Letters to Media

NBAA regularly sends letters to newspapers and other media organizations to correct errors in coverage, rebut claims made by sources in news coverage, or provide information to help news organizations inform their coverage of the industry.

Articles

Bolen to AP: Business Aviation is Essential to America April 2, 2024: A recent Associated Press story about IRS audits for companies using business aviation devolved into mischaracterizations about the industry, prompting NBAA to respond quickly with the facts.
Media Outlets Update Bizav Story to Reflect NBAA’s Information Jan. 25, 2024: When media outlets published an incomplete story about the many reasons why America’s leading companies allow for non-business use of aircraft by key employees, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was quick to correct the misconception with a letter some media organizations published to correct or clarify their coverage of the issue.
Massachusetts Bizav Leader Challenges Newspaper’s Finger-Pointing Oct. 9, 2023: When a Boston Globe’s recent one-sided opinion piece failed to explain business aviation’s economic benefit and sustainability leadership, a local industry leader set the record straight.
NBAA Tells KC Star: Charles Wheeler Airport a Critical Local and National Asset Sept. 20, 2023: When The Kansas City Star published an article offering an imbalanced view about the closure of the city’s Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was quick to respond.
NBAA Repudiates Oped's Attempt to Tarnish Bizav Sustainability Record Aug. 15, 2023: When a DC-based interest group promoting a caricature of the industry omitted key facts about its sustainability record, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was quick to respond.
Axios Amends Incomplete Story on Bizav Flight Tracking Aug. 15, 2023: Axios editors updated a recent article to include NBAA’s reminder that policymakers have long supported protection for citizens’ basic privacy rights, in any transportation mode.
NBAA: It’s Time to Stop Shaming an Essential Business Tool Sept. 1, 2022: When The Washington Post called into question the environmental impact of business aviation, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen quickly responded with the facts about the industry’s sustainability record.
NBAA Corrects Bloomberg Story on What’s Causing Florida Flight Delays May 10, 2022: When Bloomberg got its facts wrong in a sensationalist story about a recent FAA stakeholders meeting to discuss aviation system delays in Florida, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was quick to respond.
Column: GA Airports More Critical Than Ever Oct. 5, 2020: In a guest column published by the Jackson, MS-based Clarion Ledger newspaper, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and Greg Pecoraro, president and CEO of the National Association of State Aviation Officials, outlined why general aviation airports are more important than ever during the COVID019 era.
NBAA, AOPA Tell Dallas Morning News: Don’t Overlook GA Airports’ Value Sept. 27, 2020: NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President Mark Baker corrected the inaccurate portrayal of general aviation airports in a letter to the editor published Sept 26, 2020, in The Dallas Morning News.
Bolen Corrects L.A. Times’ Inaccurate Characterization of Business Aviation July 29, 2020: NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen corrected the Los Angeles Times’ inaccurate portrayal of business aviation in a letter to the editor published July 29, 2020.
NBAA, NATA Challenge USA Today’s Portrait of Charter Companies July 10, 2020: A USA Today story distorted business aviation charter companies, including Clay Lacy Aviation, and the impact of the COVID -19 crisis on businesses like it, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and National Air Transportation Association President and CEO Tim Obitts wrote in a letter to the newspaper in defense of the industry.
Salon Corrects Business Aviation Story, Prompted by NBAA July 6, 2020: When Salon magazine recently published a COVID-19 related article including mischaracterizations about business aviation, and outright misstatements of fact about NBAA, the association was quick to respond, leading the publication to correct its own story.
Bolen Calls Out Forbes for ‘Fact-Starved’ Misrepresentation of Business Aviation June 22, 2020: A recent Forbes article chose an “outlier flight” to promote a caricature of business aviation, offering readers an uninformed view into an important industry that has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen recently wrote in a letter to the publication.
NBAA, NATA Correct MSNBC’s Misrepresentation of Charter Companies May 28, 2020: An MSNBC story distorted business aviation charter companies, including Clay Lacy Aviation, and the impact of the COVID -19 crisis on businesses like it, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and National Air Transportation Association President and CEO Tim Obitts wrote in a letter to the network.
