American Airlines is charging extra baggage fees to troops going to Iraq to fight in the war. This forces soldiers heading for a war zone in Iraq to
try to get reimbursement from the military. Presumably in their spare time. I’m sorry. I believe in the capitalist system and business making a profit and all that, but on September 11, 2001, American Airlines flight 11 was hijacked by terrorists and crashed into the North Tower 1 World Trade Center. Fifty-one minutes later, American Airlines flight 77 was crashed into the Pentagon by the same group of terrorists.
America suffered the first 3000 casualties in the War On Terror that day, and the war was on. The VFW is trying to get American Airlines to waive the extra baggage fee for our brave men and women going to war.
What is American Airlines’ position?
‘Because the soldiers don’t pay a dime, our waiver of the fees amounts to a discount to the military, not a discount to soldiers,’ said Tim Wagner, spokesman for American Airlines. ‘Soldiers should not have to pay a penny of it.’
And their point is? There comes a time when being an American means more than a logo on the side of an airplane. The fact that American Airlines is showing itself to be ‘American’ in name only, by not waiving this fee, qualifies American Airlines for the Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day award.
Businesses should make a profit, that’s what business does. But businesses should also be good citizens in their community. Waiving this fee is not too much to expect, especially since these special passengers are risking it all to insure that American Airlines doesn’t lose more planes full of passengers.
