from us or you don’t buy it at all, and if you buy it from
us, that plane will come with Rogers and Simpson engines.”
“I look at it this way,” Rosa said. “Say we decide to go with the Pont, but with the Payn-Reese engine. You know the competition
that exists for you out in the marketplace. Do you mean to tell me that GAT is in a financial position to withhold the airplane
from those customers who demand a change in the engine?”
Gold watched as Don opened his mouth to say something but then closed it.
“I thought not.” Rosa chuckled. “Look, Don. The bottom line is that Agatha Holding has offered a superior financing package
to any airline that decides to go with the Payn-Reese equipped Ponts. Agatha will attractively seller-finance the initial
purchase price of the engine portion of the airplane, and also guarantee and attractively finance the after-sale service and
spare-parts inventory for ten years.”
“You’re going to need that guarantee,” Don rallied valiantly, “if you decide to trust a British-based company to keep your
planes flying.”
Jack Rosa said, “And we’ve got that guarantee. From Agatha Holding, an
American-based
company,” he emphasized. “They’re right here in L.A. —” Rosa stopped abruptly, as if he’d belatedly realized he’d said too
much.
Who
are
these Agatha fuckers?
Gold wondered, savagely grinding out his cigarette in the ashtray.
“You know how damned arrogant Rogers and Simpson has been getting concerning prepayment on after-sales service and spare parts,”
Rosa was continuing. “The consensus among the airlines is that Rogers and Simpson has gotten too big for its britches, and
that part of that is GAT’s fault. For too long they’ve been your sole engine supplier. They need to be shaken up a little.
It will do Rogers and Simpson—not to mention us airlines—a world of good to have a little competition concerning who supplies
the engine for a GAT jetliner. “
And “competition” is the airlines’ word for price- cutting,
Gold thought, remembering what Don had just told him about the nature of the business.
“But what about all that flag-waving you and the others were doing?” Don asked weakly. “You said the only way you would buy
a foreign airplane was if it came with American engines?”
“Well, now, we did say that, didn’t we?” Rosa clucked. “And that brings me to the real purpose of this call. You offered us
a nice enough price on the Rogers and Simpson/ Pont combo, but that price is now yesterday’s news in light of this new offer
from Agatha Holding. There’s a lot of good airplanes out there waiting to be bought. If you want us to keep considering the
Pont, you’re going to have to come back with a lower unit price and sweeter finance deal on the Rogers and Simpson/Pont combo,
and a
drastically
lower price/financing package to make up for the bad press we’ll receive if we go with the all foreign combinations of the
Pont equipped with Payn-Reese engines. If you can’t, or won’t, it’ll mean the Pont is knocked out of the running, and TransWest
will have to make its selection from the other available jetliners.”
“I hear you. Jack,” Don said tiredly, getting to his feet and moving toward the telephone console on the sideboard. “I’ll
get back to you.”
“Sure, Don.” Rosa must have picked up on the dejection in Don’s voice. The airline executive suddenly sounded oddly different
as he added, “Don? It’s just business, you know?”
“I’ll get back to you.” Don pushed the button on the console that broke the connection, and then shut off the speakerphone.
“Jack’s sounding guilty,” Harrison said to Gold. “He knows something he’s not telling us.”
“You have any idea at all who Agatha Holding might be?” Gold asked.
Don shook his head. “But I’m going to find out.” He picked up the’telephone and rang his secretary: “Get me Otto Lane
us, that plane will come with Rogers and Simpson engines.”
“I look at it this way,” Rosa said. “Say we decide to go with the Pont, but with the Payn-Reese engine. You know the competition
that exists for you out in the marketplace. Do you mean to tell me that GAT is in a financial position to withhold the airplane
from those customers who demand a change in the engine?”
Gold watched as Don opened his mouth to say something but then closed it.
“I thought not.” Rosa chuckled. “Look, Don. The bottom line is that Agatha Holding has offered a superior financing package
to any airline that decides to go with the Payn-Reese equipped Ponts. Agatha will attractively seller-finance the initial
purchase price of the engine portion of the airplane, and also guarantee and attractively finance the after-sale service and
spare-parts inventory for ten years.”
“You’re going to need that guarantee,” Don rallied valiantly, “if you decide to trust a British-based company to keep your
planes flying.”
Jack Rosa said, “And we’ve got that guarantee. From Agatha Holding, an
American-based
company,” he emphasized. “They’re right here in L.A. —” Rosa stopped abruptly, as if he’d belatedly realized he’d said too
much.
Who
are
these Agatha fuckers?
Gold wondered, savagely grinding out his cigarette in the ashtray.
“You know how damned arrogant Rogers and Simpson has been getting concerning prepayment on after-sales service and spare parts,”
Rosa was continuing. “The consensus among the airlines is that Rogers and Simpson has gotten too big for its britches, and
that part of that is GAT’s fault. For too long they’ve been your sole engine supplier. They need to be shaken up a little.
It will do Rogers and Simpson—not to mention us airlines—a world of good to have a little competition concerning who supplies
the engine for a GAT jetliner. “
And “competition” is the airlines’ word for price- cutting,
Gold thought, remembering what Don had just told him about the nature of the business.
“But what about all that flag-waving you and the others were doing?” Don asked weakly. “You said the only way you would buy
a foreign airplane was if it came with American engines?”
“Well, now, we did say that, didn’t we?” Rosa clucked. “And that brings me to the real purpose of this call. You offered us
a nice enough price on the Rogers and Simpson/ Pont combo, but that price is now yesterday’s news in light of this new offer
from Agatha Holding. There’s a lot of good airplanes out there waiting to be bought. If you want us to keep considering the
Pont, you’re going to have to come back with a lower unit price and sweeter finance deal on the Rogers and Simpson/Pont combo,
and a
drastically
lower price/financing package to make up for the bad press we’ll receive if we go with the all foreign combinations of the
Pont equipped with Payn-Reese engines. If you can’t, or won’t, it’ll mean the Pont is knocked out of the running, and TransWest
will have to make its selection from the other available jetliners.”
“I hear you. Jack,” Don said tiredly, getting to his feet and moving toward the telephone console on the sideboard. “I’ll
get back to you.”
“Sure, Don.” Rosa must have picked up on the dejection in Don’s voice. The airline executive suddenly sounded oddly different
as he added, “Don? It’s just business, you know?”
“I’ll get back to you.” Don pushed the button on the console that broke the connection, and then shut off the speakerphone.
“Jack’s sounding guilty,” Harrison said to Gold. “He knows something he’s not telling us.”
“You have any idea at all who Agatha Holding might be?” Gold asked.
Don shook his head. “But I’m going to find out.” He picked up the’telephone and rang his secretary: “Get me Otto Lane
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