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Showing posts with label delta airlines. Show all posts

Monday, June 12, 2017

The Sickness Of America Expressed In A Play

ADVERTISERS BAIL OVER ‘TRUMP ASSASSINATION’ PLAY

'Shakespeare in the Park' mock assassination of US president sparks outrage

Jamie White | Infowars.com - JUNE 12, 2017 110 Comments

Advertisers Bail Over ‘Trump assassination’ Play

Advertisers are cutting ties from “Shakespeare in the Park,” a New York play that depicts a President Trump-like Julius Caesar being assassinated.

Two major corporate sponsors, Bank of America and Delta Airlines, have cut ties from theater organization The Public Theater following widespread backlash.

The reimagined “Julius Caesar” play tells the story of the leader assassinated by Roman senators over fears he’s become too tyrannical, but instead of the original ancient Roman setting, Caesar and his wife are depicted as Donald and Melania Trump, with Trump being brutally stabbed to death by minorities and women at the end.

“No matter what your political stance may be, the graphic staging of Julius Caesar at this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park does not reflect Delta Air Lines’ values,” a company spokesman said in a statement.

“Their artistic and creative direction crossed the line on the standards of good taste. We have notified them of our decision to end our sponsorship as the official airline of The Public Theater effective immediately.”

Bank of America released a similar statement, saying the play “was intended to provoke and offend,” and they “would not have decided to sponsor it” had they known beforehand.

Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. also took to Twitter to condemn the play.

“I wonder how much of this ‘art’ is funded by taxpayers? Serious question, when does ‘art’ become political speech and does that change things?” Donald Trump Jr. tweeted Sunday.

Despite the backlash, the mainstream media has doubled down on their hatred of Trump by praising “Shakespeare in the Park,” with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria calling it “a masterpiece.”

“If you’re in NYC, go see Julius Caesar, free in Central Park,” Zakaria tweeted May 31.

“Brilliantly interpreted for Trump era. A masterpiece!”

The New York Times has also defended the play, calling it simply “free speech.”

“We have sponsored Shakespeare in the Park for 20 years. As an institution that believes in free speech for the arts as well as the media, we support the right of the Public Theater to stage the production as they chose,” stated the Times.

Their decision to support the play should come as no surprise considering CNN’s extensive history of Trump-bashing, such as a former CNN host Reza Aslan calling Trump a “piece of sh*t.”

Former CNN correspondent and comedian Kathy Griffin also received swift ire for holding up a mock decapitated blood-covered Trump head in an ISIS-style performance just weeks ago. CNN fired her less than 48 hours after the stunt.

Monday, April 17, 2017

Another Suggestion To United To Avoid Future PR Disasters

United Airlines' PR

Disaster Was Totally

Avoidable, Thanks

to Private Jets

United could have saved itself a huge headache by

chartering a private jet rather than bumping four customers

off a flight from Chicago to Louisville.

Adam Levine-Weinberg

(TMFGemHunter)

Apr 16, 2017 at 2:20PM

United Continental (NYSE:UAL) landed itself in hot water last week after bumping

a customer from his flight in an unusually cruel manner. David Dao was already

seated on the plane, which was set to fly from Chicago to Louisville, when he was

bumped to a flight the next day. When he refused to get up, airline employees

called the police, who dragged him from his seat and down the aisle.

The videos of this incident are truly shocking. As a result, United now finds itself

in the crosshairs of lawmakers and regulators, while many (former) customers have

vowed that they will never again fly United.

What makes this situation particularly sad is that it was totally avoidable. For little

or no additional cost, the airline could have made everyone happy by chartering

a private jet.

United was in a tough spot

The incident last Sunday began when four airline crew members showed up at

the gate looking for seats to Louisville after passengers had boarded the flight.

United would have had to cancel a Monday morning flight from Louisville to

Newark -- stranding dozens of passengers -- if those crew members hadn't

made it to Louisville that night.

