NWA goes international in screwing over taxpayers...

PurduePete

Senior
Jun 15, 2006
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In a scenario that is all too common to us here in Minnesota, it has recently been reported that Northwest Airlines has duped the local government and taxpayers in Osaka, Japan into giving the airline money for promises that the airline wouldn't keep... :down:

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060919TDY03001.htm

Airlines pocketing tax-funded incentives
The Yomiuri Shimbun

An association promoting Kansai Airport paid a total of about 30 million yen in incentives for new flights to two U.S. airline companies, that have since decided to withdraw the services after just one year, it has been learned.

The association of local governments and business organizations is to provide a further 25 million yen to the firms under its incentive program--partly funded by taxpayers' money.

The association has no mechanism for recouping incentives, nor can it refuse to pay the next installment.

The Osaka prefectural government, which serves as the secretariat of the association, is to reexamine the program stating that the flights' withdrawal after such a short period is unexpected, and paying further incentives to the two firms will be criticized as a waste of taxpayers' money.

The association established the program in April last year to encourage airline companies to operate from the airport, which is to open its second runway in August.

Incentives are paid to airline companies for two years--up to 60 million yen in the first year and up to 30 million yen in the second year--when they establish new international flights, depending on their frequency.

Airline companies that launch flights to and from the airport are given 10 million yen. If flights are increased, an extra 5 million yen to 15 million yen is paid to help cover publicity costs.

The program partly intends to compensate airlines for the airport's landing fees, often criticized for being the world's most expensive.

The program's first incentive was paid to Qatar Airways, which launched flights in April last year. About 79 million yen has since been paid to six firms for launching a total of seven flights. The six include American Airlines and Northwest Airlines, each due to withdraw a flight.

According to the association and Kansai International Airport Co., American Airlines launched flights to Dallas in November, receiving 10 million yen in new flight incentives and about 9 million yen in basic incentives for its operations until March 25, 2006.

However, citing profit deterioration caused by rising fuel costs, the company has decided to withdraw the flight from Oct. 29.

Northwest Airlines, which received about 11 million yen in basic incentives from launching flights to Saipan in October, will discontinue the service from Oct. 29.

As the incentive program does not stipulate how long a particular service should operate, the association cannot request repayments of the incentives. Further, it cannot withhold the next payment of about 25 million yen for the period from March 26 to Oct. 28.

The two companies have not offered to return the incentives, nor have they waived the next installment.

The association was set up in 1998 and comprises about 300 local governments and organizations.

According to the association's budget for this fiscal year, nine prefectures, including Osaka Prefecture and four major cities including Osaka, have shared payments of about 550 million yen.

Firms belonging to the Kansai Economic Federation and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry have paid a total of 150 million yen.

An Osaka prefectural government official said: "It's difficult to set terms [for the program] because incentives aren't like contract payments, they're more like cash contributions. If we extend the period over which incentives are paid out, this reduces the amount each time and makes the program less attractive. We need to think of a measure to avoid being criticized for losing money to airline companies."
 
An association promoting Kansai Airport paid a total of about 30 million yen in incentives for new flights to two U.S. airline companies, that have since decided to withdraw the services after just one year, it has been learned.

The association of local governments and business organizations is to provide a further 25 million yen to the firms under its incentive program--partly funded by taxpayers' money.
The association has no mechanism for recouping incentives, nor can it refuse to pay the next installment.
The Osaka prefectural government, which serves as the secretariat of the association, is to reexamine the program stating that the flights' withdrawal after such a short period is unexpected, and paying further incentives to the two firms will be criticized as a waste of taxpayers' money.

The association established the program in April last year to encourage airline companies to operate from the airport, which is to open its second runway in August.

Incentives are paid to airline companies for two years--up to 60 million yen in the first year and up to 30 million yen in the second year--when they establish new international flights, depending on their frequency.

Airline companies that launch flights to and from the airport are given 10 million yen. If flights are increased, an extra 5 million yen to 15 million yen is paid to help cover publicity costs.

The program partly intends to compensate airlines for the airport's landing fees, often criticized for being the world's most expensive.

