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Shame on The Toronto Star (Again!)


deicer

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After the crap from Thomas Walkom last year, they are printing mis-informed garbage like this again.

http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1035781025946

My question is,,,

Why hasn't anyone from AC made a public statement that it is The Greater Toronto Airports Authority that CONTROLS ALL deicing in YYZ, and it was their duly contracted outfit Globe Ground that ran out of glycol.

Everyone blames AC because it is the easiest thing to bash. And it is outfits like the Toronto Star that spread mis-truths and lies like this that warp peoples impressions of the truth.

As well, Mr. Dector the author of the letter, goes to great length to say that AC's problems are because of the inflight service. My challenge to Mr. Dector is to get out more, travel for real, and compare what the service is on other airlines before he bashes this one. I don't think a lot of other airlines would heat their bags of snacks for you, never mind offering a hot breakfast and a movie(even if it is cut off due to flying time).

Shame on the Toronto Star!!!!!

Iceman

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Guest givemeabreak

While way off base on the de-ice fluid, I believe he has some good points on the rest:

- graffiti on the always filthy aircraft. (Called maintenance a couple times myself to get rid of some.)

- Don't even get me started on the ground crew.

- F/A's misjudgind time for the movies...

- crap in a box (meals)

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Here is the email I sent and the reply I received from the paper's ombudsman:


"Dear Ombudsman:

As an Air Canada Jazz employee I demand an immediate retraction of the
nonsense published on Tuesday under the title "A memo to Bob Milton". Has
The Star finally given up on any hope of actually reporting fact? If you
would like to see what a professionally written article should look like go
to Mr. Corcoran's article in the National Post. Failing that perhaps you
would consider changing the name of your paper to:

"The Toronto Star - A satircal look today's news ( not meant to actually
inform or to be interpreted as News )"


Reply

"Thanks for the email. A correction will be published tomorrow on page A2. The freelancer's error was regrettable.

Another reader pointed out the mistake in a letter to the editor published today.

Regards,

Don Sellar
Ombud "


It probably wouldn't hurt to send a complaint anyways just so they know better for next time.

Seeker

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Apparently, taking an airplane ride is enough to qualify one as an airline industry expert in this pathetic rag.

http://www.angelfire.com/ns/mikedecter/links.htm

http://www.nsb.com/speakerbio.asp?i_speakerid=61

http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSNewsmakers/000509_decter.html

The guy should stick to writing on subjects he knows about before his credibility is completely destroyed.

And BTW, to the highly motivated and intelligent individual who wrote LEAFS SUCK on the engine cowling - are you really such a moron that it never occurred to you that writing graffiti on a part of the airplane that is in full view of the passengers might have a negative effect on the reputation of the company that pays your rent? Go work somewhere else.

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Guest Virtual

I sent a letter also ... actually with copies to several of the departments as they often don't 'share' information back and forth. I decided to include a link to Corcoran's National Post article to 'help' make my point.
No reply back from The Star yet, though.

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Guest Fleet80

Letter Sent to the Ombudsman, I received a quick reply saying they would recant tomorrow...
It is beyond belief that you would publish such an inaccurate, slandering, ill-informed editorial comment by former Ontario bureaucrat Michael Decter. Please inform Decter and your readers that a) the Toronto Airport Authority - not Air Canada - owns, operates and charges for aircraft deicing, and is solely responsible for purchasing, storing and delivering fluid; B) that ascorbic acid is vitamin C and hardly harmful to one's health; c) that clean engine cowls do not make an airplane safer, and d) that SARS, the Iraq War, 9/11, government interference, skyrocketing airport and navigation user fees, rising oil prices and a 62 cent Canadian dollar have indeed made business almost impossible for the only International full service air carrier in Canada.

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Guest ACguy

While I was greatly offended by Mr. Dector's article I must point out the obvious. Air Canada is in the business of moving people. In case we haven't noticed we are faced with the very reality of not being in business. The likes of graffiti, ground crew, movies, and meals are secondary at best. People buy airplane tickets to go from A to B. These miscellaneous items are window dressing. If they want a movie or meal go out once in a while. Some the bigger cariers don't offer audio/video and the meals are crap in a box take it or leave it. Even our own employees are spoiled. Go ahead buy a ticket on a US carier...Continental or Northwest the ones ahead of the game and see what ya get.

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Guest LoginName

My question is, if he hates Air Canada so much, why didn’t he fly WestJet from Regina to Toronto. Or would that have inconvenienced him too much on his way to Montana.

No wonder this country has such a high SAR’s incidence rate, our chair of the Canadian Institute for Health Information was off skiing in Montana for a week, paid for by the government because of a one-day medical conference in Montana that he had to attend.

P.S. for the record, the last statement regarding the conference was based on complete lack of knowledge on my part and a retraction will be published in tomorrow’s forum.

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Guest Virtual

Very good, Fleet 80. Perhaps some of
us should write Terence Corcoran (National
Post) and thank him for writing a more unbiased
and factual article about Air Canada ...
and for not taking part in the national sport of trashing AC. I'm sure even columnists get more than their fair share of criticism ... and only silence when they do 'well'. (What we say management should be doing ... is something we can also do.)

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Good idea to write Mr. Corcoran, I've already done so. He's the editor-in-chief of the Financial Post so it may make a difference too.

tcorcoran@nationalpost.com

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Good idea to write Mr. Corcoran, I've already done so thanking him for his balanced story. He's the editor-in-chief of the Financial Post so it may make a difference too.

tcorcoran@nationalpost.com

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Guest rollingrock

here was my two cents to the star.


Dear Mr.Ombudsman;

I am writing to demand a retraction of Mr.Dector article "a memo to Bob Milton".

It does not surprise me that a person such as Michael Dector could be so uninformed, condescending and ignorant, but what does surprise me is that a newspaper such as yours would print such an article.
I realise the motto at the star is to never let the truth get in the way of a good story, but do your editors no longer check facts or does that interfere with Air Canada Bashing?

The article was printed in your newspaper and you are ultimately responsible for its contents. If you are looking for future article ideas perhaps these points will help:

1) The GTAA is responsible for the supply of all de-icing fluid, not Air Canada.

2) All flight were grounded that particular day, not just Air Canada's.

3) Why not research the effects that SARS, 9/11, fuel prices and government taxes have had on the airline industry.

4) Rather than bash Air Canada management, report on the airline industry as a whole (United, US air etc).

If this type of journalism is foreign to the star perhaps you would like to read articles like Corcoran's in the National Post.
You have definitely lost this newspaper reader.

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right on the money acguy! this is part of the problem! People expect that full service but in the end don't want to pay for it. All airlines in the states charge for head sets $4.00 us..while AC doesn't charge at all. I wonder what passengers would say then if AC started charging?
Some airlines in the states don't even offer meals anymore. Mr. Dectors article was offensive and his misinformation greatly shows.

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Guest Virtual

Agreed. I wonder if this employee
spends much of his time complaining about
how management does their job ... and then want his union to bail him out if this same management actually does their job and disciplines him for his lack of integrity for this.

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Guest regular joe

I'd be willing to bet that the person who wrote "LEAFS SUCK" has probably since been struck by lightening!
Commandment 11 Thou shalt not take thy beloved LEAFS name in vain.

GO LEAFS GO!!!

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I didn't see anything wrong with the article. He recongnized some of the problems AC is having and wrote about it. AC, nore its employees should get defensive about his article. They should thank him and try and do something about it. That would be my message to Milton.

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