Should Business Aviation Just Say No?

After reading “Fly the Sleazy Skies,” an editorial in the November 26 New York Times, my first reaction was to say unkind things about politicians. In public they say bad things about business aviation, and then they get to eat their cake when the Federal Election Commission gives them a loophole that allows them to accept discounted use of a company’s corporate jet.

As pointed out in the editorial, after the Jack Abramoff corruption scandals the Senate said its members had to pay the full charter rate for corporate aircraft use, and the House banned it all together. Then the FEC interpreted this to be effective only when the politician was traveling as a candidate, not when he was on party committee business. The FEC is supposedly independent, but it was created by the Congress.

After my ire equalized, it struck me that it takes two to play this game of favors, a politician who needs to go somewhere, and a corporation looking to gain favor by providing corporate travel at a discount. And given the current state of corporate ethics…

Here’s a wild idea that will never grow wings, but wouldn’t it be nice if the corporate czars who seek favors through use of the aerial chariot so publicly criticized by politicians just said no when those same pols wanted to avoid airline travel?  It wouldn’t be pretty, or easy, but I’ll bet it wouldn’t take long before the politicians were speaking about business aviation in kinder tones and, maybe, actually doing something to make it better. — Scott Spangler