In late February I wrote about the interesting case of United operating a once weekly flight between Newark, New Jersey, and Columbia, South Carolina. The route operated for about 18 months, and by insiders was referred to as the “chairman’s flight.”
That’s because the chairman of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, at the time, spent his weekends in South Carolina. So while the route was suspicious to begin with, what made it even more suspicious was that United ended the flight three days after the Port Authority chairman resigned.
Investigators subpoenaed the Port Authority and United regarding the situation, though we haven’t heard much about it since. Well, Bloomberg published a follow up to the story today, entitled “The Dinner Proposal That Led United Into Corruption Probe.”
Per the article:
United Airlines Inc. was seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in public investment for the airport in Newark when its chief executive dined with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s top Port Authority official in September 2011.
Jeffery Smisek, United’s chief executive officer, wanted funding for several projects, including an estimated $600 million extension of the PATH train from downtown Newark to the airport, as the airline worked through its merger with Continental Airlines.
Halfway through dinner at Novita, an Italian restaurant in Manhattan, Port Authority Chairman David Samson surprised the group with a request of his own. He complained that he and his wife had grown weary of the trip to their weekend home in Aiken, South Carolina, because the best flight out of Newark was to Charlotte, North Carolina, 150 miles away. Until 2009, Continental had run direct service from Newark to Columbia, South Carolina, 100 miles closer.
In a tone described by one observer as “playful, but not joking,” Samson asked: Could United revive that route? An awkward silence fell over the table.
Check out the full article.
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.