New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s US Shuttle Flight

[N965VJ]

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Shuttle Flight


Posted by Matt Phillips, Wall Steet Journal
January 14, 2009


New York Sen. Charles Schumer: shuttle commander?

Having a member of the U.S. Senate on your shuttle flight out of New York’s LaGuardia could be an auspicious sign for your odds of arriving on-time. On Tuesday, Washington Post columnist Al Kamen wrote:

Passengers on Sunday’s 1 p.m. US Airways shuttle from New York to Washington may have been lucky participants in an event that has rarely — if ever — occurred in aviation history: The shuttle not only took off on time, it did so 16 minutes early.

For a Sunday, it was crowded in the La Guardia terminal. The security line was clogged when word came over the PA system at 12:30 announcing “last call†for the shuttle. People hustled to get on their shoes, rushing with their bags to the gate. Airline folks let some people trickle in to be seated on the fairly full plane, but it seemed to our source that a few stragglers were left behind.

What was the rush? Seems the senior senator from New York, Charles E. Schumer (D), needed to get to Washington in time for an important — and unusual — 2 p.m. vote on public lands legislation and asked that the plane take off early.

But there really wasn’t any harm, his office explained yesterday. (Except maybe for some elderly passengers trampled in the stampede?) The problem began when the noon shuttle, which Schumer was scheduled to take, ran behind schedule and its departure had to be delayed until 1 p.m. Schumer worried that, with the tight turnaround, he would not make it back to Washington in time for the vote.

Linkage to the rest

 

[jimntx]

As they say to f/as who are late for sign-in, "Sen. Schumer, you shouldn't have waited for the last shuttle that would get you there on time. Delays do happen, you know. Next time, if you have to be there before 2pm, maybe you should take the 10am flight."

 

[JS]

I have an idea for a new fee! "Let's leave RIGHT NOW because I'm more important than you" fee -- $500?

 

[N965VJ]

DYKWIA?

 

[JAFA]

and you know what? Loretta probably called her shift managers from home and ordered them to push it and leave folks behind. She actually has yelled at shift managers for holding the last flight of the evening 5 minutesfor 15 late connects off of express. Remeber this is the director who tells her staff to roll the plane back 20 feet to trip the out time and pull it back in when Delta won't give pushback clearance off the shuttle gates due to one of their own (or NW) coming off their terminal. Of course remember the staff at LGA hates Schummer anyway, he is an arrogant ***hole.

 

[wings396]

Wasn't he a big cheerleader for Jetblue...Maybe they could have ran a private charter for him :blink:

 

[signals]

Wasn't he a big cheerleader for Jetblue...Maybe they could have ran a private charter for him :blink:

Thank-you!

I might not know anything about your illustrious industry, but I know a little about politics. He is a big B6 fan and in a sense promised B6 would crush the US monopoly in Upstate NY airports that were a US stronghold.

So why is US kissing his @$$?! h34r: What does LCC want that Chuck can give? NYC airports maybe :mf_boff:

 

[Hello Newman]

Never hurts to smooch a senators assets

When Hubert Humphrey was in the Senate, NW brought a plane back to the gate and pulled off a First Class standby psgr to accomodate him, or so the story goes

 

[Frontier69]

Thank-you!

I might not know anything about your illustrious industry, but I know a little about politics. He is a big B6 fan and in a sense promised B6 would crush the US monopoly in Upstate NY airports that were a US stronghold.

So why is US kissing his @$$?! h34r: What does LCC want that Chuck can give? NYC airports maybe :mf_boff:

Schmoozing US Senators out of Public view is one thing, but this will just escalate everytime a major politician is in a hurry and doesnt want to be pinned down with his constituents answering alot of questions. Schumer will spread the word on Capitol Hill the secret to getting flights to push early using the "I have to vote reason!" He needs to wear the shoes of one of the people he incovenienced and see how it fits!

 

[wings396]

We had a local Sen. that showed up for our DCA flight at the last minute on a regular basis. It only took one time of leaving without him to change his ways.

 

[YVINTERN]

We had a local Sen. that showed up for our DCA flight at the last minute on a regular basis. It only took one time of leaving without him to change his ways.

Had Senator Clinton LGA-DCA, not only did we push on time but we actually arrived 21 minutes after wheels up...fastest LGA-DCA I've ever been on for sure.

 

[N965VJ]

Did you compliment her on her lovely pantsuit?

 

[YVINTERN]

Uhmm...No because There were like what 8 FAMs onboard along with all secret service agents seated in Rows 4-6 then the Good Senator's staff...and us mere passengers and nonrevs in the back of the bus.

 

[signals]

Why didn't she use AF1 like she did when she was campaigning? Good-bye, Mrs. Clinton. We'll miss you, Bill!