Seems the CEO, Dick Anderson, isn't presenting a very balanced picture in his recent NWA WorldTraveller column. In fact, it's completely one sided and misleading to a very captive audience. But, lest we forget, most CEO's didn't take any Journalism classes in college.
http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/aword/
I'm not sure if he was classifying ALL non airline operations as General Aviation(GA) or just the corp. jets/charters/air taxis. Or was he thinking of the small single engine student pilots and flight schools? Nonetheless, he refers to all the non-airline traffic as "private". We're like flies in his little ointment of smooth traffic flow.
He writes "Private aircraft operators also do not pay ticket taxes to fund the FAA. Last year the FAA spent $6 billion operating the Air Traffic Control system in the U.S. This service is free of charge for private aircraft operators....Private aviation operators do pay a fuel excise tax, as do all commercial airlines – but that is about the extent of private aviation’s funding for airports. "
Well, sort of Dick. Yes, private aircraft operators pay fuel taxes, which in part fund airport operations. Private aircraft operators also pay landing fees and ramp fees. These are in proportion to the services they receive. How many of you airilne pilots started out in small flight schools, or even academies, across the country. How does this article sit with you?
Dick goes on to write: "At NWA, we believe an airport’s operating costs should be borne by all who use them, including those who travel by private aircraft. As the system works today, you, the commercial airline passenger, are subsidizing private aircraft ownership. This is not right."
False again. I, like many private airplane operators, do *NOT* fly into airports served by any airline. I don't taxi up to gate B24, walk into the terminal and use any of the terminal services. I use the ILS to approach and the runway pavement to land, and then park at an out of the way facility where I pay them for services. Ramp fee, parking fee, etc. They, in turn, are paying the airport fees to operate. The airport, in turn, uses them for improvements. See, we're all paying our part.
Understand Dick, of the 3000+ public use airports across the country, less than 10% are served by mainline service of a scheduled carrier. So, explain to me, Dick, how the pilot at his 1500' runway in Lunchmeat, Kansas is going to get in your way and why he should contribute to your failing cost structure. Stop pointing fingers and face the facts that the industry has changed and the legacy carriers, like you, can't react quickly enough. If anything, Dick, the private carriers are doing you a favor by funnelling traffic to the outlying airports closer to where their customers need to be anyway - airports that are not served by any airline. This way you can pad your schedules with more flights than can realistically be handled by the local controllers.
If he hasn't been contacted already, Dick Anderson should expect a scathing letter from the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA) to make sure he gets the full picture. But I urge anyone close to his office to pass this onto him for yet another viewpoint.
http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/aword/
I'm not sure if he was classifying ALL non airline operations as General Aviation(GA) or just the corp. jets/charters/air taxis. Or was he thinking of the small single engine student pilots and flight schools? Nonetheless, he refers to all the non-airline traffic as "private". We're like flies in his little ointment of smooth traffic flow.
He writes "Private aircraft operators also do not pay ticket taxes to fund the FAA. Last year the FAA spent $6 billion operating the Air Traffic Control system in the U.S. This service is free of charge for private aircraft operators....Private aviation operators do pay a fuel excise tax, as do all commercial airlines – but that is about the extent of private aviation’s funding for airports. "
Well, sort of Dick. Yes, private aircraft operators pay fuel taxes, which in part fund airport operations. Private aircraft operators also pay landing fees and ramp fees. These are in proportion to the services they receive. How many of you airilne pilots started out in small flight schools, or even academies, across the country. How does this article sit with you?
Dick goes on to write: "At NWA, we believe an airport’s operating costs should be borne by all who use them, including those who travel by private aircraft. As the system works today, you, the commercial airline passenger, are subsidizing private aircraft ownership. This is not right."
False again. I, like many private airplane operators, do *NOT* fly into airports served by any airline. I don't taxi up to gate B24, walk into the terminal and use any of the terminal services. I use the ILS to approach and the runway pavement to land, and then park at an out of the way facility where I pay them for services. Ramp fee, parking fee, etc. They, in turn, are paying the airport fees to operate. The airport, in turn, uses them for improvements. See, we're all paying our part.
Understand Dick, of the 3000+ public use airports across the country, less than 10% are served by mainline service of a scheduled carrier. So, explain to me, Dick, how the pilot at his 1500' runway in Lunchmeat, Kansas is going to get in your way and why he should contribute to your failing cost structure. Stop pointing fingers and face the facts that the industry has changed and the legacy carriers, like you, can't react quickly enough. If anything, Dick, the private carriers are doing you a favor by funnelling traffic to the outlying airports closer to where their customers need to be anyway - airports that are not served by any airline. This way you can pad your schedules with more flights than can realistically be handled by the local controllers.
If he hasn't been contacted already, Dick Anderson should expect a scathing letter from the Aircraft Owners and Pilot Association (AOPA) to make sure he gets the full picture. But I urge anyone close to his office to pass this onto him for yet another viewpoint.
