Daily Doc: RJR MacDonald, Apr 18, 1986: TI aggression against other businesses
Daily Doc: TI aggression against other businesses
Title: No title
RJR MacDonald, Apr 18, 1986
Bates #: 92755870
March 1, 2000
The tobacco industry used its economic muscle to intimidate and punish other businesses when they enacted smoke-free policies. Airlines took the brunt of the tobacco industry's wrath when they started providing the public with safe, smoke-free cabin air on some flights.
This is the letter that the President of RJR-Macdonald Tobacco Company (Canada) wrote to the President of Air Canada after that airline designated some of its flights between Toronto and Montreal and Toronto and Ottawa as totally non-smoking, on a trial basis in 1986.
The tobacco industry has always maintained that there should be "informed, open debate" on the subject of tobacco and health, but businesses acting on conclusions gained in that debate bore the risk of becoming targets for serious retribution.
CITATION
Title: No title
Type of Document: Letter
Author: Edward J. Lang, President and Chief Executive Officer of RJR-MacDonald
Recipient: Mr. Pierre Jeeanniot, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada
Date: 19860418
Site: Lorillard Tobacco Company document site http://www.lorillarddocs.com/
Bates No. 92755870
Page Count: 1
URL: http://www.lorillarddocs.com/getallimg.asp?DOCID=92755870
QUOTES
Mr. Pierre Jeanniot,
President and Chief Executive Officer
Air Canada
500 Dorchester Blvd. West,
Montreal, Que.
H22 1X5
Dear Mr. Jeanniot,
It is with deep regret and concern that I read of your company's recent decision to designate more than half of your Rapidair flights covering Toronto/Montreal and Toronto/Ottowa as totally non-smoking on a trial basis for a three-month period.
Due to this policy, I feel it is my duty to inform you that I have instructed all RJR-Macdonald Inc. personnel to seek alternate avenues of transportation amongst carriers with more reasonable policies concerning the rights and desires of all its patrons.
I will also be discussing our decision with all of our Canadian sister companies, including Nabisco Brands Ltd., Canada Dry and the Del Monte Corporation.
My instructions to all company personnel will be to designate Air Canada as the last choice of air carrier for company business. Should your experiment prove that there is still a place for smoking sections on all of your flights, we will revert to using your company as our principle air carrier for company business as we have done in the past.
Sincerely,
Edward J. Lang
President and Chief Executive Officer
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