Officials who manage the Memphis International Airport (MEM) during the past decade helped create a situation that allowed Delta Airlines to establish what has become a fortress hub at MEM, thus creating for travelers the second most expensive airport to fly in and out of in the United States.
These extremely high airfares are forcing thousands of passengers annually to defect to other airports in Little Rock and Nashville to find reasonable fares. These high airfares also are a huge disincentive for businesses to locate in Memphis and to continue to do business here.
Petition:
The undersigned ask that the administrators of our city government, including Mayor A C Wharton Jr., and Memphis City Council Chairman Bill Morrison, to require that Memphis International Airport officials, including Mr. Larry Cox, executive director, and Mr. Arnold Perl, chairman of the Memphis Airport Authority, to explain to the citizens of Memphis and Shelby County why and how they allowed this situation to occur and, specifically, what they are doing to do to remedy the problem. The airport has not been held accountable and its history of secrecy and lack of transparency is troubling to the people who own it – the people of Memphis and Shelby County. Those who manage MEM, including Mr. Cox and all appointed members of the Memphis Airport Authority, should be accountable to the citizens of Memphis whose hard-earned tax dollars support MEM and its operations. It is time for a new direction at MEM and this is the first step to accomplish it.
