Fox And Friends Takes Credit For Airlines’ Deal On Troops’ Baggage Fees: ‘Mission Accomplished’
Fox And Friends Takes Credit For Airlines’ Deal On Troops’ Baggage Fees: ‘Mission Accomplished’
Yesterday, American Airlines announced some good news: It decided to waive large fees for a third piece of checked luggage for active-duty military personnel.
This campaign was led largely by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). On Aug. 8, VFW Commander in Chief George Lisicki wrote a letter to the Air Transport Association of America asking the organization to negotiate an agreement allowing military personnel to check a third bag without charge. Lisicki’s letter was in response to a July 30 El Paso Times article.
In the past few days, this campaign has picked up steam. For example, on Tuesday, MSNBC, UPI, and the Washington Times all reported on it. Yesterday, the CNN, New York Post, and CBS News also did stories. Yet this morning on Fox News, the Fox and Friends hosts made a desperate grab for influence by claiming that they were the ones responsible for the change in American Airlines’s policy:
KILMEADE: Meanwhile, some good news. Mission accomplished. At 29 minutes before the top of the hour. It seems yesterday, when we brought up that airlines were charging additional bag costs to military people being deployed overseas — sometimes costing them as much as $300. Outrage was through your e-mail, through communications with us, and I guess through the right people, because there’s going to be a change in procedure, at least when it comes to American Airlines and our military.
Brian Kilmeade also praised Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for sending a letter yesterday to Defense Secretary Robert Gates, writing that “any reimbursement request should be submitted by the airlines directly to the Pentagon in order to alleviate the burden on our troops in seeking repayment.” However, he claimed that Obama likely had the idea to write the letter after watching Fox and Friends: “So he might have been watching our show yesterday. You know why? Because after all, it is at 6:00 at night in Hawaii, isn’t it? Twelve hours ahead of time?” Watch it:
Carlson and Doocy were then forced to awkwardly point out to Kilmeade that Hawaii is actually five hours behind the East Coast time zone, not 12 hours ahead. Unshaken in his belief in Fox and Friends’s gigantic influence, Kilmeade asked Obama to e-mail them: “Barack Obama, if you’re watching, friends@foxnews.com.” (HT: Raw Story)
Transcript:
KILMEADE: Meanwhile, some good news. Mission accomplished. At 29 minutes before the top of the hour. It seems yesterday, when we brought up that airlines were charging additional bag costs to military people being deployed overseas — sometimes costing them as much as $300. Outrage was through your e-mail, through communications with us, and I guess through the right people, because there’s going to be a change in procedure, at least when it comes to American Airlines and our military.
DOOCY: It’s automatic and instantaneous. American Airlines said from now on, we’re not going to charge service personnel heading over to the war zone for that third bag. The third-bag charge is pretty standard industry-wide.
CARLSON: American’s charging for every bag now, aren’t they?
DOOCY: American had made a good point. They said, look. We know they are being reimbursed. So we know it’s not coming out of their pocket. But it was a hassle. So what American has decided to do — and they were pressured a little bit by the VFW and stuff like that — said we’re not going to charge them anymore.
And this is a great day for American Airlines that they’re able to do that, and for the people who are heading over there. They’re not going to be hassled.
KILMEADE: Barack Obama sent a letter out immediately to Defense Secretary Gates, saying, find a way to reimbursed these men and women quickly, because they need the money. This is wrong. So he might have been watching our show yesterday. You know why? Because after all, it is at 6:00 at night in Hawaii, isn’t it? Twelve hours ahead of time?
CARLSON: No.
DOOCY: I think it’s five. Five hours behind us.
CARLSON: Hawaii’s behind us.
KILMEADE: Barack Obama, if you’re watching, friends@foxnews.com. Okay.
CARLSON: Alright. In case he’s having a late night there.
KILMEADE: He might do it.
DOOCY: You never know.
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August 14th, 2008 at 3:20 pmwho watches that crappy show? I’ll take “Arthur” any day.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:20 pmJebus. What a boatload of blithering idiots.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:23 pmKilmeade might have been killing too much mead. It made him groggy.
Of course, he’s living the life of Brian, obviously mistaking himself for Jesus.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:23 pmWhy don’t we just suspend the Constitution altogether and eliminate COngress. Then we could replace our entire government with these undereducated asshats.
Gee, if it weren’t for the liberal blogs, I would never even know the garbage that spews 24/7 from the Fox’s Hole.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:25 pmWhat desperate lying idiots they are…of course it had absolutely nothing to do with FAUX Non-NEWS.
FAR from BALANCED
August 14th, 2008 at 3:32 pmThe day Fox news influences Obama will the day McCain wins the election.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:32 pmThey helped the sun rise this morning, too.
/snark off
August 14th, 2008 at 3:33 pmThe day Fox news influences Obama will BE the day McCain wins the election.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:33 pmTaking credit for this issue is just as silly as their name: Fox and Friends
August 14th, 2008 at 3:36 pmRepublicans wave the flag while doing what they can do to harm our vets….some things never change.
Click here to see who really supports the troops. hint, it aint republicans.
swawl you right wing liars.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:40 pmshould have been squal…..like cry in agony at being outed.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:41 pm“Fox and Friends”
Sounds like a TV show for kiddies. You know, those with a preadolescent mindset.
