“Do you fly to San Francisco by any chance?...OK, I have to go out there, are you going to promise me, guarantee me, that if I buy a ticket at the end of August you won’t cancel that flight?”
That was NBC “Today” show host Meredith Vieira’s final question in an interview with Northwest Airlines CEO Douglas Steenland. Vieira phrased the question as though it was Steenland’s fault that a high number of flights had been cancelled earlier in the summer. To Vieira weather, mechanical problems, and Air Traffic Control apparently played no part in it.
Vieira spent almost the entire five-and-a-half-minute interview berating Steenland.
“I don’t doubt your sincerity,” she said before questioning his sincerity, “but do you understand … um … some of the anger that’s been directed at you? I mean these pilots, for example flight attendants, they took pay cuts, to help save this airline at the same time you were given almost $27 million in stock and stock options.”
Steenland corrected her, reminding her that stock gains depend on how the company does in the next few years – he wasn’t “given” $27 million.
“First, Meredith, that number is simply wrong,” he said. “In 2006 I received a fraction of that number in terms of what my compensation was. I’ve taken a 20-percent reduction in base salary, and I voluntarily didn’t accept incentive payments that were due to me. If you look at my compensation compared to other Fortune 500 CEOs, I’m in the bottom 10 percent. I did get a stock grant – it’s going to be four years before we know if I realize all of it, and it’s entirely based on what the value of the company is. There are no guarantees involved.”
According to USA Today, while Northwest comes out of its restructuring process, “Steenland could get stock and stock options worth $27 million over the next four years under its re-organization plan.” Of course that depends on how well the company does. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Steenland made $1.88 million last year, putting him 38th among CEOs just in the state of Minnesota.
You can find more on this story here.
- Stuart James is a research analyst at the Business and Media Institute.
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Fortunately, I don't have
Wed, 08/15/2007 - 15:58 ET by sublight68Fortunately, I don't have to fly too often so I don't suffer frequent delays in airports.
That being said, when I do fly my feeling has always been, take as much time as you need to make sure my flight goes safely. Bad weather or mechanical delays? I'm content to sit on the ground until they fix whatever needs fixing or the storm passes through. It may be an inconvenience and a hassle, but I'd rather get there alive.
Anyone who's got half a
Wed, 08/15/2007 - 19:35 ET by Del DolemonteAnyone who's got half a brain cell knows that the airline delays follow cycles, and increase in the summer, because it's much more dangerous to fly during thunderstorm season. In addition many more people fly during the summer.
What a lot of people don't realize is that thunderstorm season isn't just confined to places down south like Atlanta and Dallas and New Orleans. In fact, the region running up from NY City along the Hudson River north to Albany sees summer thunderstorm activity that has been compared by pilots to the infamous thunderstorms along the west coast of Africa. This has been gospel to pilots for decades.
Today's more modern airliners have such hi tech navigation systems that they can literally land themselves, and instrument landing systems have improved to such a degree that pilots can safely land with very low ckoud ceilings.
If the airline is delaying a flight due to weather, conditions must be very bad indeed. The logical solution is
to avoid delays, and it can be done:
http://www.natca.org/mediacenter/AvoidDelaysTips.msp
No Meredith Vieira
Wed, 08/15/2007 - 16:08 ET by SportPoliticsNo, Meredith Greenairhead, you'll have to become a CEO and buy your own leerjet to have a guarantee.
In leiu of that take the bus, and it might cancel or be late as well, like a taxi. If all fails be a woman and drive yourself, if your car isn't on the fritz. Oh, sorry, that's right, libs demand others make perfection a permanent state of reality just for them. Hey Meredith, why not walk off some of that jello to get there ? Feet ever not up to the task ?
Ironic
Wed, 08/15/2007 - 16:40 ET by iveseenitallHow ironic. Meredith Vieira, a t.v. "journalist", implying that someone doesn't deserve the money he gets. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Scheez.
NEVER,NEVER trust a liberal