CNBC Distorts Pandemic’s Impact on Business Aviation, Specifically Charter Company Clay Lacy May 22, 2020: A recent CNBC story misrepresented business aviation charter company Clay Lacy, and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on many companies like it, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and National Air Transportation Association President and CEO Tim Obitts wrote in a letter to the network.
NBAA, NATA Debunk Bloomberg’s Caricature of COVID Impact on Business May 21, 2020: May 13, 2020, Bloomberg article missed the astounding impact of the Covid-19 crisis on charter operations, and the citizens, companies and communities relying on this American industry, NBAA and NATA told the publisher in a letter to the editor.
Business Aviation Is Strong but Needs Support, Bolen Tells Wall Street Journal April 1, 2020: Like many essential American industries, business aviation is in need of support in the form of excise tax relief and liquidity assistance, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen told the Wall Street Journal in a March 31 letter to the editor.
Bolen: Bloomberg’s COVID-19 Business Aviation Coverage Put Sizzle Over Substance March 31, 2020: NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen on March 29, 2020, responded to a Bloomberg article mischaracterizing the state of business aviation as the industry grapples with the COVID-19 environment.
Bolen Sternly Questions CNBC’s Recent Mischaracterization of Business Aviation March 26, 2020: NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen responded strongly this week to a recent CNBC article about the general aviation community's collective request for inclusion in a congressional COVID-19 relief package.
NBAA Clears Up Article’s Misperceptions of Business Aviation Dec. 6, 2019: When a recent Reuters article mischaracterized business aviation, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen responded with the facts about the industry.
NBAA Firmly Corrects Vanity Fair’s Mischaracterization of Business Aviation Nov. 14, 2019: NBAA took exception with Vanity Fair’s assumptions about business aviation in a Nov. 6, 2019, article, and responded with the truth about the industry.
NBAA Forcefully Challenges Recent, National News Coverage Mischaracterizing Business Aviation Oct. 18, 2019: Business aviation has been in the news, this time with renewed mischaracterizations and even false claims; NBAA has worked quickly to correct misperceptions and inaccuracies in the coverage and commentary, and the association’s perspective is already being published.
NBAA Contests Depiction of Business Aviation in Bloomberg Article Sept. 6, 2019: When Bloomberg recently published an opinion column negatively depicting business aviation’s environmental record, NBAA responded with the facts on the industry’s sustainability efforts.
NBAA Challenges Negative Slant for Business Aviation by Mississippi TV Station Aug. 22, 2019: When Mississippi CBS-TV affiliate WCBI ran a one-sided story about a utility company's use of business aviation, NBAA responded.
Responding to Misleading AP Story, NBAA Sets the Record Straight on GA Security Aug. 12, 2019: When newspapers across the country recently published an often-misleading Associated Press story regarding a DHS notice about general aviation security, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was quick to respond.
Wall Street Journal Declines Publication of NBAA Statement on Business Aviation Use June 12, 2019: The Wall Street Journal published a story on June 6, 2019, noting a disclosure about business aviation use, but offering no further details. NBAA provided a full explanation.
Business Aviation Steps Up for Flood-Stricken Nebraskans April 12, 2019: Mike Gerdes, president of Lincoln, NE-based Silverhawk Aviation, recounts how business aviation helped out following flooding in the state.
NBAA, EBAA Counter Newspaper’s Portrayal of Business Aviation April 8, 2019: NBAA and EBAA countered a report in The Economist that misrepresented business aviation.
NBAA Corrects Newspaper's Mischaracterizations About Companies in Business Aviation March 27, 2019: NBAA op-ed corrects mischaracterizations about ethics among business aviation companies.
Bolen Oped: Business Aviation at Work, in Houston and Beyond March 11, 2019: In an op-ed in the Houston Business Journal, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen talks about the positive impact business aviation has on Houston and the state of Texas.
NBAA, AOPA Counter Washington Post Editorial on ATC Privatization May 18, 2018: NBAA and AOPA refute a May 3, 2018, Washington Post editorial critical of the fact that ATC privatization was not in the final House FAA reauthorization bill.
