- Jul 7, 2004
- 931
- 0
This is such a gas, as UniTED management cries foul over competition.
United takes heat in Moline, Ill. … That's where officials and consultants are accusing United of using "strong-arm tactics" to scuttle a grant the local Quad City International Airport hopes to use to lure flights to the West. Quad City officials were attempting to secure an $850,000 Small Community Air Service Development Program grant from the Department of Transportation that would have been used as a "safety-net fund" to help lower the risk for low-cost carrier Frontier to add service to Denver. Airport officials say they only sought Frontier's service because United was not receptive to the Western flights. "My goal for the grant, since United wouldn't do anything for me, was to go to an alternative," airport director Bruce Carter tells the Quad City Times.
"The alternative for Denver is Frontier. I put the grant in because I thought I had a pretty decent plan to get additional service to the West. In the past, United has been pretty nonchalant about wanting to add another flight to that market." But, United sent a strongly worded letter to the DOT complaining the agency "is allowing the use of tax money to influence decision making that should be determined by competitive factors." That, in turn, that drew a sharp response from Michael Boyd, CEO of the consulting group that helped put together Quad City's grant request. "They (United) just don't want to have competition," he said. "The most appalling thing is the Quad City airport has gone to United repeatedly and asked for more westbound service and Untied has refused to do it," Boyd says. "Then, Quad-Cities goes to get more service and United cries foul." Posted 7:40 a.m.
United takes heat in Moline, Ill. … That's where officials and consultants are accusing United of using "strong-arm tactics" to scuttle a grant the local Quad City International Airport hopes to use to lure flights to the West. Quad City officials were attempting to secure an $850,000 Small Community Air Service Development Program grant from the Department of Transportation that would have been used as a "safety-net fund" to help lower the risk for low-cost carrier Frontier to add service to Denver. Airport officials say they only sought Frontier's service because United was not receptive to the Western flights. "My goal for the grant, since United wouldn't do anything for me, was to go to an alternative," airport director Bruce Carter tells the Quad City Times.
"The alternative for Denver is Frontier. I put the grant in because I thought I had a pretty decent plan to get additional service to the West. In the past, United has been pretty nonchalant about wanting to add another flight to that market." But, United sent a strongly worded letter to the DOT complaining the agency "is allowing the use of tax money to influence decision making that should be determined by competitive factors." That, in turn, that drew a sharp response from Michael Boyd, CEO of the consulting group that helped put together Quad City's grant request. "They (United) just don't want to have competition," he said. "The most appalling thing is the Quad City airport has gone to United repeatedly and asked for more westbound service and Untied has refused to do it," Boyd says. "Then, Quad-Cities goes to get more service and United cries foul." Posted 7:40 a.m.
! I can remember back, WAY back when DIA was being built. The first airline to sign on to DIA was Continental and they signed a lease on concourse A. Man did UniTED whine and cry when that happened :blink: They wanted Denver to close in the glass on the bridge so that the UniTED customers using the bridge didn't see Continental airplanes. Its a good thing that DIA told them to go get bent!!!!
