Lufthansa vs. PAL
In October of 2009, the German flag carrier Lufthansa told investors during a meeting that it was confronted with considerable risks in regard to its income targets even as it was bringing in revenue somewhat higher than the same period in the previous year, 2008.
A number of factors led to the airline’s current plight. Management cannot be blamed for its predicament but the executives of Lufthansa point to external factors as the cause of its blight.
The roots of the problem were traced to fresh oil price increases and weak passenger demand. Lufthansa shares of stocks went down by 5.5 %, closing at Euro 10.37 from its original price. The flag carrier of Germany was certain they can clarify the problem with their report of an almost hostile environment.
The German airline predicted the problem to subsist in that year. Other airlines like United Kingdom’s BMI British Midland and Austrian Airlines that Lufthansa availed were only going to bring in break even or negative earnings in the coming months.
In the United States, the prospects did not look rosier. Several U.S. airlines, the American Airlines (AAL) and US Airways (USAW) tried drastic measures to plug costs in the face of the shortfalls in travel and tourism demands. AAL was scheduled close down its maintenance facility in Kansas and downgrade its stations around the country leading to the lay-offs of no less than 700 workers.
USAW forms part of Lufthansa’s Star Alliance of international carriers – supposedly to suspend or totally discontinue regular routes between Philadelphia and five landing destinations in Europe, causing the retrenchment of more or less 1,000 personnel.
To compound its problems further, in July 2011, Lufthansa was rebuked having a hostile policy in terms of granting Accessibility to special passengers like disabled persons. Even the United Nations itself, was antagonized by the airline when it refused to allow on board UN’s Special Rapporteur on Disability, Shuaib Chalklen April 4, 2011 who has flown unaccompanied for the last 15 years. Chalklen tried in vain to board SWISS flight LX 353 on a routine one hour and 40 minute journey from London UK to Geneva, Switzerland. SWISS is owned by Lufthansa.
European Commission reports that the airline limited the number of special passengers or Persons of Reduced Mobility (PRMs) allowed to travel on any given flight.
There are other pressing problems besetting the airline. On the other hand, a similar case is that of the Philippine flag carrier Philippine Air Lines (PAL).
The airline’s ledgers had been in the red for quite some time now – at one time it suffered a loss of 90 billion. PAL’s high operating costs against its downsliding income due to world economic recession, international travel and exports slump are at a record low. According to allevii’s blog, PAL’s own predicament began as early as 1998 and fairly recently during the events of 2008.
PAL downsized its organization and resolved to out-task its operations, reduce its fleet and lay off workers.
Given its detractors, like Lufthansa what options will PAL have? PAL inevitably has to survive and do all these, but at what cost? Right now, it faces several cases from the Regional Courts, right up to the Supreme Court.
Unlike Lufthansa however, PAL does not seem to have the full support of the government. The political party of the Presidential Political Adviser, has come out openly in support of the retrenched employees of the airline in a Privilege Speech at Congress. The adviser’s party also accused PAL of economic sabotage. On the other hand, the adviser’s boss, the chief executive is trying to do a balancing act by dishing out statements in support of PAL.
In comparison, while Lufthansa is wavering in its economic posture and is threatened with harsher realities during the coming European Union’s economic crisis, it has everything it needs to be able to weather the storm. It can even face the United Nations squarely in the face and give it hell. Whereas, PAL, appears to be the whipping boy of nearly everyone, the political adviser of the incumbent president among them. Can it wage a confrontation with even a lowly trade organization of ASEAN? I wonder. Are we hoping for better things to come for the Philippine’s national flag carrier?
Mindanao War: Anatomy of a Counterfeit Conflict
It’s all out in the open now: the government will review the documentations relevant to the peace process with MILF. It is also seeking the help of MNLF. And there is absolutely no actual war in Mindanao; in fairness to blogger Girbaudz whose fearless forecast was that conflict will erupt in Mindanao and actually did, there were skirmishes. But these skirmishes do not make a real war. Girbaudz was right up to a certain extent. Or even possibly right all the way. As the situation stands, there is no authentic but a counterfeit Conflict now in Southern Philippines. And it is not the fault of government but the making of persons who would wish for destabilization to ruin this country. Read this post here…
Neither Threaten Nor Ever Twiddle With Might
You will never understand why there is a war in Mindanao. The both sides blame people like MILF Commander Umbracato. Now while Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are negotiating a peace agreement in Mindanao, government is waging almost a full-scale war against their counterpart? GRP and MILF were supposed to sign an agreement at Marriot Hotel, Selangur, Putrajaya, Malaysia but Supreme Court issued an injunction and aborted said signing.
Supreme Court deeply embarrassed a lot of people. The United States of America Ambassador Kristie Kenney of the US Embassy in the Philippines, Organization of the Islamic Conference Ambassador Sayed Elm Masry, Japan Ambassador Makoto Katsura, and Australian Ambassador Roderick Smith were in Malaysia to be witnesses to the signing.
An international diplomatic faux pas. And the anti-Glorias are demanding the axing of the head of Hermogenes Esperon. Needless to say Supreme Court and the enemies of Gloria Arroyo had a different agenda. They want the talks and entire process scuttled. And after that, they want more. They want an impeachment. They want people power. They want to rule in a new government they will establish. They want the drugs. They want the money from kidnapping. They want the money robbed in banks and simple, helpless withdrawers. They want the protection skim from smuggling. A law enforcement Agency head who is secretly one of them, is a silent coordinator for their stupid bunch. He collects from Eighty up to Two Hundred Million a month (!) in these times of poverty and want, to live with them in grandeur and great comfort. The fucking corrupt want the country to die and Filipinos to wallow in abject suffering in this dying carcass of a nation.
The nincompoop politicians from the opposition tell everyone and sundry that they are studying their options over whether or not to support MILF in the war against the government. Studying options my ass! They have already determined to conduct a new wave of killings, bombings, rallies, ambushes, crime operations, hate and black propaganda campaigns to pursue Gloria’s impeachment, fight cha cha and to ostensibly to kill Gloria’s chances of running again in 2010 nor extending her presidency beyond that period. The fools!
Moreover in the separate assessment provided here, MILF and political opposition will not be able to join forces against the government. It is like mixing oil with water. The belief is that the forthcoming destabilization actions will put an incredible amount of salt on the already painful injury of the Government and MILF following the killed MOA signing on the Ancestral Domains claims between GRP and MILF. The US Ambassador, OIC Ambassador, Japanese Ambassador, Australian Ambassador, were humiliated in Malaysia for standing in support of that event.
The politicians and for-hire Supreme Court might not know they are playing with fire. And that certainly it is a big, big fire. At the end of the game, the political opposition, Justices, the civil society whom blogger Ezky calls New Civil Society of Lesbians and One Vacla, the left and right, and their allies inside the government feeding them morsels of information on when to make their sabotage moves, despicable destabilization actions and operations, will be flushed out and could be hung for their obnoxious treatment of the peace talks in Mindanao. In the end, it might not just be the dustbin of history where they will find themselves buried, but rather more immediately, six feet below the ground or scattered in the wastelands for vultures to feed on. Click here to read the rest of the post…
The Shepherd Lions Gathering 