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Apr 24, 2008 9:36 pm US/Central
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Billboard Slamming American Airlines Is Pulled
(CBS 11 News)
There's controversy over a billboard that criticized one of the biggest employers in North Texas. The billboard provided consumers a website to air their complaints against American Airlines.
Pilots with the airline paid for the sign, but after just 10 days, the billboard was pulled down.
The sign slamming the airline greeted drivers along Highway 183, near Highway 360, an area very close to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The billboard read – "AA's top priority? Not you! 250,884 late and cancelled flights in '07."
On April 15th, that message was wiped clean and the Allied Pilots Union believes American used its influence to get rid of the billboard.
"It's very mysterious. The billboard was approved and had been erected for well over a week," explained Scott Shankland with the union. "Yet on the same day that we're doing nationwide picketing, putting American Airline's management in a bad light, the billboard gets taken down."
The Allied Pilots Association is currently leasing the billboard space from Clear Channel Communications for one year. Union officials say the billboard was approved, but there was a phone message from Clear Channel.
A voicemail recording was played for CBS 11 News. The voice on the message said – "The president of Clear Channel passed by your billboard and um, thought that the message was extremely negative towards American Airlines and he's demanding that it come down today."
In the ten brief days the billboard was up, it attracted 76,000 visitors to the website, tellyouraastory.com. Visitors to the site generated nearly 1,000 complaint e-mails about American Airlines. The pilots union is forwarding those complaints to the company.
On the Clear Channel website, American is listed as a client. The pilots believe it is that relationship that played a role in having the billboard pulled.
In a written statement, American's vice president of corporate communications, Roger Frizzell blasted the pilots' union saying, "This is absolutely absurd and there is simply no truth to it. Our efforts are focused on serving our customers around the world, not on the union's communications tactics associated with contract negotiations."
Meanwhile, the pilots and the airline continue to fight over a bitter contract dispute.
CBS 11 News left voice messages seeking a response from Clear Channel, but have yet to receive a response.
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