United Airlines offers to fly Air Force to Navy game for free

[Blue_Tires]

The Navy-Air Force game is in jeopardy of being postponed because the Department of Defense suspended all intercollegiate athletics contests at Air Force, Army and Navy in light of the federal government shutdown.

One possibility being explored, according to the person who spoke to USA TODAY Sports, is whether Air Force could use private funds to make the trip and keep the game on schedule.

Well, United Airlines is offering to come to the rescue, tweeting Wednesday afternoon a solvable option to mitigate Air Force’s travel expenses to Saturday’s sold-out football game in Annapolis, Md.: An apparent free flight.

We’ll find out soon. Navy officials said a decision would be made by noon ET Thursday. The football rivalry between the two schools dates to 1960, and they have played each other every year since 1972.

Air Force officials are gathering information about the offer from United so they can then take it to the Pentagon, according a person with knowledge of the matter. The person spoke to USA TODAY Sports on the condition of anonymity because no clearance had been given to speak publicly.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2013/10/united-airlines-offers-to-fly-air-force-to-navy-game-for-free/?source=fbshare

After all, we can't have *ANYTHING* disrupt our sporting events, government or no government...Cancelling a football game is un-American

[NYC Liberal]

1. Yes, heaven forbid a football game is cancelled!

[Logical]

4. So true! How many sick people or people needing to attend...

A funeral or people looking for work would love a free flight?

[mnhtnbb]

2. I should think that would be against NCAA rules.

[Roland99]

3. Not sure. It's not the players benefiting as much as the school using an alternate form of travel

dunno.


BTW, nice snark going on in this thread. I think it's a grand gesture on the part of United.

[Blue_Tires]

6. It's nice, low-hanging public relations fruit for UA

because I'm not hearing any laid-off workers getting the offer of discounted or free fares...And the postponement of a college football game ranks pretty low in the grand scheme of the shutdown...

[progressivebydesign]

5. this is fucking bullshit.

I think that the republicans who pushed for this, should suffer.. .if that means no freakin' football. Geez. People and kids are being turned away for cancer trials at the NIH this week, and United Airlines wants to make sure a fucking football game happens??? WTF? From the repukes making special arrangements to circumvent the shutdown for their purposes, to this.

How about the families of those people who have the clinical trials at NIH as their last hope??? People in trials are usually sent there by their doctor after everything else has failed, and/or the insurance company wont' pay for anything. I could give a flying fuck about football...