Newspapers / Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter / Oct. 1, 1959, edition 1 / Page 2
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THEPiEomonim OCTOBER, 1959 PAGE TWO Piedmont Aviation, Inc. SMITH REYNOLDS AIRPORT WINSTON-SALEM, N. C. Dorothy Preslar, Editor Correspondents this issue; Jackie Abee INT, Robert Beard HKY, Bob Bennington FAY, W. L. Bullock LYH, Tom Crouch GSO, Ted Farrington BLF, Virg Flinn PKB, Dixie Holt INT, Ken Naftel INT-FB, Louise Ramsey CLT, Betty Joe Rathbone TYS, Eve Semiklose LEX, John Simmons DCA, Keith Smith ISO, Shirley Sword CMH, Bob Wilson BKW, R. H. Wylie ORF. First Flight Service When Piedmont Airlines began passenger service nearly tw^elve years ago, it recognized certain disadvantages—as far as passengers are concerned—which are inherent in local service air travel. For Piedmont, as for any local service air line it was like stepping into the batter’s box with two strikes already called. Piedmont, restricted by its original certificate, was not permitted non-stop, or one-stop, flights. The required stops at all intermediate points tended to produce a slower and generally less attractive service. But after all, Piedmont was designed to serve the passengers of intermediate cities in a way no other airline could. Furthermore, Piedmont was unable to offer passengers deluxe equipment. Although the DC-3 is a well-built plane— certainly it is not modern, pressurized, nor air-conditioned. Despite these disadvantages to passengers. Piedmont has grown. Why? Because we have given our passengers First Flight Service. When our airline began operation, passengers were sur prised by the high quality service they received. Consequent ly, many of them are still flying Piedmont. If they remain our passengers, it will be because they continue to get First Flight Service. Many times, this quality service has made flight time dif ferences between our schedules and those of other airlines relatively unimportant to our customers. It has made the frequent stops less annoying. First Flight Service means several things. It means we treat each passenger as if his Piedmont flight is his very first time aloft. We give him the most courteous attention possible; we give him prompt, efficient service. We take a personal interest in his travel problems. First Flight Service means also that we are still enthusi astic about air travel. And we share that enthusiasm with our passengers. Perhaps many of us still remember our first flights—the excitement and the wonder—and despite hard work and headaches still catch a thrill when a plane lifts from the runway and heads for the clouds. Many Piedmont employees have been with the company since its infancy. No doubt, it is because they like working with a company that has a challenge to meet and because they like to share with others the joy of flying with First Flight Service. We are very proud of our airline’s growth. We want it to grow more. We hope that in the not-so-distant future the CAB will no longer require all our flights to stop at all inter mediate points. And though our DC-3’s will be flying for some time to come, our modern F-27’s provide air-conditioned pressurized flying for many customers. Nevei’theless, as we grow. First Flight Service will be come more and more important. It has always been most important to those we serve. road \ Captain, we must be getting close. Some of the passengers are putting on their coats. By DON BRITT This not-yet-dry-b e h i n d-the- ears Piedmont employee has been recruited to do a column for the PIEDMONITOR. So bear with me. Gentle Reader, and we’ll see what can be done. During the last month I’ve made two trips to east Tennes see. Got with District Sales Man ager Don Edmondson to visit Knoxville folks one week, Tri- Cities folks the next. Hats off to Knoxville Station Manager Ted Arnold who, though new to that station, is doing fine. A salute, too, to TRI Station Manager Don Woods and his busy, busy crew. I was there around 6:30 p.m. and watched four Piedmont flights zoom in within about 20 minutes. * * * WENT DOWN to Raleigh-Dur- ham and joined District Sales Manager Harold Warner for vis its to civic leaders in Raleigh, then a good supper, then on down to Goldsboro with Harold. We spent the night there, then went out to Johnson Field to see the commercial transportation people there. Wish we could have gotten closer to those sleek F-105’s, but BLOCK TO BLOCK With STAN BRUNT Since this column is brand new, many of our flight attend ants may not have gotten the news of its “inauguration.” So, if anything is left out, please just send it on in for next month. First of all, congratulations to Bob Evans and Max Tatum on receiving five year pins. Also to Charlie Perry (ORF) and wife on the adoption of a son. We didn’t get the name and details. But if Charlie will give us the information, we’ll put it in next time. Good luck and best wishes to Andy Foster (INT) who is tak ing a leave of absence to attend flight training school in Texas. Hope Andy will be back with us soon! Also luck and wishes to Wes Livengood (ILM) who has re signed to attend Wilmington Col lege. Pursers Meetings this past month were held in Wilming ton, Norfolk and Winston-Salem. Vacations during August went to Paul Whitson (INT), Andy Foster (INT), Mac McMillan (ORF), Ed Sullivan (ILM), Brownie Wagner (ILM) Bob Courtney (ILM), Lonnie Dennis (ILM), Bob Myrick (ILM) and Dick Sorrells (DCA). George