Tobacco Documents Online

BA Tactics

Abstract

This 1993 telex was written by Matthew Winokur of Philip Morris Worldwide Regulatory Affairs. In the telex, Winokur suggests suggests that all PM employees (and employees of other tobacco companies) who travel on British Airways (BA) should receive with their tickets a blank piece of paper and instructions telling them to use the paper to submit a written complaint to BA about the lack of smoking seats on their flights. The idea was to create the impression that a large number of customers are unhappy with a smoking ban.

Winokur states,

"If PM and our allies all do this, we could create the impression that passengers...are in fact not pleased with the ban. This will go head on with the ban....What do you think? This could create a real volume of letters..."

Fields

Notes

BA stands for British Airways

Quotes

While we ponder whether or not to use our financial weight with [British Airways], Anne, Mary and I have come up with a grassroots strategy. I believe we should proceed regardless of our mgmt to mgmt approach. The following is an amplification of ideas we've discussed but with some twists that may make it more feasible.

It appears that airlines will best register passenger comments received at the time of the flight. Flight attendants take written passenger comments addressed to customer services.

PM ((and all our allies) should include with all PM-issued tickets an instruction page and blank sheet of paper. Employees taking BA should be requested to complain about the lack of smoking seats. Employees on competing airlines ehich still permit smoking should write to commend their willingness to accommodate. This should be coordinated with the travel entity that issues tickets.

In the process of running the numbers on our BA spending, it appears we fly in the vicinity of 1,000 people on BA alone in a given year. If PM and our allies all do this, we could create the impressio that passengers -- and they are what count -- are in fact not pleased with the ban. this will go head on with the ban.

The letters can come from smokers and non-smokers.

What do you think? This could create a real volume of letters. I know, for example, that Rothmans, for one, relies principally on BA.

As a twist for U.S. originating passengers. Letter could note BA poreference but am switching to alternate for the continent that offers smoking. And so forth.

Author

Winokur, M.

Recipient

Bushong, David W. (PM European Affairs VP)

1993

Region

United Kingdom

Type

Telex

Litigation

Stmn/Produced

Subject

Airline Smoking Ban

Smoking bans

Tobacco Industry Employees

Workplace smoking restrictions