What a joke. There's reason to why these 09 trucks are so expensive and they are just taking the **** now and they really want us to bail them out. Idiots

Big Three auto CEOs flew private jets to ask for taxpayer money

CNN) -- Some lawmakers lashed out at the CEOs of the Big Three auto companies Wednesday for flying private jets to Washington to request taxpayer bailout money.


Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli, left, and Ford CEO Alan Mulally testify on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.

"It's almost like seeing a guy show up at the soup kitchen in high hat and tuxedo. It kind of makes you a little bit suspicious."

He added, "couldn't you all have downgraded to first class or jet-pooled or something to get here? It would have at least sent a message that you do get it."

The executives -- Alan Mulally of Ford, Robert Nardelli of Chrysler and Richard Wagoner of GM -- were seeking support for a $25 billion loan package. Later Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid reversed plans to hold a test vote on the measure.

An aide told CNN that Reid decided to cancel the test vote when it became clear the measure would fall well short of the 60 votes needed. Reid did, however, make a procedural move that could allow a vote on a compromise, which several senators from auto-producing states were feverishly trying to craft.

At Wednesday's hearing, Rep. Brad Sherman, D-California, pressed the private-jet issue, asking the three CEOs to "raise their hand if they flew here commercial." Let the record show, no hands went up," Sherman said. "Second, I'm going to ask you to raise your hand if you are planning to sell your jet in place now and fly back commercial. Let the record show, no hands went up."

The executives did not specifically respond to those remarks. In their testimony, they said they are streamlining business operations in general. Watch Nardelli ask for help »

When contacted by CNN, the three auto companies defended the CEOs' travel as standard procedure.

Like many other major corporations, all three have policies requiring their CEOs to travel in private jets for safety reasons.

"Making a big to-do about this when issues vital to the jobs of millions of Americans are being discussed in Washington is diverting attention away from a critical debate that will determine the future health of the auto industry and the American economy," GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson said in a statement.

Chrysler spokeswoman Lori McTavish said in a statement, "while always being mindful of company costs, all business travel requires the highest standard of safety for all employees."

Ford spokeswoman Kelli Felker pointed to the company's travel policy and did not provide a statement elaborating But those statements did little to mollify the critics.

"If it is simply the company's money at stake, then only the shareholders can be upset or feel as it might be excessive," said Thomas Schatz, president of the watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste.

But in this case, he said, "it's outrageous."

"They're coming to Washington to beg the taxpayers to help them. It's unseemly to be running around on a $20,000 flight versus a $500 round trip," Schatz added. iReport.com: Should the Big Three be bailed out?

The companies did not disclose how much the flights cost.

Analysts contacted by CNN noted that the prices vary with the size of the plane and the crew, and whether the aircraft is leased or owned by the company.

Analyst Richard Aboulafia of the Teal Group said that $20,000 is a legitimate ballpark figure for a round trip corporate jet flight between Detroit, Michigan, and Washington.

When asked whether they plan to change their travel policies as part of the restructuring needed to shore up their finances, none of the companies answered directly. But they said they have cut back on travel in general as revenues have fallen.

 

Are you honestly surprised? Sad eh.

 

that is sort of wrong, but hey... did you see any of the politicians walking or riding mopeds to the "save the planet" meetings?? NOPE... they each show up in seperate motorcades with the buggest gas guzzlers in history...

 

You're kidding, right? The big 3 desperately need money that amounts into the BILLIONS. Do you know how many $20,000 flights they'd have to NOT take to save anywhere close to that amount?

Look at the big picture, here. This is another case of the media trying to further a political agenda, nothing more.

 

No your kidding right?? It's nothing to do if they take 1 or 500 flights a year. They all left from the same airport at the same time but they all flew in different private jets. It just shows how reckless they are with money and proves to people that they ain't gonna be sensible with the money. I wanna see if they fly in on private jets next time? People have already said all these ceo's are not at all in touch with the normal American and cant see that doing things like that pisses us off. They get their big bonuses and private jets even when the company's are in big big trouble. If they are so worried about the company then perhaps they should work for free and get a normal flight. Just from that move alone i really hope they don't get the bailout. There are no excuses for the way they act.

 

Look at the big picture, here. This is another case of the media trying to further a political agenda, nothing more.

