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Show I have seen segments on local television stations sponsored by the Utah Bankers Association admonishing admonish-ing anyone from filing bankruptcy and explaining how in the long run all other consumers end up paying for the bad debts. We are talking a BILLION dollars here! I certainly hope "the consumer is benefitting with lower fares," as Ms. Koch says, because you can be sure every consumer that has a car loan, mortgage or pays credit card bills in installments is paying for Continental's Conti-nental's $1 billion of bad debt and subsidizing their "low cost" operation. opera-tion. Ms. Koch insinuates how brave she is for writing her letter because of "the risk of being personally harassed." The only thing that is going to harass Ms. Koch is the truth. Sincerely, Douglas Ross Bankrupt is bottom line at Continental Editor: Last week you printed a letter entitled The Other Side of the Continental Story. That letter made several emotional accusations against the Airline Pilots Association (ALPA) concerning safety, salaries and consumer benefits. Ms. Koch would like us to believe that ALPA is and was the cause of all Continental's Conti-nental's problems. Nothing could be ' farther from the truth. The, bottom line of Continental's woes are said in one word bankrupt. ALPA does not want Continental to fail. Every striking Continental pilot almost without exception would love to have their job back and has no desire for Continental to vanish. When Continental filed bankruptcy, voided all contracts and imposed emergency work rules the pilots had already informed the company that they "were and still are willing to meet the economic concessions necessary to ensure Continental's survival." What the pilots would not work without were the very cornerstones of their career: seniority list and rights, the exclusive right to fly the company's planes and grievance procedures (those rules that prevent your supervisor from firing you because he does not like the way you look). The striking pilots are willing to work for the wages with these safeguards. Continental refuses this still. Also, ALPA is only one of several labor groups striking Continental including includ-ing the flight attendants and mechanics. Ms. Koch would like us to believe that the safety question at Continental Conti-nental is not legitimate as insured by the FA A. the FAA sets the MINIMUM standards by which the airlines must operate. Most airlines far exceed those standards in every aspect including flight crew training, maintenance and scheduling (duty and rest periods). No one, especially Continental or Ms. Koch, can dispute that ALPA, represented at most major carriers across the U.S., is second to none in their promotion, maintenance and experience of safety in every aspect of airline operations. Even the FAA was criticized by the U.S. House Transportation Subcommittee in a letter dated December 7, 1984, which accused them of withholding an internal FAA report that verified dozens of violations by Continental from Committee hearings regarding Continental's safety on June 13-14, 1984. The FAA has stated numerous times in the press during the last two weeks that the Galaxy aircraft that crashed in Reno met all applicable safety standards and inspections. BANKRUPT. The bottom line. The Wall Street Journal estimated Continental's debt at about $650 million in September 1983 when they filed for court protection from paying their creditors. They have been operating for some sixteen months now as a "low cost carrier" that pays "a justifiable wage" according to M. Koch, all the while protected by the bankruptcy court. On December 28, 1984, The Wall Street Journal reported that Continental's debt exceeded $1 billion. That carrier that pays justifiable wages and does not have to pay their bills. |