Private Jets vs. Public Perception

There are a few things I know...

You shouldn’t wear Manolos to the unemployment office.

You shouldn’t chow on filet mignon while waiting in the soup line.

You shouldn’t keep on the pool boy while your house is in foreclosure.

And, by all means, YOU SHOULD NOT FLY CORPORATE JETS TO THE BAILOUT MEETING!

Wow! File this under “What Were They Thinking?” By now you’ve certainly heard the news that execs from the Big Three automakers swarmed into DC on their private corporate jets to beg Congress for a $25 billion lifeline.

A pre-owned Gulf Stream jet costs more than $25 million. And this is before paying for all its necessities—insurance, pilots, flight attendants, maintenance, jet fuel, catering, in-flight entertainment…

Think it’s just one jet? Not so. Ford continues to operate a fleet of eight private jets for its executives, ABC News reported. And, it costs about $20,000 to fly a private jet from Detroit to Chicago.

It’s a “perk,” the companies said. I have a thought, why don’t we give the Big Three executives the same perks my firm gives its employees—an office to come to five days a week and a bi-weekly paycheck for doing so?!

CNN contacted the Big Three to inquire further—the companies defended the CEOs' travel as standard procedure. Another thought… they are the CEOs, why don’t they CHANGE standard corporate procedure?!

Try as they might, this is simply un-spinable.

Where were the PR people in all of this? Did anyone in the comms department have the wherewithal to say, “You should not, under any circumstances, take the corporate jet while toting a tin cup”?

My best guess? The flacks were the first people to be laid off.

But that doesn’t account for the simple misstep in common sense on this one. I would’ve put them in coach and bought their tickets on Priceline.com, where a last-minute roundtrip fare from Detroit to DC can be had for $176. Or, as my car-loving, PR extraordinaire friend Jennifer Shay Campana (who is herself a victim of the economy and is currently seeking employment should you have any leads) said: “Congress should have made them drive back to Detroit in a Ford Taurus.”

Hmmmm… imagine five behind-the-times executives crammed into a $20,000 sedan for the nine-hour journey.

I’m glad I traded in my gas-guzzling Ford Explorer for a Toyota Prius.

Parking & The Economy -- A Special Feature

The Unemployment Index. The Dow Jones Indexes. The SavvyFlack Parking Space Availability Index.

We have lots of fancy indexes to tell us just how much this economy sucks monkey balls, but I have one of my own that I believe is a far better indicator of suck. It’s the Parking Space Availability Index. It’s simple and works like this: the more parking spots available in my office building or apartment complex or shopping mall, the worse the economy.

Today when I pulled in, there was a spot available right next to the entrance. Now I know we’re screwed.

OK, just hit me... another indicator of economic health... the number of sale shoes available in size 7. The more sale shoes available, the worse the economy.

When did CNN get so cool??

Wow! Did you catch CNN’s Election Night Coverage? The set—outstanding. The animations—fresh and raw. The panels—three layers deep. The technology—touch-screen. The custom show logos (I think I counted three distinct ones)—plastered on the backs of laptop screens, projected on walls and green-screened on anchors’ backdrops. The experts—talking about the Election Night parties they had to miss so that they could cover the news. The anchors—charming, witty and relevant. And, was it just me, or were you also hypnotized by the animated logo, with its thread of CG-generated light piping through the letters C-N-N? At first, I was concerned I was watching MTV News, but then came Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer, talking to me from my TV set.

CNN, you're so cool.