Watercooler Stories

RECRUITERS PLAN 'AIR FAIR'

Amid reports that the structure of domestic airlines has fallen apart, a group called the Aviation Employees Placement Service says it's optimistic about the future of air travel and is going ahead with plans for an "air fair" to prove it.

The group, often called AEPS for short, tells United Press International that its latest job-hunting fair will be held on the 2nd and 3rd of next month in Phoenix.

Comair, the Cincinnati-based major regional carrier for Delta, is the latest to say it will send recruiters to the event. Prospective airline employees can find more information about the fair at aepsfair.com on the Internet.

FARRAKHAN SAYS HE WANTS MORE PROOF

The outspoken leader of the Nation of Islam, Louis Farrakhan, is calling on the Bush administration to delineate more proof that Osama bin Laden was actually involved in the attacks of 9/11 this year. Speaking on the sixth anniversary of the Million Man March, Farrakhan told Pres. Bush to not "hide behind national security" in making a blanket indictment.

Farrakhan added that even if the United States and its allies come up with proof, it would not be the first time they have lied to the American people.

He did, though, say that if the American people (himself included) are shown the true culprit and there is no doubt as to his or its identity, it would be easier to rally the country against a common enemy.

DELTA TO CUT ASIAN SERVICE

Delta Air Lines says it is dropping service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Tokyo's main international airport (TYO) and Nagoya (NGO) on the first of December. Additionally, the carrier says it will discontinue its long-standing service from New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Tokyo in March of next year.

Some cuts in a few of the carrier's European routings are also anticipated, according to the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

So far no decrease in service has been announced for Delta's fledgling service to Latin America, begun just three years ago.

A CRYSTAL BALL ON HOLIDAY BUYING

Traditionally, this is the time of the year when people supplement their income by taking second or third jobs with merchandisers in advance of the holiday buying season. But this time around, John Rossheim, writing for Monster.com -- the job placement Internet service -- says that with the uncertainty of the economy, don't bank on that added pay boost.

He says that summer (well in advance of the events of 9/11) was not a great one for retailers. The Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index fell by two points in early August.

But, on balance, not all the economic news is bad. Mega-merchandiser Wal-Mart reported a 6.3 increase in sales, on a store-to-store basis, compared with last year's late-summer figures. .