=?x-unknown?q?28118=3A__jhudicourtb_Re=3A_28110=5BISO-8859-1=5D?==?x-unknown?q?_=3A=A0_Morse=28comment=29_American_Airlines_bell?==?x-unknown?q?yup_=28fwd=29?=

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

jhudicourtb

Apparently the Haitian governement (whoever is in charge for the last many
years), often borrows money from American Airlines.   Therefore there is no way

to put pressure on the company because, when the FAA says that Haiti needs to
make some changes at the airport to comply to new international regulations,
American puts out the money and makes the changes to keep the PAP line going.

Then the Haitian government is supposed to payback, thus the airport tax we
pay on the way out.   For those who have traveled recently, if you take AA, you

may have notices that you pay the Haitian taxes when you buy the ticket, even
when you buy in the US.   During the last Aristide administration although AA
had paid for changes after 9/11, higher government authorities kept the
airport tax and did not payback the debt.   So now AA sees the money first.
Maybe
Haiti no longer has a debt towards AA we can have better cheaper service.
Usually when another airline tries to get on the Haiti circuit, AA has a price
war and an influence war.   They usually win.
So when big Gerard became prime minister he was talking about courting
jetblue so that travelers can have alternatives.   There was not much he could
do
about the fact that AA actually owns most of the airport because the Haitian
govt borrows from them.    I guess he was able to arrange at least for Haiti to

begin paying its debt to AA.