Green like money: airlines release deceptive 2007 “annual report”
Nine months into the year, the Air Transport Association has released its annual report — for 2007. The document (PDF) casts U.S. airlines as both progressive, sporting catchy slogans like “thinking green about our future,” and as innocent victims of economic circumstances.
But it doesn’t take a skeptical reader to realize that by “green” the airlines mean green, like money. Nor do you have to be an analyst to conclude that most of the airlines represented by this trade group are just victims of their own ineptness.
Here are a few excerpts from the just-released 2008 Economic Report, which should of course be called the 2007 report, since all the numbers are from last year. I’ve included a helpful translation below them.
Along with the airlines, policymakers and the public at large must recognize that in order to enhance the travel experience, renew fleets, expand and develop new infrastructure, retain talented employees and promote economic well-being, the industry’s financial conditions must improve markedly.
Public policies that have long contributed to industry instability will need to be abandoned, and airline restructuring must continue without interference.
Translation: If you want airline service, the government has to help. But it better not tell us how to run our business.
Although airlines value their role in bringing the world together, they also understand their obligation to treat passengers and shippers with respect and care. And, like their commitment to environmental stewardship, the airlines’ commitment to customer service is rock solid.
Translation: What we really meant to say is that we treat our passengers like cargo. If you don’t like it, take the train.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions inventory states that U.S. commercial aviation contributes just 2 percent of domestic greenhouse gas emissions. This is a remarkably small portion, especially given that commercial aviation drives more than three times the economic activity.
Translation: We don’t need to be green. We already are green.
The Air Transport Association’s 2008 Economic Report is pure propaganda, of course. It is filled with lies, double-speak and feel-good rhetoric designed to confuse the public and the four remaining airline reporters in the United States.
What we need from this trade group is fewer words and more customer-friendly deeds. It could start by committing to keeping passengers posted on air travel interruptions, as it did over the weekend for Hurricane Gustav.
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