Senator Clinton Calls on Airlines to Stop Saddling U.S. Servicemembers with Extra Baggage Charges a

Aug. 16, 2008 - PRLog -- WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today called on the major airlines and the Pentagon to stop saddling U.S. servicemembers deploying to or from combat zones with extra baggage charges or onerous paperwork.

In a letter to the top executives of Delta, American, Continental, Northwest, United, and US Airways, Senator Clinton expressed serious concern that our men and women in uniform are paying the price for the airlines' ongoing efforts to combat their economic troubles. According to recent news reports, deploying servicemembers have been asked to pay as much as $300 for extra or overweight duffel bags. The servicemembers must then petition the Department of Defense for reimbursement of the extra charges, a financial burden and unwelcome bureaucratic hassle as they deploy to combat zones.

Senator Clinton underscored that airline policies that require our men and women in uniform to pay for their extra luggage – even if only temporarily – should come to an end immediately.

Senator Clinton also announced that she is writing to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to request that the Pentagon take steps to ease these burdens on traveling servicemembers by facilitating direct billing and payment between the airlines and the Pentagon.

"Members of our Armed Forces traveling on official orders should not have to bear any cost whatsoever associated with that official travel," Senator Clinton said. "Our men and women in uniform deserve our utmost respect and gratitude, not additional, unnecessary paperwork."

Senator Clinton, New York's first Senator to serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has long worked to help servicemembers with financial and other hardships. Read more: http://clinton.senate.gov/issues/nationalsecurity/sasc/

The text of Senator Clinton's letters to the airlines and the Pentagon follows.

August 15, 2008

Mr. Richard H. Anderson                        
Chief Executive Officer                                
Delta Air Lines                                          
Post Office Box 20706                                
Atlanta, Georgia 30320                                

Mr. Gerard J. Arpey
Chairman, President and CEO
AMR Corp. and American Airlines
Post Office Box 619616
DFW Airport, Texas 75261-9616

Mr. Larry Kellner                                        
Chairman and CEO                                    
Continental Airlines, Inc.                            
Post Office Box 4607                                  
Houston, Texas 77210-4607                        

Mr. Doug Parker
Chairman and CEO
U.S. Airways
4000 E. Sky Harbor Blvd.
Phoenix, Arizona 85034

Mr. Douglas M. Steenland                            
President and CEO                                  
Northwest Airlines                                      
2700 Lone Oak Parkway                              
Eagan, Minnesota 55121                              

Mr. Glenn Tilton
Chairman, President and CEO
United Airlines
World Headquarters
Box 66100
Chicago, Illinois 60666

Dear Mssrs. Anderson, Arpey, Kellner, Parker, Steenland, and Tilton:

I am writing to express my serious concern that in efforts to offset costs, major air carriers are subjecting our brave men and women in uniform to exorbitant fees for extra and overweight baggage as they are deploying to or returning from a combat zone.  

According to a recent news report, one air carrier recently charged two soldiers traveling by commercial air $100 and $300, respectively, for extra duffel bags.  Policies on the part of air carriers that force our men and women in uniform to pay for additional luggage as they travel to serve our nation in war are unconscionable, and I urge you to reverse any such policies immediately.  Members of our Armed Forces traveling on official orders should not have to bear any cost whatsoever associated with that official travel.

While reports have indicated that individual servicemembers can seek compensation for these excess fees by filling out a reimbursement form, filing this type of paperwork should be the last thing that our troops have to worry about as they head into or out of a war zone.

I understand the financial pressures currently facing the airline industry because of rising fuel costs, and I recognize the desire on the part of airlines to offset cost increases as much as possible.  However, actions on the part of air carriers that shift those costs to our men and women in uniform - even temporarily - must come to an end immediately.  

Any compensation air carriers wish to receive for costs associated with transporting extra baggage should be sought directly from the Department of Defense (DoD) - not our servicemembers traveling to a combat zone.  I am also writing today to Defense Secretary Gates to urge him to have the Pentagon immediately engage the airline industry to facilitate the direct billing by the airlines to DoD.

With American servicemen and women serving bravely in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world, now is the time to respect and honor their service.  No efforts by air carriers to offset costs should come by subjecting our troops to onerous fees and cumbersome paperwork.  Our men and women in uniform deserve our utmost respect and gratitude, not additional, unnecessary paperwork. I look forward to hearing what your companies are doing to rectify this situation.
Sincerely,

Hillary Rodham Clinton



cc:  The Honorable Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Defense;  Mr. James C. May, President and CEO, Air Transport Association of America


August 15, 2008

The Honorable Robert M. Gates
Secretary of Defense
The United States Department of Defense
The Pentagon
Suite 319
Washington, D.C. 20301


Dear Mr. Secretary:

I am writing to express my serious concern that in efforts to offset costs, major air carriers are subjecting our brave men and women in uniform to exorbitant fees for extra and overweight baggage as they are deploying to or returning from a combat zone.  According to a   recent news report, one air carrier recently charged two soldiers traveling by commercial air $100 and $300, respectively, for extra duffel bags.  Members of our Armed Forces traveling on official orders should not have to bear any cost – even if only temporarily prior to reimbursement – associated with that official travel.

Policies on the part of air carriers that force our men and women in uniform to pay for additional luggage as they travel to serve our nation in war are unconscionable, and I urge you to work with the airline industry to ensure that our troops no longer have to pay any luggage costs out of their own pockets.

I understand that individual servicemembers can seek compensation from the Department of Defense (DoD) for these excess fees by filling out a reimbursement form, but filing this type of paperwork should be the last thing that our troops have to worry about as they head into or out of a war zone.  Any compensation air carriers wish to receive for costs associated with transporting extra baggage should be sought directly from DoD - not from our servicemembers.  For this reason, I urge you to work swiftly with the airline industry to establish a direct billing and payment system that ensures that individual servicemembers will never have to pay extra luggage fees out of their own pockets.

With American servicemen and women serving bravely in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world, now is the time to respect and honor their service.  No efforts by air carriers to offset costs should come by subjecting our troops to onerous fees and cumbersome

paperwork.  Our men and women in uniform deserve our utmost respect and gratitude, not additional, unnecessary paperwork.  Thank you for your consideration of my concerns, and I look forward to hearing back regarding your efforts to rectify this situation.

Sincerely,


Hillary Rodham Clinton


cc:  Mrs. Tina W. Jonas, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)

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A Native of New York, Rena writes as a freelance speech writer, ghost writer, journalist, and poet. She has been represented by the Hearst Corporation, Conde Nast, and Random House.