UNITED BUMPED FOUR CUSTOMERS FROM A FLIGHT LAST SUNDAY -- AFTER THEY HAD BOARDED. IMAGE SOURCE: UNITED AIRLINES.

Many people are willing to give up their seats on overbooked flights in exchange

for vouchers toward future travel. This allows the airlines to keep everyone happy

while getting around the stiff regulations governing compensation for involuntary

denied boardings.

Unfortunately, there were no volunteers in this case. Before last Sunday's

incident, United had offered customers $400 in vouchers (plus a hotel room)

and then went up to $800 in an attempt to find volunteers to travel the next day,

but nobody took the bait.

A private jet would do the trick

It may have seemed to the United staff on the ground that they had no choice

but to bump four passengers from the flight. But a private jet could have solved

the problem at a relatively modest cost.

The Department of Transportation's rules on overbooking required United to

pay cash compensation of $1,350 each to the four passengers that the carrier

bumped, or $5,400 total. By contrast, the typical cost to charter a small private

jet for the roughly one-hour flight from Chicago to Louisville would be about $6,000.

In fact, the founders of private aviation start-up FlyOtto recently invited United

to try their service for free to reposition crews. FlyOtto would have been able to

fly four people from Chicago to Louisville for just $2,930, albeit on a turboprop

rather than a jet.

Using private jets isn't unheard of

In recent years, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) has pioneered the concept of using

private jets alongside its regular commercial fleet. This works especially well for

Delta, because it has an in-house private jet subsidiary: Delta Private Jets.

Two years ago, Delta began a pilot program to give elite frequent fliers the

opportunity to upgrade to a seat on a private jet for as little as $300 one-way

on certain flights. Private jets often fly empty on "re-positioning" flights, as they

go to make their next pick-up. Delta is using these empty flights to offer a

once-in-a-lifetime experience to loyal customers who happen to be going the

same way.

A private jet is behind a Porsche SUV used by Delta Private Jets for transporting customers.

DELTA ALLOWS SOME ELITE FREQUENT FLIERS TO UPGRADE TO PRIVATE JETS WHEN SPACE IS AVAILABLE. IMAGE SOURCE: DELTA AIR LINES.

Delta Air Lines has also used its private jet fleet to pitch in during operational

disruptions. For example, Delta flew more than 40 customers on private jets

after a major technology outage caused numerous flight cancellations last August.

A better way

United doesn't have its own private jets, but it could have chartered one for

roughly the same amount it would have had to pay four passengers to

compensate for "bumping" them. In all likelihood, United could have enticed

a few passengers to pay more to upgrade to a private jet -- and it certainly

wouldn't have had trouble finding volunteers to fly private!

Now, the damage from this misstep could reach billions of dollars if large

numbers of people start avoiding United Airlines flights. United executives

probably already regret that they didn't have policies in place for using private

jets as a last resort in "oversold" situations.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Money Will Motivate Many To Give Up Seats.

Delta OKs offers of up to $9,950 to flyers who give up seats

DAVID KOENIG and DAMIAN TROISE

Associated PressApril 14, 2017

FILE - In this Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016, file photo, a Delta Air Lines jet sits at a gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Atlanta. Delta is giving airport employees permission to offer passengers up to almost $10,000 in compensation to give up their seats on overbooked flights. Delta's move comes as United Airlines struggles to recover from images of a passenger's forced removal from a sold-out flight. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)

Delta is letting employees offer customers nearly $10,000 in compensation to give up seats on overbooked flights, hoping to avoid an uproar like the one that erupted at United after a passenger was dragged off a jet.

United is taking steps too. It will require employees seeking a seat on a plane to book it at least an hour before departure, a policy that might have prevented last Sunday's confrontation.

Those and other changes show airlines are scrambling to respond to a public-relations nightmare — the video showing airport officers violently yanking and dragging 69-year-old David Dao from his seat on a sold-out United Express flight.