The program's first incentive was paid to Qatar Airways, which launched flights in April last year. About 79 million yen has since been paid to six firms for launching a total of seven flights. The six include American Airlines and Northwest Airlines, each due to withdraw a flight.

According to the association and Kansai International Airport Co., American Airlines launched flights to Dallas in November, receiving 10 million yen in new flight incentives and about 9 million yen in basic incentives for its operations until March 25, 2006.

However, citing profit deterioration caused by rising fuel costs, the company has decided to withdraw the flight from Oct. 29.

Northwest Airlines, which received about 11 million yen in basic incentives from launching flights to Saipan in October, will discontinue the service from Oct. 29.

As the incentive program does not stipulate how long a particular service should operate, the association cannot request repayments of the incentives. Further, it cannot withhold the next payment of about 25 million yen for the period from March 26 to Oct. 28.
The two companies have not offered to return the incentives, nor have they waived the next installment.

The association was set up in 1998 and comprises about 300 local governments and organizations.

According to the association's budget for this fiscal year, nine prefectures, including Osaka Prefecture and four major cities including Osaka, have shared payments of about 550 million yen.

Firms belonging to the Kansai Economic Federation and the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry have paid a total of 150 million yen.

An Osaka prefectural government official said: "It's difficult to set terms [for the program] because incentives aren't like contract payments, they're more like cash contributions. If we extend the period over which incentives are paid out, this reduces the amount each time and makes the program less attractive. We need to think of a measure to avoid being criticized for losing money to airline companies." [/i]


With regards to the bold print above:

I have to question the intelligence of a program with so many loopholes. Under these conditions, they basically asked the carriers to take the $$$ and run.


As for NW's service from KIX-SPN, after JL's pull back of service there, the local government offered subsidies to NW to replace the lost service. Click here for a recent article about this, and their new program.

Were/are they getting $$ from "both ends?" If so, why stop the service? It's more or less (capital) risk free, right?
 
You would figure by now giving cash to an airline (Scab Air especially) is like taking Dougie Stealin' into a bank vault full of green and telling him not to take any while you go to the restroom. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

He didn't get the name Stealin' for nothing. :angry:
 
With regards to the bold print above:

I have to question the intelligence of a program with so many loopholes. Under these conditions, they basically asked the carriers to take the $$$ and run.
As for NW's service from KIX-SPN, after JL's pull back of service there, the local government offered subsidies to NW to replace the lost service. Click here for a recent article about this, and their new program.

Were/are they getting $$ from "both ends?" If so, why stop the service? It's more or less (capital) risk free, right?
Kev,
This is a cultural issue here. The way they do business in Japan is that they think that providing something generous like this they will get something in return based on some codes of ethics. They probably thought that they would be honest enough to return the money or make an honest effort to do something about it instead of just keeping it.

I think someone should have made a great effort to not burn the bridge and work out something. Now the people in Japan will avoid American carriers and opt for their own because once you piss one off, you piss all of them off.
Isn't this why some companies study other cultures in order to network and find out how to be in good terms with them?

This is probably why on that nasty day NW had no choice to divert to another airport (not in the flight plan) and they were forced to stay on the aircraft all day. Must have been a great NW experience to sit on a stinky aircraft for over 6 hrs and the toilet inop.
 
Isn't this why some companies study other cultures in order to network and find out how to be in good terms with them?

Jenny--

I think we should be patient with NW's senior executive's....After all, they're pretty new at operating in Japan, dealing with Japanese culture, etc. :rolleyes:


Seriously, 50+years and they can't figure things out?! Ugh.
 
Jenny--

I think we should be patient with NW's senior executive's....After all, they're pretty new at operating in Japan, dealing with Japanese culture, etc. :rolleyes:
Seriously, 50+years and they can't figure things out?! Ugh.

I think at one time it was good. NW helped JL ....HOWEVER..... people are not going to remember that, rather remember the recent black eye they got from the American carriers.

You only can play that "We helped your nation out back in 1952" nonsense only for so long.........
 

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