This Jet-Gate story is quickly becoming the Joe-the-Plumber side show of the auto industry collapse, as it just won't die. GM is now asking the FAA to bar public tracking of (their) corporate jets.
Seems like these guys just can't get a break. Fact of the matter is that corporate jets for large corporations, are a part of doing business, whether they're going bankrupt or not. Would it make more sense for these executives to fly steerage class, or drive to DC, or better still--hitchhike--to plead their case? I don't think so. Now they could certainly have jet-pooled, with all four flying on one corporate jet of their choosing.
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Thanks for your opinion, Bob.
I guess if the 3 are seeking billions in taxpayer money to prop up their failing businesses, it seems like the icing on the cake would be these types of special favors from other government agencies.
Next, they're going to ask the SEC to not require certain filings so that people who want to dig for the truth can't see just how badly they'll be running their businesses in the future.
I think that the problem was mostly symbolic - they continue business as usual even when they shouldn't be. It's clear that drastic changes have to be made, yet the leaders aren't willing to make those changes.
This goes a step further - they want to keep doing business as usual and to hide it from the public. Absurd.
If they want bailout money they have to come to the realization that things are going to change - big time.
"...certainly have jet-pooled, with all four flying on one corporate ..."
4?
I actually appreciate watchdog groups catching exactly these types of tidbits. Sure, it's a small thing, but that doesn't make it petty.
For what top executives are paid, their time is very valuable. So having a private jet is considered worthwhile.
This is bad PR, but insignificant. People just love to bash and pile on the domestic automakers, even though a lot of their current problems have been caused by the very entity they're now begging for money from. It's a tragic irony. What's likely to come out of this is partial government run and owned auto companies - not good at all.
I'm surprised that the PR departments of each company couldn't foretell the inevitable fallout from 'business as usual' in dire financial times.
The jet-pooling would have actually been positive PR, and would have gotten them to DC in the same amount of time.
The fact that the someone had to make an issue of the jets shows the Big three Execs just don't get it.
They could have easily flown commercial for a tiny fraction of the cost of their jets but the thought never occured to them.
If they can't even think of a obvious way of saving money like that, how can we expect to make good use of vast amounts of taxpayers money?
I say no bail out. Unlike the doom and gloom types I don't believe the big three will disappear.
If they went bankrupt (and that's a big IF), they would be broken up, restructured and reformed in new way.
Hopefully by casting off all the management and union baggage, someone could take all the good stuff and make modern effectives car companies out of the mess.