Stack (INT) went on vacation with plans for the beach. But his young son Chip picked up the famous virus go ing around so the Stack’s stayed home all week. Charters have been keeping attendants busy, especially the weekend of Sept. 19. Bob Wel fare, Gene Johnson and Don Byrd worked the Clemson flight from Greenville to Raleigh-Dur- ham. Clemson came out a win ner over the University of North Carolina. Virginia Tech traveled from Roanoke to Norfolk with Alan Kirk and Herman Barco to play N. C. State. State won that one, and Barco and McKenney took the losers home. Tom Adams and Bruce Lundy went one way with the Universi ty of West Virginia to Washing ton. Danny Lambert and George Hicks took the winners over the University of Maryland back to Morgantown. Hosts to Wake Forest College down to Tallahassee, Fla. were George Stack and Charlie Cross. Wake won 22 to 20 over Florida State. Sw BLOCK, Pago Four security blocked us. One of the men said the F-104 is capable of Mach-2, straight up. That’s fly ing! Kinston Station Manager Wade Allen took Harold and me to see Galt Braxton, publisher of the KINSTON FREE PRESS, a newspaper that has given Pied mont some mighty fine publici ty in that area, for which we’re grateful. We also saw Charlie McCullers, Chamber of Com merce manager in Kinston, and others. Met the “Smith Broth ers” Glenn and Keith, who are not related at all. Thanks to Wade and Harold for a good trip east. * * * MET LOUISVILLE District Sales Manager Joe Wathen in Lexington the next week. We saw Chamber of Commerce and Airboard members there. How did Good Bachelor Wathen man age to miss getting married! At lunch with Joe and Station Man ager A. B. Casey I failed to order Hot Brown, Lexington’s famous dish. Hope it stays on the menu until I get back. Comment from one civic leader in one community Pied mont serves: “If all our aviation problems were as small as the ones we have with Piedmont, we’d be happy.” Remember, you, all of you, helped create that compliment. RUMOR SQUELCHING RUMOR—Piedmont plans a merger with another airline. SQUELCH—’ Taint so. Not a word of truth in it. RUMOR—Some sort of major reorganization is planned for the home office. SQUELCH—Not so. Nothing is planned or even an ticipated. RUMOR—Piedmont definitely expects a route case decision within thirty days. (This one was in the newspaper!) SQUELCH—Not so. Nobody at Piedmont knows when a route decision is coming, nor does any body have any “inside” informa tion. * * * DAFFYNITIONS: Missile—a small girl Beefed up—“I’ve simply got to diet.” Configuration—bone structure of the new stenographer Approach pat h—proposal of marriage Capital Comments nnmnn By SHERL FOLGER Since the 86th Congress is ad journed at present it may look like an inopportune time to start a column on federal affairs. However, during the recess I would like to give you a run down on past legislative high lights that affect airlines. There were two major bills signed into law that directly concern our industry: Public Law 86-72, approved June 29, extends the time limit on making grants under the Fed eral Aviation Act until June 6, 1961. Simply stated, this new law continues the present law and $63 million level for each of the next two years. It is implied that the FAA ad ministrator will use his discre tion in closely limiting federal funds for terminal building pur poses. Public Law 86-75 is the trans portation tax repeal amend ment which was approved June 30. The long and interesting fight on this amendment went this way: A bill to extend the corporate and excise tax rate originated in the House. The bill had to be signed by the President by July 1 or there would be a terrific loss of revenue to the govern ment. Bill Goes to Senate When the bill got to the Sen ate, Sen. George SmathersL_(D- Fla.) added an amendment to re peal the ten per cent tax on personal transportation. Sen. Smathers is a strong supporter of the scheduled airlines. When the bill with the Smath ers amendment was referred to the Senate Finance Committee, it was approved. Sen. Harry Byrd (D-Va.) heads that committee. The amended bill was sent back to the floor of the Senate, which approved it. Since the original bill had been changed, the Senate had to send the bill back to the House where a con ference of senators and repre sentatives were to settle the is sue. House Attempt Fails House supporters of the air lines attempted to get a vote to instruct the conference to ac cept the amendment just as it came from the Senate. But the move failed. Also the House- Senate conference rejected all Senate amendments to the origi nal bill. However, they agreed on two compromise amendments to be come effective July 1, 1960. They are (1) a five per cent reduction on travel tax and (2) elimina tion of the ten per cent tax on local telephone service. Opinion Varies Right now, there are several schools of thought of what will happen to this particular bill when congress reconvenes. Some people think that congress will simply keep extending the effec tive date of repeal. Other people think that con gress will attempt to repeal the remaining five per cent of the travel tax. However, I agree with those who think that the tax will be cut five per cent on July 1 next year—just as the recently-passed law states.
Piedmont Aviation Employee Newsletter
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Oct. 1, 1959, edition 1
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