AMERICAN AIRLINES IS THREATENING TO SUE DISNEY/ABC

[kpete]

American Airlines is threatening to sue Disney/ABC
by John in DC - 9/11/2006 02:09:00 PM


An email American just sent out:

Mr. xxxxxx,

I think it is important for you to know that ABC had factual errors in
its dramatization, and we are looking at possible legal actions as a
result. According to the 9-11 Commission report, it was not American
Airlines, nor was it even the right airport that was depicted. In
reality, it was another airline, flying out of Maine. Please know this
was a tragic incident in our company's history and we hope you will be
sympathetic to our employees and our airline on this day especially.
Again, we are outraged by this situation, and we alerted ABC about its
gross error. It is very unfortunate.

Roger

Roger Frizzell
Vice President, Corporate Communications & Advertising
American Airlines

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2006/09/american-airlines-is-threatening-to.html

[Generic Other]

1. When titans clash!

GO GO GO!

[AndyA]

2. I say go for it! Sue the ever lovin' life out of ABC/Disney.

They deserve it for the disservice they have done to so many by airing this propaganda.

[Longhorn]

3. I hope it turns out to be more than a threat! n/t

[Botany]

4. American Airlines is in a much better position to sue than .....

..... Clinton, Berger. Albright, and company. They are "public figures"
and it very hard for them to show malice but a company like AA,
could show damage to it's image and in turn damage to it's income.

Highly doubtful they will sue though.

[progressoid]

15. Yep, I don't think we'll see much litigation over this.

Heck, Disney will try to move some travel business their way to placate them.

[SoCalDem]

5. See what happens when you rely on internet speculation

as the basis for a movie?? get it ABC?..we tried to warn ya..

[northernsoul]

6. when did this go out?

Sounds like a pretty stern warning shot. Although, one from actual lawyers would have been even better.

[Nikki Stone 1]

7. Take the winnings and put it into employee pensions

::think:

[robinlynne]

8. kpete, I love your threads, but that email isn't even college level Englis

English. I hope they sue, but I don't beelive that particular email is real, or worthy of a kpete signature.
That said, I hope to goodness they sue.

[kpete]

38. I know, I know

but I have to say John at Americablog HAS been the best source anywhere for info on this - so until he says otherwise, I am a believer...

[TahitiNut]

56. deleted

[flyarm]

9. yes American!!!!!!!! go for it please..for your employees sake and your

passengers!!

these lies should never be allowed to stand!

sue and sue ..big!!!!!!!!!

fly a retired AA flight crew

[flyarm]

10. delete dupe

[lonestarnot]

11. Wouldn't corporate attorneys have sent this rather than the VP?

Questionable?

[elehhhhna]

13. No. They have other responsibilities. VP is appropriate.

[Yavin4]

26. Corporate Attorneys are VPs

Corporations give their in-house counsel the title of VP.

[lonestarnot]

28. I see.

[KansDem]

12. LOL!!! "Based on the 9/11 Commission Report" "Official True Story"

According to the 9-11 Commission report, it was not American
Airlines, nor was it even the right airport that was depicted. In
reality, it was another airline, flying out of Maine.

What a pack of maroons!!! :silly:

[grasswire]

14. this might be bogus, kpete

There's speculation over at americablog about the authenticity of this e-mail.

[Schema Thing]

16. Call me skeptical

though I certainly hope the substance is true.

[seabeyond]

17. i wanted to email. anyone have a handy email address n/t

[kerry-is-my-prez]

18. Wonder if AA is Dem-affiliated and United Rep-affiliated?

Most likely it was just sloppy film-making....

[flyarm]

23. AA has had close ties to little lord pissy pants!! n/y

[BootinUp]

19. Oh yipee kiyee! Go git em!

[MaineDem]

20. What was the context of the AA slander? n/t

[intheflow]

34. Here's a related DU thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2096370

[MaineDem]

36. I found it...thanks. n/t

[flyarm]

21. KEEP WRITING AMERICAN...

BUT SNAIL MAIL IS BEST..TAKE THE TIME TO HAND WRITE A LETTER TO AMERICAN

the more letters they get the more likely American will take action..

American is very sensitive to letters..i assure you of that!!

write and complain..

fly

[karlrschneider]

22. I call bullshit. Nobody would send out emails like that.

Someone made this shit up. :grr:

[w4rma]

52. Better rethink your view of reality.

American Airlines criticizes ABC miniseries on 9/11 attacks
By TREBOR BANSTETTER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH — Executives with American Airlines say they are “outraged” at the airline’s depiction in the ABC miniseries The Path to 9-11.