Dao and three others were ordered off the plane after four airline employees showed up at the last minute and demanded seats so they could be in place to operate a flight the next day in Louisville, Kentucky.

On Friday, a United spokeswoman said the airline changed its policy to require traveling employees to book a flight at least 60 minutes before departure. Had the rule been in place last Sunday, United Express Flight 3411 still would have been overbooked by four seats, but United employees could have dealt with the situation in the gate area instead of on the plane.

Delta Air Lines is moving to make it easier to find customers willing to give up their seats. In an internal memo obtained Friday by The Associated Press, Delta said gate agents can offer up to $2,000, up from a previous maximum of $800, and supervisors can offer up to $9,950, up from $1,350.

United said it is reviewing its compensation policies. The airline would not disclose its current payment limit.

Other airlines said they were examining their policies. American Airlines updated its rules to say that no passenger who has boarded the plane will be removed to give the seat to someone else.

None would describe their limits on paying passengers.

When there aren't enough seats, airlines usually ask for volunteers by offering travel vouchers, gift cards or cash.

Last year Delta got more passengers to give up their seats than any other U.S. airline, partly by paying more than most of the others.

As a result, it had the lowest rate among the largest U.S. airlines of bumping people off flights against their will — something that is legal but alienates customers and requires the airline to pay compensation of up to $1,350 per person.

Overselling flights is a fact of life in the airline business. Industry officials say that it is necessary because some passengers don't show up, and that overbooking keeps fares down by reducing the number of empty seats.

The practice has been questioned, however, since video of the United Express incident went viral. United Continental CEO Oscar Munoz's initial attempts to apologize were roundly criticized. On Friday, company Chairman Robert Milton said the board supported Munoz.

"We need to use this regrettable event as a defining moment and pivot off it to craft friendly policies," Milton said in a note to employees.

The dragging has turned into a public-relations nightmare for the entire industry, not just United, and led to calls from politicians and consumer advocates to suspend or ban overbooking.

Ben Schlappig, a travel blogger who first wrote about the Delta compensation increase, said it shows Delta is trying to reduce forced bumping. He said he couldn't imagine many situations in which people wouldn't jump at nearly $10,000.

Delta no doubt hopes that gate agents and their supervisors won't need to make maximum offers, and the financial cost to the airline is likely to be limited. If Delta paid $9,950 to every person it bumped involuntarily last year, that would total $12 million. Delta earned nearly $4.4 billion.

Raising the limits "lets them solve some PR problems" and might head off U.S. Transportation Department regulations to curb overbooking, said another travel blogger, Gary Leff. "They can say, 'Look, we're already solving the problem.'"

An AP analysis of government data shows that in 2015 and 2016, Delta paid an average of $1,118 in compensation for every passenger that it denied a seat. Southwest Airlines paid $758, United $565, and American Airlines $554.

After the incident in Chicago, critics questioned why United didn't offer more when no passengers accepted the airline's $800 offer for volunteers to give up their seats.

"If you offer enough money, even the guy going to a funeral will sell his seat," said Ross Aimer, a retired United pilot.

___

David Koenig can be reached at http://twitter.com/airlinewriter

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

Muslim YouTube Star Who Made Hoax Video Targeting NYPD Claims He Was Booted Off Flight For Speaking Arabic

Photo by Tasia Wells/Getty Images for Beautycon

BY:

HANK BERRIEN

DECEMBER 21, 2016

A Muslim YouTube star who made a hoax video in 2014 showing an

NYPD officer stopping him for stop-and-frisk because he was wearing
traditional Muslim garb is claiming Delta Airlines booted him off a flight
from London to New York because he was speaking on his phone to his
mother in Arabic.

Adam Saleh, 23, posted multiple videos to Twitter and Periscope that
showed Delta flight attendants escorting him off the plane. Saleh claimed
passengers “felt uncomfortable” and called flight attendants because he
was speaking Arabic.

