Text 38289, 88 rader
Skriven 2006-09-04 12:11:00 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
  Kommentar till text 38001 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
Ärende: Bic lighter?                        was: Frank - take a break (was
==========================================================================
Hello Ward.

01 Sep 06 13:38, you wrote to me:

 >> WD> I've been a frequent and loyal customer of theirs and suddenly I
 >> WD> start  getting all my correspondence in French, it's all about
 >> WD> Air France.

 >> Ceci n'est pas une pipe....

 WD> Quite disturbing, you know, when us Flemish have been battling the
 WD> usage of French for 2 centuries

I think you are being a bit over sensitive here. Understandable, but not
logical.

Have you ever asked them to send the mail in Dutch? Maybe you just neglected to
set a cross somewhere for your language of preference?

 WD> and then we're being attacked by the rear-guard coming from the
 WD> Netherlands.

If what you claim is true - that KLM does not exist anymore and that it is
absorbed by air France, then it is coming from Paris, not Amstardam.

Frankly I have mixed feelings about it too. I think you are right, KLM has been
taken over by Air France. I do not like to see the last of our national prides
go. Just as I did not like to see DAF and Fokker go. But I am afraid it is one
of the realities of modern life. KLM, DAF and Fokker were all to small to
compete in the mad mean world of big money... :-(

 WD> Oh well, I guess there's a reason for your national motto to be in
 WD> French as well.

National Motto? What would that be? Luctor et emergo? No, that is Latin? Oh,
you mean "Je Maintiendrez"? (sp?) I do not know if there is a reason why
soldiers still have that on their uniform. Probably there is just as much
reason for that as for that there is "God zij met ons" on the edge of the Dutch
Euro coin. Or for that we still have a Queen. Just inertia.

 >> WD> Also, when you buy a KLM-ticket, the number on it starts with
 >> WD> the 3-digit Air France code.

 >> So what? What is in a number?

 WD> It shows who's the boss.

For those who want to see it that way. For others it is just a number.

 >> The planes are still in KLM colours and it is still the same people
 >> in blue that make uo the flight crew.

 >> Who cares?

 WD> Flight crews care a great deal because you can see the KLM-brand is
 WD> moved more and more to the background. They worry about their future a
 WD> lot more now than before, about their pensions, about labour
 WD> conditions, ...

As does or should every employee in this world of cut throat competition and
take-overs. Take overs always mean that some of the staff will gave to go...

 WD> And I as a passenger do care as well.

Well... as a passenger you have contributed to creating the cut throat
competition environment  that led up to the demise of KLM. 10 cents for a Ryan
Air flight to Dublin....

 WD> I've had the opportunity to experience several airlines and though
 WD> there are several good-ones, KLM was the best within 'striking
 WD> distance'. Having to go to Schiphol is not that much of a big deal
 WD> (less than 2 hours), but in order to fly Air France I need to take
 WD> three trains costing me some 4+ hours with impossible connections in
 WD> Paris.

That is called progress. :-(

To "improve efficency" the bus that takes me to the station here will go from a
half hour service to a one hour service next month. Per Spt 1st, the trains
have adopted a new schedule that will increase the travel time from here to
Schiphol by 10 minutes...

Cheers,

Michiel

--- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5-b20060315
 * Origin: http://www.vlist.eu (2:280/5555)