Airline spokesman Roger Frizzell said Monday that the miniseries, which concludes tonight, falsely portrays an American gate agent at Boston’s Logan Airport allowing a terrorist onto a flight despite a warning that he may have been a threat.
…
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/15494253.htm

[karlrschneider]

53. Well, I'll be damned. I guess they are actually replying to people

this way. That's fine with me but I don't really think the wording is very appropriate or that it's smart to tip their hand in such a manner, but they run their outfit the way they want I guess.
More power to 'em though! ;-)

[w4rma]

57. …

:hi:

[RockHardCore]

24. There NO WAY this is true. Sorry.

Someone needs to call AA public relations and ask them or call and actually ask to talk to this guy. But I will bet anything that this is a fake.

Sorry.

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

62. Why? Sounds very plausible to me. -nt

[Individualist]

25. Any second source confirmation?

I don't believe anything unless there's confirmation to back it up.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

27. the email is very disjointed

and not specific enough for my 'bullshit' detector to not be blinking. Something is up...

sP

[flyarm]

29. I believe this is bogus too but i have no proof of that

reason i believe bogus..I do not believe American would ever let a letter like this see the light of day..

But irregardless of this letter..American is extrememly sensitive to Adverse PR..extremely...

so i urge people to write snail mail letters to them..snail mail is much more effective .

but be polite if you want your letter considered.

fly

[Canuckistanian]

33. If it was from AA, it was a mistake

You don't threaten legal action using this language.

And you don't use the president of the company to disseminate the threat. You leave that up to the lawyers.

[JuniperLea]

30. May it be the first of hundreds

No, thousands.

I hope abc and Disney are inundated with lawsuits and have to pay out of the nose, ass and any other orifice that could possibly leak money.

[mnhtnbb]

31. Frizzell is in the corporate structure as indicated see link

http://www.aa.com/content/amrcorp/corporateInformation/facts/structure.jhtml

[Subdivisions]

32. I just spoke with Communications at American Airlines

and I asked them if this email is authentic. The woman I spoke with said that she was not aware that American was threatening litigation against ABC/Disney but that she would contact their legal department to follow up and she took my phone number and promised to pass it along for further review.

[kpete]

35. THANKS

I for one have complete faith in Americablog - but confirmation is always a good thing...

[Subdivisions]

41. Response from American Airlines Spokesman

I just received a phone call from American Airlines' Tim Wagner who is the spokesman for V. Pres Robert Frizzell.

I'm paraphrasing:

He told me the email in the OP was indeed sent by Mr. Frezzell and was a kneejerk (my analogy, not his) reaction to the depiction of American Airlines in the docudrama Path to 9/11.

Explaining that he can't say alot about it due to its nature as being a developing legal issue, he did say that legal action is indeed being considered and I was left with the impression that legal action would be taken but that he just couldn't say much more than that. Perhaps their legal team is looking at it.

Surprisingly, he defended the movie as "fiction" and urged me and you to accept it as fiction and not put anything in it down as gospel. I explained to him that I understand that it's fiction but millions of people who believe their assertion that it is based on the 9-11 Commission Report may also believe that AA allowed a terrorist on board that day.

He said that he had not seen the film and is not exactly sure how it depicts AA but that five years ago, there was no terror watchlist and that the only warning that the ticket agent would have gotten regarding Atta was that he would be required to carry his luggage with him and not be separated from it. It would not have flagged him as being on the No-Fly List as it did not exist at the time. He also reiterated the fact that "According to the 9-11 Commission report, it was not American
Airlines, nor was it even the right airport that was depicted. In
reality, it was another airline, flying out of Maine."

Here is the official statement at this stage of any possible legal action against the makers of Path to 9/11:

“The Disney/ABC television program, The Path to 9/11, which began airing last night, is inaccurate and irresponsible in its portrayal of the airport check-in events that occurred on the morning of September 11, 2001.

A factual description of those events can be found in the official government edition of the 9/11 Commission Report and supporting documents.”


Tim Wagner

Spokesman

American Airlines

Short and sweet, but it confirms the OP email and cofirms that AA is pissed off.

[Sydnie]

44. Thank you for making the call for all of us

It's good to know that they are looking into it.

Emails supporting them and any possible action might be in order now.

[intheflow]

51. Thanks for following up on this. n/t

[Subdivisions]

54. No problem. Glad to do it. eom

[Sparkly]

59. Thanks. The language of the email didn't seem um.... official.

I hope they do decide to sue. (And I hope members of the Clinton admin do, too!!)

[adamuu]

37. I declare shenanigans

Officer Barbrady, would you please come in and check if this a legitamate invokation of the Shenanigans Rule?