Hopefully you are kidding us???? WHAT political agenda are you referring to? They, the media, REPORTS. And that's what they did. Decades of arrogance and ego have all but ruined this country, especially the "Big 3" actions. They are great however in their treatment of their employees when times are good. This Gulfstream example is pure proof of that. The media did NOT blow this out of proportion. The "Big 3" executives DID. Ever look at Toyota’s pay scale? The CEO and the average line worker salaries are not exponentially different as is the case with the American auto producers. Ford’s CEO made $22M last year. Say what? Nardelli screwed Home Depot into the ground while the traitor split. To the tune of $210M. That’ after he destroyed workers rights/moral. And YES the poster is 100% correct. These 09' F-150's are ridiculously over priced. Compared to what one could have bought an 08' for. I’m sure we all agree on that. What does Ford do for an encore? Offer $5K? Sounds like a good start to me.

 

I agree. The media is to blame for the arrogance and hypocrisy of these CEO's? Say what? Sounds like this laughable Limbaugh loser here. These 3 auto companies are on their knees begging for our tax dollars all the while living like the chosen few? BS. Over my dead body. Let these pretentious jerks fly like the rest of us. These companies should not have any private jets. Period. It's called commercial and flying first class is a real pleasure. How could the word political appear on a Ford truck board anyway? I don't get that part sir. You aren’t by any chance the CEO of Ford in masquerade are you?

 

I agree 100 percent, but two wrongs dont make a right.

20k adds up each time they fly over a year, two years etc. One article I said put it perfectly. If you were begging for money on the street, how well would you do if you showed up in a 1200 tuxedo?

That is what they are doing, actions speak louder then words, and to me (and alot of people) it shows just how they will keep on foolishly spending money.

 

Well i guess if it all goes under the aftermarket will have to pick up the slack to keep parts for my truck. Im not buy any damn toyota or honda or nissian vehicle.

 

That this is a story at all is total BS. I don't care how YOU travel. At these guys' level, it's how things work and every rep and senator in that hearing knew it.

If I'm on the BOD of one of the largest corporations in the world, I don't want my $12 million/year CEO spending hours of wasted time standing around waiting for TSA to frisk him, and then can him in a tin tube where he can't change course if needed, or leave him sitting on some runway for six hours. I want him productive except for the three minutes it takes him to get on or off his plane and in and out of his limo. If you think $12,000 is out of line, just figure up how much time your CEO can't work when he's flying commercial, given that his time is worth about $6000 an hour. So the travel policy reflects that, and rightfully so.

And there's no way you're going to put the leadership of that much of our nation's GDP in the same plane for simple security reasons.

And the analogy they've used for business during bankruptcy--"people fly on bankrupt airlines all the time"--well, let's see a show of hands. How many folks would fly on a bankrupt airline if you had to purchase your next five years' worth of air travel up front? I've rarely been so disgusted with both the news establishment and the political spinmeisters. They're the ones that just don't get it. Anyone else see that CHINA is standing in the wings waiting to pick up the choice bits of our strategic manufacturing base for pennies on the dollar?

 

These people are CEO's not the president. Do you see the president and all his staff getting on different aircraft to travel to the same place. It don't matter what the press have to say about it. When you hear that a person with a wage that high is asking the tax payer for money and then you fly in on a private jet to ask for that money then this is seen as reckless. It would be like me going to the bank to borrow some money to feed my family and i pull up in a Bugatti veyron. I would be seen as reckless and bringing this all on my self. Thats exactly how i feel about the big 3 CEO's. they are living like kings whilst people are getting laid off left right and center.

 

And thus is the entire Liberal line of thinking...all those fat cats at the top, stepping all over the working man!

This thinking is what brought about Socialism during the first half of the last century. Didn't work then, and certainly won't work now.

 

You couldn't have said it better....

 

Now I havent spent too much time on an airline, and they MAY be different in Canada, but ive never had to wait that long to go through security, get on a plane, wait on the runway, or to be unloaded. I doubt they would have either.

When it comes down to tax dollars being used for the bailout, its everyones concern about how these guys travel, and how they spend cash. If it wasnt a big deal, why were they silent when asked how they got their? Obviously they even knew what was wrong about that, they didnt get up and defend themselves.

And as for how much their time is worth an hour for working, yeah, a person can see just what they do with their "6k" an hour.

You must work for ford hey? lol

 

I travel a lot from the UK to the US and i have never been delayed or had a problem with security. Also if you travel first class you dont have to cue for anything. Even buisness class have there own lines. Most people who travel first class you dont even see. They have their own check-in their own lounges and even their own route to the departure. Security and wait time is not a problem in the slightest even for cattle class.