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United way campaign is underway in Winston
The annual United Way campaign is as
sure as fall and football and it comes about
mid-season this year.
Chairman Jim Taylor and co-chairman
Brenda Patton kicked off the fund drive on
October 3. They have changed the format.
Rather than solicitors canvassing employees
individually, there will be a number of group
meetings with slide presentations on the va
rious agencies supported by the United Way.
In addition to using the national slogan,
“Thanks to you it works . . . for all of us . . .
Whan Bill Marler, right, went on an agency tour for
Piedmont's United Way workers, he found his neighbor,
Edwin Hunt, working at the Goodwill Center. Bill is
one of this year's employee solicitors.
the United Way,” Piedmont’s drive will pub
licize the theme, “3 minutes a day supports the
United Way.” This slogan is based on a fair
share gift of .6 of 1 percent income for individu
als. In asking for only three minutes pay a day,
the United Way shows how little is required to
make a great difference in communities when
everyone works together.
During 1977, Piedmont employees received
services from a number of United Way agencies
varying from the American Red Cross to the
YWCA.
Frank Barnes, of Winston maintenance, met one of his
special friends, Joel Stafford, at the Children's Center
during the solicitors' tours of the Forsyth County United
Way agencies. Joel's wheelchair was stolen last year
This year’s chairmen are being assisted by
a planning committee which includes Jack Bran
don, Bob Reed, Jeff Johnson, Diana Goolsby,
Nancy Harrell and Charlotte Riggs, and about
50 employee solicitors representing all depart
ments.
The cooperation and support of all Winston-
Salem employees is necessary to enable Pied
mont to meet this year’s dollar goal of $38,500.
The Company long has had a tradition of giving
generously to the United Way. It is a tradition
that unquestionably deserves to be maintained.
and Frank helped promote Joel's gospel singing records
to raise money to replace his wheelchair. Joel and Edwin
are two of the many people helped by Piedmont's
participation in the annual fund drive.
Industry notes
Air cost for
In buying transportation for the average
letter moving by air, the Postal Service now
pays the airlines 57 per cent less than in 1958,
according to the Air Transport Association.
Norman J. Philion, executive vice president
of the Air Transport Association, told a recent
meeting of the National League of Postmasters
that “out of the 15-cent stamp now on first
class letters, the airlines receive about 3/lOths
of a cent for their transportation services. He
compared this with the 7/lOths of a cent the
airlines received 20 years ago when air mail
postage was only six cents.
In the last fiscal year, when the total Postal
Service budget was $15 billion, only 1.3 per
cent (about $200 million) was required to pay
for moving mail by air within the 50 states.
Philion noted that “this 1.3 per cent of postal
expenditures bought the air transportation for
nine out of every 10 intercity first-class letters,
and other mail transportation services as well.”
He said rates for air transportation of mail set
by the Civil Aeronautics Board give the Postal
Service “one of the best bargains in transporta
tion history.”
Pan Am, National agree
Pan American World Airways announced
a definitive agreement has been signed where-
bv it w'ould acquire for about $350 million.
National Airlines, which becomes a subsidiary
called Pan American U.S.A.
Under terms of the agreement. National
stockholders w'ould receive $41 for each share
of common stock. There are about 8.6 million
shares outstanding. The offer is scheduled to
be submitted to National’s holders within the
next several months. The offer is also subject
to approval by the Civil Aeronautics Board and
President Carter.
Smoking not banned, yet
The CAB has again, in early September,
postponed a decision on whether to ban cigar
and pipe smoking on commercial airlines. Board
U.S. Mail is less
member Elizabeth Bailey offered a compromise
on the two-year-old issue which would basically
permit some cigar and pipe smoking in selected
areas of aircraft. In addition, the compromise
proposal would require passengers in some
sections to get approval of fellow passengers
before lighting up.
Spell classes with a ‘K’
An August editorial in Travel Trade, written
by Joel M. Abels, had some delightful comments
on the currently popular topic of the three-class
air travel concept. Abel said the proposal
promises that every passenger should receive
what he pays for. He went on to say that be
cause the “urgent need for three distinct classes
of air travel has been brought about largely
due to the deregulatory pressures of three dis
tinguished political leaders, and since the
American public dislikes any reference to 1st,
2nd or 3rd class type of treatment, I propose
that the new 3-tier sex'vices be reborn and named
after the men who inadvertantly fathered them.
Here are my semi-satirical, semi-serious sug
gestions :
1. Kennedy Klass, for those who are used
to or who think they deserve only the
very best, should replace the outdated
first-class concept and should offer
luxury travelers a more opulent foriti
of in-flight service than has ever existed
before. Special Kennedy service check-in
and baggage claim counters, valet-style
car rental facilities, gourmet food, three
martinis, wide-bodied individual seat
ing, unlimited smoking and non-smok-
ing, and an absence of screaming infants
would help make Kennedy the ultimate
in air travel.
2. Kahn Klass would be the essence of
mediocrity and, much like the present
CAB chairman, would be a lot leaner
(than Kennedy) and would offer good
value for money received. It would guar
antee Kahn Klass flyers a nutritionally
than in 1958
balanced calorie counter’s meal, a pos-
turepedic seat with no room to spare,
and the comfort of knowing that they
had paid less than the class above, and
more than the class below, for which
they would receive a mediocre variety
of services.
3. ‘K’arter Klass, promising all but de
livering little, comes last, of course. It
would be available to anyone not sure of
when he wanted to go where, anxious
to fly for peanuts, eat them in-flight,
guzzle his own tins of Billy Beer, and
not giving a damn where or how he sat
or on w'hat as long as the plane got some
where.”
Round-trip fare was 39 cents
Those who played their cards right got from
Dallas/Ft. Worth to Las Vegas and back for 39
cents, round trip.
In inaugurating their new service between
the cities on September 28, Texas International
sold 39 of the 39-cent round-trip tickets to the
first 39 people who appeared at DFW with one
of the 39 items on TXI’s list. Proof of birth in
the 39th state of the union, being 39 inches tall
and over 18 years old, having 39 credit cards in
your name, or carrying 39 red dice were among
the items on TXI’s list that qualified a person
for what is believed to be the lowest fare in
commercial aviation history. Another item on
the list was a receipt for one of Delta Airline’s
or Braniff International’s $114 one-way coach
tickets on the same route: TXI’s regular one
way fare is $39. Passengers on the inaugural
flight also received their first night’s stay at a
Las Vegas hotel free and $39 worth of chips
to play at any of the hotel casino’s table games.
TXI also ran a similar 49-cent round-trip pro
motion for the first 49 people to qualify in 49
categories on the same day for its new Houston-
Las Vegas route. TXI’s normal coach one-way
fare is $49, compared with National Airline’s
$127.