[TexasLawyer]

39. micky mohammed

posted at the blogspot site

[wryter2000]

40. LOL

Excrement, meet cooling aparatus. :rofl:

[gasperc]

42. it's pretty clear THERE WAS NO FACT CHECKING

THE RIGHT-WING zEALOTS that produced this shlock had no intention of telling the truth but writing a new reality. They didn't even bother fact checking they could care less

[Subdivisions]

43. Response from American Airlines Spokesman

I just received a phone call from American Airlines' Tim Wagner who is the spokesman for V. Pres Robert Frizzell.

I'm paraphrasing:

He told me the email in the OP was indeed sent by Mr. Frezzell and was a kneejerk (my analogy, not his) reaction to the depiction of American Airlines in the docudrama Path to 9/11.

Explaining that he can't say alot about it due to its nature as being a developing legal issue, he did say that legal action is indeed being considered and I was left with the impression that legal action would be taken but that he just couldn't say much more than that. Perhaps their legal team is looking at it.

Surprisingly, he defended the movie as "fiction" and urged me and you to accept it as fiction and not put anything in it down as gospel. I explained to him that I understand that it's fiction but millions of people who believe their assertion that it is based on the 9-11 Commission Report may also believe that AA allowed a terrorist on board that day.

He said that he had not seen the film and is not exactly sure how it depicts AA but that five years ago, there was no terror watchlist and that the only warning that the ticket agent would have gotten regarding Atta was that he would be required to carry his luggage with him and not be separated from it. It would not have flagged him as being on the No-Fly List as it did not exist at the time. He also reiterated the fact that "According to the 9-11 Commission report, it was not American
Airlines, nor was it even the right airport that was depicted. In
reality, it was another airline, flying out of Maine."

Here is the official statement at this stage of any possible legal action against the makers of Path to 9/11:

“The Disney/ABC television program, The Path to 9/11, which began airing last night, is inaccurate and irresponsible in its portrayal of the airport check-in events that occurred on the morning of September 11, 2001.

A factual description of those events can be found in the official government edition of the 9/11 Commission Report and supporting documents.”


Tim Wagner

Spokesman

American Airlines

Short and sweet, but it confirms the OP email and cofirms that AA is pissed off.

[dpbrown]

45. Sue those Goebbels propaganda bastards!

Put ABC out of business!

[RB TexLa]

46. Oh please, please, let AMR stay occupied with this for a while

Maybe while they are busy with Disney we can get the Wright amendment repealed.

[Oreo]

47. Watch them pull tonight's show

Would it surprise anybody if they pulled the show that "supposedly" goes after Bush (but fails to show My Pet Goat)

[CarlWoodward]

48. It's hitting the MSM

The Star-Telegram in Fort Worth (where AA is headquartered) has something on their web site:

American Airlines criticizes ABC miniseries on 9/11 attacks
By TREBOR BANSTETTER
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
FORT WORTH — Executives with American Airlines say they are “outraged” at the airline’s depiction in the ABC miniseries The Path to 9-11.

Airline spokesman Roger Frizzell said Monday that the miniseries, which concludes tonight, falsely portrays an American gate agent at Boston’s Logan Airport allowing a terrorist onto a flight despite a warning that he may have been a threat.

“It’s important for the public to know that the ABC dramatization is inaccurate and irresponsible in its portrayal of the airport check-in events that occurred on the morning of Sept. 11,” he said.

Two flights operated by Fort Worth-based American were hijacked in the attacks. Flight 11, which departed from Logan, crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York, and Flight 77, which flew from Washington Dulles Airport, crashed into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C.

Officials with ABC were not immediately available for comment.

Frizzell said American has alerted ABC to their concerns, but has not yet heard a response.

“The real facts can be found in the 9-11 Commission Report,” Frizzell said.

The complete story is here

Note that the Star-T is a former Knight-Ridder paper, now with McClatchy.

[WolverineDG]

49. I'm awaiting my email

I too sent an email to AA yesterday. If I get a response (other than the automatically generated on I received last night) I will post it here.

dg

[Kurovski]

50. Drag "The Happiest Place on Earth" into court and finish 'em off

as a tool of propaganda once and for all.

[Liberalynn]

55. I salute you American Airlines

and say good luck and good for you!

[Zambero]

58. ABC/Disney deliberately broke the truth....

and they now own the lies, and all the consequences that go along with them.

[orleans]

60. sue! and let's see what comes out in discovery! n/t

[bamacrat]

61. I hope everyone that is able will sue the shit out of ABC.....

as much as it might suck, I can live without ESPN, FUCK and ABC. DISNEY creeps me out anyway.