Lufthansa points finger at President Bush as numbers fall

[emad]

Posted 3/10/2005 9:14 AM
FRANKFURT, Germany (AFP) — German airline Lufthansa said on Wednesday that passenger numbers fell in February as a result of special factors, including the one-day visit to Germany by U.S. President George W. Bush.

Lufthansa said in a statement that a total 3.502 million people flew with its aircraft last month, 3.4% fewer than in February 2004.

"Special factors such as the calendar effect of the leap year in 2004, unusually long periods of snow and ice and flight cancellations due to the visit of President Bush had a substantially negative effect on passenger traffic" in February, Lufthansa complained.

Last month, Europe's third biggest carrier had said it was considering suing security authorities for damages because it had been forced to cancel 92 flights owing to Bush's visit.

http://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/2005-03-10-lufthansa-bush_x.htm

[SpiralHawk]

1. Bush is responsible

Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible
Bush is responsible

[Sub Atomic]

2. They should sue him personally

for their loss of revenue.

If it were an American company that was run by Republicans, you can bet your sweet ass they'd be suing whatever German dignitary caused a disruption to the precious profits.

[Colorado Blue]

4. Hah. Then maybe Bush would have to go bankrupt, at

which point his new bankruptcy law would kick in and he would be enroute to debtors prison or at least, working for Lufthansa until whenever:)

[proReality]

8. No...

Daddy would just bail him out of trouble.

[Colorado Blue]

9. Drat.

[anarchy1999]

3. Yes, please do blame Bush and his administration. After 9-11 and the

subsequent, immediate passage of the "Patriot Act" with the Draconian measures imposed for "airport security", my husband and I avoid flying at all costs. We take extra days for travel, rent cars, anything but fly and let me please add it is not out of fear but irritation.

Shortly after 9/11 my daughter was being flown back to Beaumont, Tx out of DFW. The woman inspecting my 12 year old's backpack went through every "inch" of it, including her "make-up". We had to walk past National Guardsmen holding machine guns and my husband, her stepfather was not allowed past the "security machines". Only 1 person, family member is allowed to accompany a minor to the gate now.

To top it off, sometime in 2002, AA cancelled all their flights out of Beaumont (they've since reinstated a few). I had no way to fly my daughter to Dallas without my ex taking her to Houston. End of visits.

I was outraged and I swore that day the airlines would get as little of our money as possible. I'll take a ship to Europe before we will ever fly. We fly only if we have to.

Nice job, George and Osama. The two of you have done well.

[dbt]

5. Did it say which finger?

:evilgrin:

[Lisa]

6. can anybody recall a sitting US president being singled out ...

... for blame, by a major corporation? I don't even think that Richard Nixon was viewed in this way!

[NYC]

7. Richard Nixon didn't demand this type of

security and isolation. I remember people throwing tomatoes at Nixon's car in South America.

They say Nixon was paranoid. Bush closes whole towns. (Mainz)

[Colorado Blue]

10. Mainz? Bush closed WASHINGTON:)

[NYC]

11. And people in Washington were not allowed to look directly at Bush.

Bush also razed Hoovervilles in Africa. (He had it done for his security from the airport to his destination.)

Nixon was not nearly so paranoid.

[Tweed]

12. Nixon didn't need to be

[Colorado Blue]

13. It is terrible! But sometimes I have to laugh - he's like a

cartoon!

Help!