Frequent Flyer

www.airsafetyonline.com -- a really good site. If you read their reports about Air Tran you'll never even consider flying with them.

VJ

A Value Jet by any other name is still a Value Jet. And looking ahead, DC Air will probably take the same (glide) path ... what does media management have to do with that type of air management?

anan

I'm curious about who runs this website? Is it a watchdog group? Someone who has lots of stock in an airline that would benefit from negative press for other airlines. Some of the stuff there is pretty seemy, and yea, if you're afraid to fly, it won't make you feel any better about it.

Lisa

Also peaked my curiousilty as to to was running this site, so I lloked it up on www.networksolutions.com, under "who is" (where you actually buy & register your domain names), this is what I found:

Organization:
Lethal Interactive
Dan Rupp
6625 Victoria Drive
Oak Forest, IL 60452
US
Phone: 708-687-8023
Fax..: 708-687-8023
Email: [email protected]

Registrar Name....: Register.com
Registrar Whois...: whois.register.com
Registrar Homepage: http://www.register.com

Domain Name: AIRSAFETYONLINE.COM

Created on..............: Wed, May 24, 2000
Expires on..............: Thu, May 24, 2001
Record last updated on..: Thu, Sep 21, 2000

Administrative Contact:
Lethal Interactive
Dan Rupp
6625 Victoria Drive
Oak Forest, IL 60452
US
Phone: 708-687-8023
Fax..: 708-687-8023
Email: [email protected]

Technical Contact:
Lethal Interactive
Dan Rupp
6625 Victoria Drive
Oak Forest, IL 60452
US
Phone: 708-687-8023
Fax..: 708-687-8023
Email: [email protected]

Zone Contact:
Lethal Interactive
Dan Rupp
6625 Victoria Drive
Oak Forest, IL 60452
US
Phone: 708-687-8023
Fax..: 708-687-8023
Email: [email protected]

Domain servers in listed order:

NS.SITEPROTECT.COM 64.26.0.23
NS2.SITEPROTECT.COM 64.26.38.2


Is this the boy you cried wolf? or for real?

DM

Lisa, is it necessary to list his telephone numbers? What was your point? Perhaps he's attempting to increase air safety awareness. Do you have some information concerning why he created that website? But more to the point, lets hear from some other folks about that airline .. and yes, it was Value Jet before, when it crashed in the Florida swamp due to the dangerous cargo it carried. It wsa at that time run by a small group in Atlanta who made profits. We used them until it just became too inconvenient - they never left or arrived on time, never. Just stretched too thin. And then Florida happened a few months later. As I say, perhaps his site will servesome purpose. Crying wolf ... perhaps someone should have spoken up before the crash. We seem to be very reactive in this country.

DC

For what it's worth, my next door neighbor is an executive with the FAA. He flies AirTran often. I don't fly them because I'm a Continental guy...

C

Well, for what it's worth, I'm with the DOT in DC, and in a position to know, and anyone who knows how FAA operates and its current problems, would shake their heads at your statement. FAA has been miserable, and no wonder Congress authorized the Administrator to hold a five-year term .. to lend some stability and good management to an organization that has been part of the safety problem in the US. You'll notice that Jane Garvey has announced she will continue in her position as required by law, even though the new Administration would probably like to put their own person in there (and Minetta will have nothing to say about it). If anyone from FAA flies Air Tran, then they are closing their eyes again ... a familiar action at the FAA.

Wondering

Is it possible Dan Rupp is a disgruntled former United employee?

Frequent Flyer

Interesting topic and replies, especially from our gov't posters. As a frequent traveler, private pilot and aviation enthusiast I have read a lot of anecdotal info over the years and the net of it is my confidence in the FAA is synonymous with C at the DOT. There is a lot of acrimony between NTSB and FAA over safety issues and it usually takes a body count for FAA to act--always reactive, not proactive.

As far as the site referenced, it is interesting but I found it to be a bit sensationalistic. I prefer www.airsafe.com where the information is presented in a more clinical fashion. From my initial review of the site referenced above, I think airsafe also has more useful information on passenger safety.

