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Show in Aspen rather than Park City because "They could save so much on air fare to Denver that they paid for a nicer house in Aspen," etc. I am familiar with the general prices of housing in Aspen and the air fare to both destinations. I simply do not believe the difference in air fares will make up the price difference of a week stay in Aspen. Mr. Grant mentions his friends would "fly to Denver and take a bus to Aspen." That is a five hour bus ride, after an extra hour of flight time and landing at one of the busiest airports in the country which has a terrible reputation for delays and mis-connects. mis-connects. Their week-long ski vacation just turned into five days. Maybe it is cheaper to spend five days in Aspen then seven in Park City. Mr. Grant cites the ease and convenience of flying direct to Salt Lake City and being skiing by noon. He then complains about the limited $130 seats available from Orange County and obviously feels cheated when he is forced to pay the more available $150 fare. He compares this to the $120 fare available "If I'm willing to drive from Orange County to LA" and then go on American West to Phoenix, change planes and fly from Phoenix to Salt Lake City. Also mentioned is flying to Denver changing planes and backtracking to Salt Lake City. I guess the drive to LA takes a good hour, I know the flight time via Phoenix is at least an hour longer, via Denver it is 2 plus hours additional, and changing planes is close to an hour if you have a good connection. , Mr. Grant said the key words, "Easier and convenient." If he is willing to drive to LA, Western offers a $120 fare for a non-stop flight to Salt Lake City and does so from each of the California cities that American West serves. Are we not usually presented an outline of what the plan "might look like" which spelled out repayment of the $1 billion plus debt over 13 years with no mention of interest to my knowledge. I have been told that at the' current prime rate the present value of this repayment plan is about one third of the total debt. Both creditors and courts would have to approve this plan. If not. Continental tries again, all the while under "court protection" protec-tion" from their debts. If someone would like to lend Western $1 billion, have them pay back only one third, and be protected by the U.S. courts while they argued over it all, Western could provide a lot of $120 dollar seats from Southern California. Meanwhile, Western has provided safe, efficient, and reliable air service from California to Salt Lake City for going on 59 years! the service has been at a fair price to the consumer, provided a fair wage for the employees, and Western plans to be here for another 59 years. The consequences of the consumers' con-sumers' quest for the cheapest possible seat are just beginning to show. I predict that the recent numerous FAA groundings of some airlines and the tragedy at Reno last week are just the beginning. In the airlines, as well as every other business including Mr. Grant's, you get exactly what you pay for. Sincerely, Douglas Ross P.S. As of 1-18-85, Western offers a $138 round trip fare from both Orange County and LA if you purchase the ticket 30 days in advance. This fare is round trip only, but equates to $69 one way ! willing to pay for the most efficient and convenient service available? It generally costs more to stay at the Resort Center than in Park Meadows. Mea-dows. It costs more to get a car at the airport from Hertz than from Ugly Duckling off the airport. The number of discount fares available on Western are determined by the sales and advanced bookings of the higher fares. When passengers are willing to pay for the ease and ' convenience; i then discounted 3 fares ' have limited availability. I doubt Mr. Grant would sell his product or service at a discount if it was selling well at the standard price. All of the above aside, let me get down to basics. Mr. Grant specifically specific-ally names America West on the Phoneix connection and the Denver fares are priced for one reason only, New Continental. American' West is a new carrier, and in the most recent financial results , I have seen, they lost $5 million in 3rd quarter 1984. The 3rd quarter is traditionally the strongest for airlines operating in the West and should have been their most profitable for the year. In fact, American West has lost money every quarter they have operated for their approximate two year history and have yet to show one cent of profit. New Continental is a bankrupt company. They filed bankruptcy in September '83, and since have been under the "protection" of the courts and not paying their $1 plus billion of debt. This January, 16 months later, they were forced by the courts to present a reorganization plan. They You get exactly what you pay for Editor: This letter is in response to the letter appearing in the Record last week from Taylor B. Grant entitled "Western Could Help Visitors!" Mr. Grant tells a story of how his friends opted to go skiing for a week |