Slim Albaher, Saleh’s friend and fellow YouTube personality, was also
escorted off the plane. Saleh complained, “They kicked us off the plane
because a lady, because a lot of people felt uncomfortable. Delta Air Lines
just kicked us out for speaking Arabic.”

Saleh told the Guardian, “Usually before I take off I speak to my mom. My
mom is 66 years old and she only speaks Arabic, so I was speaking to her
in Arabic – it was a 30-second phone call.”

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Saleh claimed that he continued by speaking to Albaher in Arabic and English,
adding, “this lady that was sitting maybe four seats ahead of us turns around
and says: ‘Oh my, you need to speak English, I’m feeling very uncomfortable.’”
He stated that an older man the woman was traveling with snapped, “Chuck
them of the f-ing plane!” prompting other men to call the captain. Saleh said
the woman told the captain: “We feel uncomfortable – something happened
in Germany. If they don’t leave, I leave.

According to Saleh, the captain then asked to speak to him and Albaher
outside. That was when Saleh started shooting videos. One featured him
claiming the flight attendants told him and Albaher they were “too loud.”
He added, “All the racist people in there, they were like: ‘We feel uncomfortable,’
but because there were like 20 of those racist people, the captain came and
he kicked us out. I’m not letting this slide … They were screaming at us like
we were terrorists.”

Delta released a statement saying “two customers” had been removed from
a flight and later rebooked after “a disturbance in the cabin resulted in more
than 20 customers expressing their discomfort … We’re conducting a full
review to understand what transpired. We are taking allegations of discrimination
very seriously; our culture requires treating others with respect.”

London’s Metropolitan police reported they were summoned to Heathrow
airport around 11 a.m., “after two passengers were removed from a plane
by crew at Heathrow Airport. Officers attended and the passengers were
escorted to the terminal where they were assisted with making alternative
travel arrangements. They were not arrested and no offenses were disclosed.”

According to reporter Soledad O’Brien, Saleh’s story may not be entirely true:

Mediate reported, “O’Brien’s source told her that the Delta flight attendants
were made aware that Saleh was a YouTube prankster.”

A recent video by Saleh appeared to show him traveling from Melbourne to
Sydney inside a suitcase, but the Guardian reported. “The airline later said
that Saleh had sat in a regular seat on the flight and that travelling via the
baggage section would have been impossible.”

As The Huffington Post reported in 2014, Adam Saleh and Sheikh Akbar
admitted their viral video purporting to show Islamophobia on
New York’s streets was staged. They wrote, “This video is a
Dramatization of previous events that occurred with us in our tradition
clothing while filming in NYC. This video is not against the NYPD, it’s
just an example of what we have to go through sometimes when filming
in NYC. This is to raise awareness for Racial Profiling.”

The video was titled “Racial Profiling Experiment.” It showed the two men
wearing jeans and T-shirts, arguing near a police officer on a street corner.
Nothing happened, but later they walked by him wearing keffiyeh scarves
and traditional long shirts; the officer forced them against a wall and searched
them for weapons.

The original description of the video, in a cached version of the page,
read:

We were filming another video for our channel with our cultural

clothing but we kept getting followed by Police. So, we decided

to film this social experiment on racial profiling. Too many

innocent people get stopped and frisked every day because of

what they wear or their skin color. We’re against people

stereotyping others because of what they wear or what skin

color they are. Hope you all can spread the message and help

bring an end to this.

The video was tweeted by the New York chapter of the Council on
American-Islamic Relations as an example of discrimination against Muslims.
CAIR later demanded an apology from Saleh and Akbar. But as HuffPo
reported, “CAIR-New York’s director of operations, Sadyia Khalique, told
HuffPost that regardless of its authenticity, the video illustrates the very
real discrimination that Muslims in New York often face at the hands of the
NYPD.”