more on Airline war use

[David Farber <farber () tmail com>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Paul E. Robichaux <paul () robichaux net>
To: dave () farber net
CC: gep2 () terabites com
Subject: RE: [IP] Airline war use
Date: Tue, 11 Feb 2003 08:27:50 -0500

Sorry, but Gordon has gotten (and is disseminating) some bad 
information. A
simple Google search would have turned up tons of information, 
especially
since the CRAF activation was publically announced yesterday.

American, United, Delta, and other major US carriers are part of the 
Civil
Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), a government program that allows the USAF to
augment their airlift capacity in time of need. Originally established 
in
1951, the program is a tradeoff. Airlines who sign up become eligible to 
get
government contracts for airlift services-- one reference
(http://www.af.mil/news/factsheets/Civil_Reserve_Air_Fleet.html) 
indicates
that in FY '99 the value of these contracts was at least US$345MM. In 
return,
the airlines are subject to having a portion of their fleet called up 
for
military transport use. A more up-to-date version of the same fact sheet 
is
at http://public.amc.af.mil/library/facts/craffact.htm; it claims a 
minimum
contract value of US$394MM.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), CRAF has been 
routinely
used since the Vietnam War, including to support US military or 
humanitarian
ops in Bosnia, Haiti, Panama, and Rwanda. See
http://www.cbo.gov/showdoc.cfm?index=11&sequence=9.

There is an interesting GAO report
(http://www.intellnet.org/documents/1200/010/1211.pdf) that suggests 
that
while CRAF is still useful, it could use some tweaking to better match 
the
US' military airlift requirements.In particular, some airlines don't get 
to
play in the fairly lucrative cargo segment because they don't fly 
747s.

The airlines *do* get paid for their CRAF airlift missions, according 
to
Chapter 931, US Code Title 10. See
http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title10/subtitled_partiv_chapter931_.html.
In particular, section 9512 (b)(3) of that law says that contracts 
shall
provide "that the contractor operating the aircraft for the Department 
of
Defense shall be paid for that operation at fair and reasonable rates." 
In
fact, the airlines' biggest worry appears to be whether too many 
aircraft
will be called up-- they only get paid per flight hour, according to an 
LA
Times story by Esther Schrader, who wrote:

"The way the Pentagon has done this has been very responsive," said 
Ron
Priddy, a spokesman for the National Air Carrier Association. "At this 
level
of participation, I don't believe that any air carrier has been 
damaged,
particularly in light of what they will be paid, and assuming that the
Department of Defense will be able to use all the huge airlift that they 
have
called up. The problem is whether these aircraft will sit because they 
have
been called up."

Cheers,
-Paul

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Dave Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
        Sent: Tue 2/11/2003 03:39
        To: ip
        Cc:
        Subject: [IP] Airline war use
        
        


        ------ Forwarded Message
        From: gep2 () terabites com
        Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 21:14:05 -0600
        To: dallasdemocrats () egroups com, HomeOfTheBrave () yahoogroups com,
        CitizensForLegitimateGovernment () yahoogroups com, dave () farber net,
        DiehardDems () yahoogroups com
        Subject: This is a pisser...
        
        
        
        <---- Begin Forwarded Message ---->
        To: gep2 () terabites com
        Subject: This is a pisser...
        Date: Mon, 10 Feb 2003 20:39:43 -0600
        
        No matter what lies the Bush administration continues to feed the
American
        people, or the possible consequences, we are going to war against
Iraq as
        soon as March 1. How do I know? American Airlines sent an email to
employees
        this past week (my roomie is a flight attendant there) letting them
know
        that the Federal government has ordered AA to make at least 10 jets
along
        with crew available starting March 1 for "war use".
        
        Now that is just AA...but surely every major airline in the US that
has
        international flight cpability has also received the same marching
orders.
        On top of all this, the airline is not reimbursed at all for use of
the
        craft, crew pay, or the lost revenue. Not only does this war have the
        potential of ruining the US in the World's eyes, but it could finally
drive
        the major US airlines into bankruptcy.
        
        Just a happy little thought I figured you would enjoy passing on,
Gordon,
        since I know your contacts are much more substantial than mine are.
        
        
        <----  End Forwarded Message  ---->
        
        Gordon Peterson                  http://personal.terabites.com/
        1977-2002  Twenty-fifth anniversary year of Local Area Networking!
        Support the Anti-SPAM Amendment!  Join at http://www.cauce.org/
        12/19/98: Partisan Republicans scornfully ignore the voters they
        "represent".
        12/09/00: the date the Republican Party took down democracy in
America.
        
        
        
        ------ End of Forwarded Message
        
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