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Dear Trump Airlines

Dear Trump Airlines

I have seen a lot of talk about Sir Richard Branson’s letter to Virgin America, lamenting the demise of the airline as it was purchased by Alaska Airlines.  As I read through his letter, it reminded me of a letter I read 25 years ago from another business man that likes to put his name on a myriad of companies and products.

After doing some digging, I was able to unearth a letter to the passengers of Trump Airline after the company went away in 1992.  I have reprinted it here in it’s entirety.

April 7, 1992

Dear Trump Airlines,

With a lot of things in life, there is a point where we have to let go and appreciate the fact that we had this ride at all. Many years ago, I shed tears over selling my beloved New Jersey Generals team, which we needed to fight off the NFL’s Dirty Tricks campaign to try to put the United States Football League out of business. Many tears are shed today, this time over Citicorp’s decision to repossess my airplanes after I defaulted on my loans.

It has a very different business model and sadly, it could not find a way to turn a profit.  

Remember that time that I put chrome seat belts on every seat on the airplane?  People said it couldn’t be done.  But I knew I could do the best seat belts on any airline.  

Remember how I put maple hardwoods on the floor?  The flight attendants slipped all over those floors but they sure looked pretty.  

Remember that time that I innovated the idea of renting out laptops to our passengers?  Those laptops were the best.  They were HUGE.  No really, they weighed 18 pounds and had a full 16 MB of RAM.  I only get the best RAM.    

Remember when I bought an airline, Eastern Air Shuttle, that had been running for 27 years, but then I ran it into the ground in just two short years?  

To our wonderful guests, I speak for everyone at Trump Airlines when I say we are eternally thankful. For believing in the little airline that could. For giving up your miles on Pan Am or Northwest Airlines – so you could fly us for the gold toilets. For supporting us in every tussle we got in with the big banks because we couldn’t turn a profit. For believing that all airlines don’t have to be the same – and that the Trump name painted on the side of old 727s matters.  But most of all for allowing me to write off a lot of taxes because of my failed airline.  

David A. Cantor—AP
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