Airline pilots with influence wanted

[sarboy w****r]

Those of you who have been in the Services will be aware of the sense of family that exists within the Forces, and that we try very hard to look after our own. This is why I turn to you, as fellow pilots, and ask for your assistance.

I am looking for anyone who works for the airlines to make contact with me if they can help with providing influence or contacts regarding obtaining reduced cost flights from the UK to the States for a family of 4 (not mine, before you ask). I don't wish to go into details in a public forum such as this, but suffice to say the need is both very genuine and time critical, and involves a terminally ill 11 year old girl.

If the airlines are anything like the RAF, then the direct approach (which has been tried, unsuccessfully) will often fail, and a subtler, back door route is called for. My colleagues and I are all digging deep financially, but what is really needed is help in contacting the right person in a benevolent airline. Who knows, it might even be you. If you can provide genuine information or advice then please make contact privately.

Thank you.

[RRAAMJET]

American Airlines participates in the "Make a wish" Foundation - this is normally used for terminally ill kiddies to visit DisneyWorld, but they may well have further info for you. I don't have their contact number to hand, but if you call your nearest AA office in UK they may well be able to help. Failing that, try calling the DFW Flt Office at (usa) 1-972 425 5151 and ask for any contact info they may have for the above - explain your situation.

In addition, I am more than willing to donate one of my buddy-passes to assist; e-mail me for more info, please. There may be security implications, believe it or not, that's the US TSA for you...

[B767300ER]

Very civil of you, raamjet. I doubt AA will help unless the press covers it. As a furloughee, I only get passes for 90 days, but at US/UA/DL and NW, they get 6 months or a YEAR. The point I'm trying to make, and its very nice you're making D3s available, is that AA won't even help its own EMPLOYEES, so why would they help these poor people?

Sarboy******, try these websites, which have unbelievable low fares to the US, and you might get $1200 US for all 4 round-trip/return, and positive space, instead of standby:

www.bestfares.com
www.lowestfares.com
www.priceline.com
www.cheaptix.com

Good luck.I hope they all make it.

[RRAAMJET]

No worries, 767, I know you would have helped were it not for your current unfortunate situation. Thanks for the posting; I'm trying to get hold of fellow pilots not going anywhere this year to see if they'll help as well.
cheers.

[DrSyn]

sarboy I still can't understand why wokker should need asterisks through it. Anyway, check your private messages.

[Alberts Growbag]

Have you tried a 'charity flight' appeal to the UK charter operators?

Monarch, Britannia, Air 2000, MyTravel all offer Atlantic travel (mostly to Florida and Las Vegas). If your case is genuine enough I am sure that one of them will be happy to publicise the fact that they gave your little girl a helping hand for free.

Air 2000 helps out a charity providing free hoidays for underpiviledged kids in Florida each year.

Try heading for the head of customer services at each airline.

[av8boy]

I don't know how successful I'll be, but I'm giving something a shot. Some questions though...

...How late is too late (sorry if you said and I missed it)? I mean, if this takes a couple weeks, should I not bother?

...Where to in the states?

...Round trip? How long in the states?

...What if the cost of the westbound flight was nearly free, but I couldn't arrange anything eastbound at all?

...And the kicker... what if the only way to make this work was out of SNN (this is not to say that SNN IS the only way, but what if it was)?

Feel free to reply in the private mode.

Dave