the closest thing, but many in Washington seem to be treating it as if its mission begins — and ends — with passing a bill. My sense is that the group can, and will, go beyond lobbying for a single piece of legislation.
And finally, there’s a sense that the government is in bed with the airline industry. When an airline lobbyist can pose as a consumer advocate, and get away with it, it does little to dispel that notion. Same thing when NASA declines to release a damning survey on aviation safety because it could affect airline profits.
And if you read yesterday’s USA Today story about airline complaints, which suggests the government is giving the airlines a pass, you don’t know the half of it. The number of complaints filed with the Transportation Department represent less than 10 percent of the actual grievances. In other words, this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
Sorry to say the nation’s newspaper missed an even bigger story, but at least it bothered to cover the news. That’s something that can’t be said of some of its competitors.
Today’s disappointing and meaningless government announcement doesn’t necessarily mean the passenger rights movement is defeated. If everyone pulls together, it can mark the beginning of a legitimate passenger rights revolution.
Update (3:30 p.m., 11/15) : Here’s the government’s plan. I’m not sure there’s anything to be elated about. And here’s the airline industry’s “official” reaction. Oh, puhleeeze.
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So here’s a question: If you are right (and I assume you are), how come that MSNBC.com is all like ‘Wohoo, Pres fixes airline mess!’ and ‘Airlines doing great, delay minor issue’. Is MSNBC fooled by the happyhappy press releases? Don’t they do their work as journalists and are they just copying whatever they are given? [conspiracy mode on] Are they in bed with the republicans, despite their left slant? [conspiracy mode off]. Are you just one of their multiple points-of-view, and are they letting me decide?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21818657/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21822044/
Of course I’m right. You have to have diversity of opinion!
Fooled by the PR folks? I think not. Sheep eat what they’re given and do what they’re told.
Fooled would mean someone actually thought about the press releases that pass their desks each day. As one of those media guys, I think we have failed the American public miserably and continue to do so.
Chris Elliott’s post here is simply another case in point.
But my point is that if you are right, then MSNBC (and the rest of the press) is wrong. That’s not a matter of opinion, but of fact. The difference between truth and truthiness. If they are (mostly) printing truthiness, they are letting themselves be used.
The question for me is why they are letting themselves be led around. After 9/11, everyone was in shock and a certain amount fo looking to Washington for guidance probably made sense.
But now, six years later, we watched one silly situation after another appear – the war in Iraq, the TSA, the situation in Iran – and most journalists seldom question the party line.
Maybe that IS the new generation of journalists … people who belive that government SHOULD provide the answers.
I’m flying Thanksgiving holiday weekend – I’m just not taking the airlines. Whew – looks like we dodged that bullet. The fact that certain MOA and restricted areas will be cold on the east coast is meaningless – delays do NOT happen in airspace – they happen at airports where the demand for runway exceeds the space and time available to meet the demand. If you want to fly from NYC to Orlando between 4-6AM you will not have any delays – otoh, if you want to fly from NYC to MCO between 4 and 6 PM Wed 11.21 – well, now THATS a different story kemosabe. . . .
Really–is anyone surprised by the “misleadingly- named” ATA? This is the Bush administration’s version of flipping us the bird. They ALWAYS name it what it’s not, and purport to support what they’re systematically destroying.
Here is the rule for anyone who hasn’t gotten it yet: It is ALWAYS the opposite of what the name of the group, organization, agency, or “initiative” is called. See “Clean Air Act.”