As the airline collected millions in concessions from hard-working Union members, NWA's President told them, "If you don't like it, quit!"
He left the airline in '01...(in 1999 he received a $1 million bonus on top of his $500,000 base salary, which has not changed since he took over at the airline in 1989) and just now bought a new crib:
HOT PROPERTY: SOUTH FLORIDA
Astar CEO buys a Key Biscayne modernHot Property: South Florida spotlights selected luxury home sales in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties.
A waterfront estate at 730 Harbor Dr. in Key Biscayne has sold for $8.8 million, or $1,318 per square foot. The original list price was $9.2 million. The residence was built in 1967 and has six bedrooms and six bathrooms in 6,676 square feet of living area. The 24,430-square-foot lot has more than 100 feet of direct ocean access.
The sellers were Claudio I. Alvarez and his wife Yvonne R. The new owners are John Dasburg and his wife Mary Lou. John is the chairman, CEO and president of Astar Air Cargo. He was also president of Burger King and president and CEO of Northwest Airlines.
New York - From flying to frying: Northwest Airlines Chief Executive Officer John Dasburg is parachuting out as head of America's No. 4 airline and into the heat of the fast-food industry kitchen to head Burger King Corp.
And as far as many pilots, mechanics and other Northwest employees are concerned, there is not a plane that can fly him out of Minneapolis quickly enough.
If ever words could come back to haunt someone, they did for Dasburg who a year ago essentially told workers that if they didn't like their jobs, they could always quit.
The comment sparked outrage from local union members -- a crucial segment for airlines' ability to keep flying -- and prompted Dasburg, dubbed a “cold, callous man,” to apologize.
http://www.spcnetwork.com/mii/2001/010236.htm