Go Tigers.

Oh, and for you Alabama fans out there — who beat you today? What was the name of that team? I may have to send fellow University of Tennessee attendee, fellow Daily Beacon alum, and Alabama football expert  Paul Finebaum a note and ask him to explain this unfortunate turn of events to me.

Paul had a lot more hair when I knew him.

One of our subscribers sent me this story today. We all knew this one was inevitable when the latest iPhone commercial rolled out — now didnt we?

“Oh joy! I can’t wait for the next ground delay or long taxi due to weather somewhere to get a smart ass with a freakin I-phone shoving it in my face saying “It’s NOT raining there… SEE !” Too late … already happened to me.  We push back, get advised of a ground stop in MEM due to storms in the area. Go to the penalty box and wait. My Captain does the lecture over the PA… not one minute later, we get dinged from the F/A “Some guy with an IPhone says the weather is good, and wants to know what the real reason is for the delay. Is something wrong with the plane?”

I want to tell this clown what he can do with his IdiotPhone – but the Captain does it even better. He gets on the PA and makes the following announcement :

“If the passenger with the IPhone would be kind enough to use it to check the weather at our alternate, calculate our fuel burn due to being rerouted around the storms, call the dispatcher to arrange our release, and then make a phone call to the nearest Air Traffic Control center to arrange our timely departure amongst the other aircraft carrying passengers with IPhones, then we will be more than happy to depart. Please ring your call button to advise the Flight Attendant and your fellow passengers when you deem it ready and responsible for this multi-million dollar aircraft and its passengers to safely leave.”

Needless to say, the pax was pretty embarrassed. The F/A later told us the rest of the plane was outright laughing at this dude. What a clown.”

I think we have a winner for the Mesa Air Lawsuit Defense Fund name.

CAN EAT WAFFLES.

Now, bear with me. This was the suggestion of a reader, who wrote,  “If not for the needless “negative energy, and a lot of time spent on lawyers’ pay with very little good coming out of them,” I would have to say that Jonathan Ornstein’s lawsuit would be nothing but comical. And since Mr. Ornstein finds lawsuits such a productive use of money (perhaps he sees this as an attempt to offset the financial impact of having to pay Hawaiian Airlines), I have come up with a catchier name for your legal defense fund.”

Coalition

Against

Negative

Okay, so maybe I’ve been typing for too long.

Dunno.

I kind of like it. Lots of graphics possibilities.

Subscribers can now access this week’s issue of PlaneBusiness Banter. Have fun!

Okay guys. Tomorrow morning I’m going to unplug the phone and don’t expect me to answer any emails.

No worries. PlaneBusiness Banter will be up in plenty of time for you to print and read on your way out of town.

By the way, how many of you find the numbers coming out of the Dubai Air Show rather mind-numbing?

Was just finishing up our take on the haul by Airbus and Boeing in this week’s issue, and I tell you what, if you want any more evidence that the center of the aircraft universe is nowhere near the U.S. — look at the orders that were announced this week from Middle Eastern and Asian carriers.

Airbus and Boeing have announced contracts worth almost $70 billion over the past four days. Airbus sold 297 jetliners and Boeing 155, putting the two companies on track to easily exceed  2005’s record of 2,057 orders.

Technorati Tags: Airbus, Boeing

The only way to effectively deal with lawsuits such as the SLAPP suit that has been filed against me by Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of Mesa Air Group — is to attempt to negate the reasons for them in the first place.

It is my belief that this suit was filed for two reasons. One, it is an attempt to intimidate me. Two, it is an attempt to bankrupt me.

So first — I’m not intimidated.

In reference to the second issue, it’s not going to happen.

On that note, I have been truly overwhelmed with the show of support that has come in from many of you in just the last couple of days in regard to contributing to the cause. I don’t know what else to say, except thank you.

In response to those communications concerning potential donations — hold those thoughts!

I will be posting more information here in the next couple of days as to how you can contribute to a PlaneBuzz Legal Defense Fund. (And yes, isn’t that one of those “More Room in Coach” sounding monikers? I assure you I will come up with something more catchy and less….catatonic.)

In the meantime, I have a day job I need to attend to — this week’s issue of PlaneBusiness Banter.

Talk to you guys later.

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