Oh wait…
August 14th, 2008 at 3:42 pmHigh Holy Hell! These people “say” they went to college, yet they do the “dumb blond” routine on simple facts?! You know what they say when you make an attempt at a serious argument, but make a profound error on a real simple fact: you ignore the rest of what they say from there-on-in!
August 14th, 2008 at 3:43 pmI am glad that the troops are catching a break, if just a little one. American Airlines, after being caught being miserly jerks by many sources, finally did the right thing.
This is a good thing.
Fox News, in general, is just so arrogant, and thinks the rest of the world revolves around them. I don’t think so.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:45 pmFaux News should be charged extra by the cable companies to carry their excessive baggage of blithering idiots.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:46 pmFrankly, I am amazed that the bimbo and her dildos have actually mastered the concept of time zones. After all, they still think the world is flat and was created by God in a 144-hour period.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:49 pmThis is one of those situations where I care more about what actually got done than who gets credit for it. American Airlines will now make things easier for our troops to get to and from where they serve, and this is a good thing.
It was obviously the result of the work of many people and entities shining a spotlight on the situation, and Fox & Friends apparently joined the fray. Certainly nothing wrong with that.
However, their spin on the outcome sounds more like self-aggrandizing pomp than actual news reporting. What, exactly, are they campaigning for?
I’m also rather amused at their assumption that Obama spends his vacation time watching Fox News. They really need to get over themselves.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:51 pmAll this timezone stuff is just made-up crapola anyways because the world is flat as a pancake (and 6000 years old).
So Kilmeade’s right, Fox was first, and it’s just you psuedoscientists out there that are trying to deny the obvious, which is that only true Saved™ RWers can state the Truth, and Get Things Done.
Cheers,
August 14th, 2008 at 3:55 pmFox News can get away with stupid comments like this because their audience is made up of people who wouldn’t have read or heard the subject discussed anywhere else — because they get all their information from Fox News and Right Wing Radio. As far as they know, Fox was the only outlet covering the story.
August 14th, 2008 at 3:58 pmThese dopes sure are full of themselves, aren’t they?
http://www.sunstateactivist.org/
August 14th, 2008 at 4:01 pmOh my God…do these peeps ever stop thinking of their own importance? Where did they get the data supported by research that proves they were the ones responsible for cleaning up this mess? Methinks they doth bloviate too much!
August 14th, 2008 at 4:03 pmUnshaken in his belief in Fox and Friends’s gigantic influence, Kilmeade asked Obama to e-mail them: “Barack Obama, if you’re watching, friends@foxnews.com.”
Kilmeade[reading e-mails] to Doocy and Carlson: “What does FOAD stand for? And what’s an ‘azo’?…”
Cheers,
August 14th, 2008 at 4:05 pmWell goody for them. Now will they take credit for dumbing down and brainwashing their knuckle dragging neandrathal viewers?
By the way, why do most of the women on FUX dress like strippers and have bleached blonde hair? Eye candy to hold the attention of the neandrathals I suppose?
August 14th, 2008 at 4:05 pmjust another reason why fraternities should not be allowed broadcasting licences…
August 14th, 2008 at 4:06 pmDo they actually believe their own bull$hit at Faux News?
August 14th, 2008 at 4:27 pmThis has to be the number 1 funniest thing to come from Fox by far.
August 14th, 2008 at 4:51 pmPeople actually take these guys seriously?
Do these people have any idea how stupid they sound?
August 14th, 2008 at 4:56 pmThe stupidity demonstrated by these people is sometimes simply stunning.
And this is the news organization being copied and emulated by CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, and NPR (among others).
Amazing….
August 14th, 2008 at 5:14 pmSo we all know that Obama stays glued to Fox and doesn’t watch other news outlets ?
Not to mention that this got broadcast over both liberal and conservative outlets as an inappropriate action of AA (not to mention that a lot of the public hates the baggage fee and would love to attack it, regardless of the troops.
August 14th, 2008 at 5:29 pm“Fox And Friends Takes Credit For Airlines’ Deal On Troops’ Baggage Fees: ‘Mission Accomplished’”
Thanks TP for the Blowhard news for today from Fox Clown Network. Pass the popcorn please…
August 14th, 2008 at 5:39 pmAloha, I’d like to point out that we’re 6 hours behind EST… Until ya’ll ‘Fall’ behind…
Mahalo
August 14th, 2008 at 6:02 pmI wonder what percentage of Bible University graduates work on the show…50-60%? Faux News seems to have a thing for simple errors, even a first semester community college student could catch…and I hope I’m not insulting any said community college students. But I am insulting the intelligence of fake god university graduates who are pencil-whipped into high-paying positions because of their “missionary” work on the first interview and second interview…and when needed outside of that at various times at night in multiple, public and private places.
August 14th, 2008 at 6:17 pmDoocey’s little Mini-Me is a moron!
August 14th, 2008 at 6:22 pmdo these people and I use that term loosely eat lead based paint chips on there breaks or did there mama’s drop them on there heads as babies
August 14th, 2008 at 6:43 pmI can’t beleive this show can even have an audience. But it would be fun to see the demographics. (Actually might be scary to see the demographics.)
August 14th, 2008 at 7:19 pmI think they have to take psychological tests to work at Fox news, stupidity and big egos lead to employment.
August 14th, 2008 at 9:39 pmHow dumb are you when you have Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy correcting you?
Wow…
August 14th, 2008 at 10:27 pmAnother sign that aWol’s bogus war has become too expensive.
Why not just fail to send any more troops over?
August 15th, 2008 at 8:15 am