NBAA Refutes CNBC’s Misleading Look at Business Aviation March 29, 2018: The main reason businesses choose to use an aircraft to help meet their transportation needs is that the sign of a well-managed enterprise, NBAA tells CNBC in response to a March 26, 2018, report.
NBAA Refutes CNBC’s Misleading Look at Business Aviation March 28, 2018: The main reason businesses choose to use an aircraft to help meet their transportation needs is that the sign of a well-managed enterprise, NBAA tells CNBC in response to a March 26, 2018, report.
Journal Publishes Stern NBAA/AOPA Challenge to Paper’s Support for ATC Giveaway Feb. 23, 2018: In response to an editorial in The Wall Street Journal calling for ATC privatization, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen and Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association President and CEO Mark Baker noted that the plan would impede modernization efforts and harm small communities across the country.
Wall Street Journal Publishes NBAA’s Challenge to Pro-ATC Privatization Editorial Oct. 23, 2017: When The Wall Street Journal published an editorial supporting a House bill containing ATC privatization, while making allegations about NBAA’s opposition to the concept, the association was quick to respond.
Bolen Challenges Syndicated Columnist's ATC-Privatization Claims July 30, 2017: When media figure John Stossel penned a recent opinion piece promoting ATC privatization, NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen was quick to respond, with a letter he sent to every newspaper publishing his syndicated column.
Private aircraft make sense for college March 3, 2017: The Associated Press article "Flying coach: Many universities are using private planes" in the Feb. 20 Dispatch.com unfortunately missed a few points about the importance of these aircraft, and the airports they use, and the benefits of that use, not just for the organizations, but often, for the surrounding communities.
NBAA Letter to the Editor: Minneapolis Star-Tribune Nov. 28, 2009: The Nov. 19 Star Tribune article about a local utility company's business airplanes ("Xcel execs fly high in leased jets, at ratepayers' expense" Nov. 19) painted these assets with a negative brush, when in fact, the use of an airplane is a sign of a well-managed company.
Clearing the Air in the Debate Over Business Aviation Aug. 7, 2009: NBAA submitted this opinion piece to the Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal on August 7, 2009, in the wake of media coverage surrounding the government's request for a purchase of two Gulfstream jets to support military missions.
NBAA LETTER TO THE EDITORS Wall Street Journal June 24, 2009: This article greatly mischaracterizes business aviation and does a disservice to tens of thousands of American companies of all sizes that rely on business aircraft to succeed, especially in these tough economic times.
Letter to Denver's "The Denver Post" Dec. 28, 2008: Your recent story about business airplane use presents an inaccurate and misleading picture of business aviation in the United States. Every day, tens of thousands of well-managed and cost-conscious U.S. companies use aircraft to help them survive and compete in an intensely unforgiving marketplace. Eighty-five percent of companies that use business aircraft are small and mid-size, and passengers are usually mid-level employees.
Letter to San Diego's Daily Transcript Aug. 28, 2008: Your article on charter flights ("Business Jet Crashes Show Rise of Rule-Breaking Charter Brokers," Aug. 26) negatively portrayed the entire charter industry, despite a historically strong safety record and stringent regulatory oversight of charter operators from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Letter to National Review Aug. 8, 2008: It’s ironic that the National Review abandoned its limited-government philosophy with an article touting support for the creation of a new bureaucracy a “Sky-R-S,” if you will for Federal Aviation Administration funding through user fees (Hell on a Tarmac, August 4).
NBAA Letter to Stanford Transportation Group (STG) June 19, 2008: As a follow-up to our conversation earlier today, I'd like to renew my request for a copy of the study referenced in a press release issued earlier this week by your organization, concerning supposed trends among commercial airline and general aviation passengers.
NBAA LETTER TO THE EDITOR USA Today June 11, 2008: A recent USA TODAY article on very light jets omitted key facts about the impact VLJs will — or most likely, won’t — have on the nation’s aviation system (“Next-generation jets spur concerns,” News, Wednesday).