Just my $0.02 opinion.

Brian in Atlanta

What article on Airtran are you guys looking at on that site? The one from August of 2000 effectively blaming a separate company for the crash?

And I wouldn't hesitate to get on an Airtran plane. I figure that they must be the most careful carrier out there. One more crash and they're out of business.

DC

Brian, Value Jet knowingly allowed that shipping firm to place the oxydizers onboard their plane, in violation of FAA rules. Value Jet admitted they were alseep at the wheel - the suits blames the collars. And rather than step up and take SOME of the responsibility, Value Jet played the Ford-Firestone SUV-tire game and blamed the shipper for everything. Yes, the courts ultimately faulted the shipper .. a technicality if there ever was one. Value Jet of course hired a media outfit out of NYC and reinvented itself and took a new name. But please, lets have none of that argument about their now having to be careful due to the one-more-crash theory. That was used extensively at the time, and no one I know will set foot on one of their planes now. I realize AT/VJ is based in Atalanta. It's like saying hey, we killed a plane-load of people, and now we have to be serious about air safety. The least bit cynical, do you think?

Lisa

To DM (above):

I only posted what was registered under www.networksolutions.com. When you make a public website, you list your contact information, and it is available for all to see. I did not go searching for his home phone number. Someone inquired about who was running this site and I looked it up 1-2-3. I was curious as well, as you cant believe everything you read on the internet.

I too am a website owner, and my information is listed as well. If I didnt want people to see it I wouldnt have listed it. Simple as that.

Frank

I fly AirTran weekly (live in Atlanta) and have never had any real problems with them. Yes, they really botched that Miami flight when they were ValuJet. American, Continental, Delta, TWA, United, etc etc etc have all had multiple fatal crashes. They're all good carriers, but accidents do happen and all we can do is learn from them. I believe AirTran has had sufficient government oversight and is now running a good operation. It's up to each passenger to decide which carrier to fly and I'm okay sticking with AirTran.

AirTran is the launch carrier for the new Boeing 717 and it's a great aircraft! I have to admit I feel better on a 717 than I do the older DC-9s.

Brian in Atlanta

DC, I agree that Value Jet is not blameless in that crash. But if you never fly with an airline that has had a crash, you'd have a hard time getting anywhere.

Say what you want about Airtran's name change and transformation, but it was a ingenious business move.

And BTW, Airtran is headquartered in Orlando, not Atlanta.

L

I heard, possibly incorrectly, that the guys who created VJ lived in Atlanta. HQ is in Orlando .. did someboby move? Sell out? I don't mean to disagree, but I couldn't agree less about their brilliant corporate strategy ... the name change is just standard stuff when things go awry ... but normally the top folks stand up first and say their mea culpas. So, if it worked, what was it that worked, I wonder? Did it amount to hiding under a different banner and hoping people would either forget or get confused? We have our own gathering storm here in Washington ... DC Air. By the way, if you can access the Washington Post, check out the letters to the editors today ... about how US Airways pulled in NY what they are about to pull in DC, with United's help. It really helps the big boys to keep the VJ's around to offer some semblance of competition.

Brian in Atlanta

I never said it was an honorable thing to do, but that move to acquire Airtan and use their name saved that airline. They were on the brink of financial ruin and have now posted something like 7 straight quarters of profits.

Had they kept the Valujet name and insignia, they would not have made it.
Have they benefitted from disassociating themselves from the name Valujet? It's undeniable.

Sal

I was curious and looked up the site. Basically, the ValueJet article, written about 2-3months ago, states that the airline continues to violate safety regulations. That's is supposed to be from an FAA point-of-view, which from what I read here, may not carry a lot of weight. Personally, with so much controversy surrounding it, I say better safe than sorry. I won't fly it.

Sal

I forgot to mention that I looked up airsafe.com also. It's an interesting site also.

Brian in Atlanta

Sal, help me out here. I'm probably just being a bonehead, but I can't find that article you refer to. Can you give me a more specific address? Thanks.

Confused

Is Air Trans's management and ownership the same that managed Value Jet? Or, did new owners' take over?