US Airways chairman and chief executive Doug Parker has written to the airline’s employees apologising over an alleged drunk-driving incident.
The carrier has made public three letters Parker sent to employees after US media reports said he had been booked for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol.
Parker was arrested on 31 January on suspicion of drunk driving after he was pulled over for speeding while on his way home from a golf tournament in Phoenix. Reports say tests determined his blood-alcohol level was 10mg/100ml (0.096%) at the time, above the 0.08% [8.5mg/100ml] limit in the state of Arizona.
In his first letter to employees, Parker (pictured right after his arrest) wrote: “First and foremost, you need to know how embarrassed and sorry I am about this. I have let down all of you and also my family, and that is something I will have to live with irrespective of the outcome.
“I know that by virtue of my position at our airline, all of my actions, personal and public, have consequences for all of us and I try very hard to live up to that responsibility. In this instance, my actions have not reflected well on US Airways and for that, I apologize. Thanks for your support and understanding.”
Parker later wrote two other letters to employees and in the last one he admitted that “while dated, I was regrettably involved in three other alcohol-related incidents in my twenties”. He said two involved driving under the influence while the third occurred while he was a passenger in a friend’s car.
“As it relates to my past, I admit that I was indeed irresponsible at times in my twenties,” he wrote. “I got my wake-up call long ago as I got married, had kids, and assumed positions of responsibility at work.”
Parker went on to say that the 31 January incident was “a mistake, not a trend, and I believe that events from 15 and 20 years ago do not reflect on the person I am today”.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
