Note: Please read the previous entry first; it is about the column that this letter references.
Airline's practice doesn't respect diversity
Regarding Susan Paynter's recent column ("Alaska's wing-and-a-prayer policy provokes righteous ire," Wednesday — a follow-up to her July 5 column "Praise the Lord and pass the air-sickness bag"), I too have been offended by the prayer cards included with my meal service.
The comments by Jack Evans, Alaska's manager of external communications, that the cards are an "added feature of our service, much like added services available with other products people purchase" (oh, please). He also says if customers don't like it, they can ignore it or fly another carrier.
Is he kidding or does he really believe this is good business practice? Perhaps they're confusing the West Coast with the Bible Belt. It's apparent that the airline doesn't understand that the risk of offending customers isn't worth the benefit of a totally superfluous "added service."
Alaska's management needs to get a clue. In this day and age, not respecting the diversity of customers is bad for business. I'm not an atheist and have nothing against religion or Christianity, but spiritual beliefs (or a lack of such) are deeply personal, private matters that should not be foisted on captive passengers.
Whenever I make a reservation on Alaska, I make a little protest by requesting that the prayer card be omitted from my meal tray (to no avail, of course). Now that I know that Alaska's management thinks that if I don't like it, I can "fly another carrier," I will certainly try to oblige. Maybe that will help them get the message.
Robb Miller
Seattle
Whether or not Alaska thinks this is good business practice is not relevant to you, Mr. Miller, unless you are a shareholder of the airline. As Mr. Evans said, you are welcome to fly another airline if you don't care for their practice. Don't let the jetway hit you in the ass on your way out.
I am still looking for where the consitution proscribes "offending others". The multicult seems to expend great effort on this endeavor, sanitizing everything (language, practices, educational standards) to ensure that nobody is offended. They fail to take into consideration that their cultural bowdlerization is offensive itself.
posted on July 12, 2002 11:07 AM
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