NBAA LETTER TO THE EDITOR AS PUBLISHED USA Today Feb. 21, 2008: In parroting the big airlines’ distortions about funding for updates on the aviation system, USA TODAY’s recent editorial overlooks several important facts (“Give fliers a break,” Our view, Air travel debate, Feb. 13).
NBAA Letter to The Washington Post Aug. 30, 2007: The Aug. 22 editorial "Late, Again," about airline flight delays, correctly pointed out the need to modernize the nation's aviation system but omitted some key points.
Letter to Portland Press Herald June 6, 2007: The article, “More Rules for Planes, Small Boats” (May 25) didn’t mention the extensive work done by the general aviation community to tighten security since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. As a result, general aviation (GA), which covers all flights except the military and airlines, has enhanced an already strong security environment at GA airports and facilities nationwide.
Letter to the Bergen RE “Private Jets Use Newark, Delay Commercial Flights” April 19, 2007: Response to April 18 article “Private Jets Use Newark, Delay Commercial Flights”
Letter to USA Today April 16, 2007: Any proposal for FAA reauthorization must protect aviation access for small towns and communities. That won’t happen with a scheme that saddles businesses with tax hikes and fees, and disadvantages community airports.
Sweetheart deal for airlines Feb. 7, 2007: For the giant airlines, Valentine’s Day comes early this year. The president’s budget, released Monday, is a sweetheart deal for the airlines. It would give them a massive tax cut, to be paid for largely by a “general aviation” industry that serves many of the nation’s small and midsized businesses and their communities.
Letter to The Charlotte Observer Nov. 16, 2006: The vast majority of such flights are made strictly for business purposes by diverse businesses. Some boards of directors, acting in full compliance with federal requirements, permit personal use of company aircraft to hire and retain top business talent, to efficiently manage employees' time or to provide non-cash compensation as part of a retirement package.
Letter to CNN's Larry King Live Aug. 17, 2006: The segment on security that aired on Larry King Live on Monday, Aug. 14, was irresponsible in its lack of balance in discussing general aviation (GA) security. No organization representing general aviation was included to provide any facts about what has been, and continues to be done to harden general aviation from terrorist threats. As a result, key facts about GA security were ignored in favor of sensationalist comments from only one source, and the industry as a whole was mischaracterized.
Letter to The New York Times in Response to "Gilded Paychecks" May 17, 2006: Response to the New York Times article "Executives Take Company Planes as if Their Own" ("Gilded Paychecks" series, front page, May 10):
Letter to The Wichita Eagle March 16, 2006: In an attempt to promote a dubious funding scheme for America’s aviation network, a recent Eagle opinion writer (Corporate Jet Users Should Pay Fair Share, March 14) misled readers about how aviation works in America and what business aviation – a major employer in Wichita – is all about.
Letter to The Wall Street Journal Oct. 3, 2005: Reporting on personal use of business aircraft may help sell newspapers, but your article on the matter (“JetGreen: The CEO’s Private Golf Shuttle,” Weekend Edition, Oct. 1) overlooked some key points.
Letter to the Bergen Record July 3, 2005: Over the past several months, a number of accidents have occurred at Teterboro Airport. Considering the airport’s long-term safety record, those incidents are aberrations. However, the surrounding community is understandably concerned about whether recent incidents suggest a systemic problem rather than a statistical anomaly.
USA TODAY 5/5/05 May 5, 2005: USA TODAY's report on the corporate jet was an injustice to the thousands of Americans who rely on business aviation to improve the efficiency and success of their organizations.
Letter to Airport Journals March 18, 2005: Karen Di Piazza’s story on the International Standard for Business Aircraft Operations (IS-BAO), (“IS-BAO” – Industry Standard or Political Placebo, Airport Journals, March 2005) mischaracterizes IS-BAO, misrepresents sources, and links IS-BAO to matters unrelated to the initiative.
Letter to The New York Times March 14, 2005: A recent report on aviation security made for a sensational Times headline (“Government Report on U.S. Aviation Warns of Security Holes,” March 13), but readers were ill-served when the newspaper mischaracterized what the report said about general aviation security, then overstated the possible impact of the document for the industry.

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