chuckography

This is NOT your pilot speaking....

Flying on Aer Lingus recently, I was reminded of the time I held the microphone and talked to a planeload of startled passengers.

When a Convention Bureau goes after a group to come to their city, it tries to show ingenuity whenever possible. Off the wall works too.

So the Committee to select where the 1980 Republican National Convention would be held came aboard the plane in Dallas, Texas after several days of being wined and dined by Texans who wanted the convention.

I was with the Kansas City Convention Bureau and we wanted the GOP back again after they had met successfully in KC in 1976.(Remember the Ford/Dole ticket? Jimmy Carter creamed them.)

As long as the group was in Texas, we held back from tooting our horn. It would have been bad form to intrude or interfere there. But, as soon as the plane buttoned up, they were subject to our message and it began immediately.

There were straw "skimmer" hats placed on each seat with a red, white and blue hat band and the GOP elephant featured very prominently...right next to the KC,MO 1980 logo. Colorful bunting was draped around the cabin as well and KC/GOP campaign-type buttons were being passed around.

I clicked on the microphone and introduced myself as being with the Bureau and asked everyone to welcome the members of the GOP Selection Committee who were on board in their midst. Some applauded.

To our knowledge, this kind of airborne pitch had never been done before.


I quickly added that since we all were headed up to Missouri, we had arranged to have the inflight meal changed to a Kansas City Strip steak with all the trimmings.

Then "Going to Kansas City...." music started playing.

Later, of course, Detroit, Michigan won the convention and a fellow named Ronald Reagan became President.


(I borrowed the steak picture from the internet and, truth be told, the airline served its regular steak. WE just called it a KC strip.)

Labels: 1976, 1980, George Bush, Gerald Ford, GOP National Convention, KC Strip steak, President Jimmy Carter, Robert Dole, Ronald Reagan

posted by chucker @ 5:00 PM