An American Airlines pilot, who identifies as Caucasian, received an indefinite suspension for violating the federal mask mandate in December 2021. He is suing for… racial discrimination.
Pilot Bahig Saliba says he was “misidentified as being Middle Eastern” and so the whole incident at the Spokane airport was an instance of racial profiling, although no profiling appears to have been needed. He showed up at the security checkpoint prior to working a flight to Dallas. He wasn’t wearing a mask. And law enforcement was called when he refused to do so after being asked, despite claiming to have a medical exemption. His lawsuit seeks $23 million from the airport and from police.
While pilots lobbied for and received an exemption from the federal mask mandate allowing them to go maskless inside the cockpit of their aircraft if they chose (some did, others did not) this exemption did not apply inside the terminal.
- They argued that masks might interfere with their breathing and impede their ability to fly
- Besides, inside the cockpit they weren’t exposing other passengers to their breathing (just each other)
However anyone medically unable to wear a mask inside the terminal raises questions about their medical fitness to operate an aircraft.
This pilot argues he was medically exempt from mask-wearing inside the terminal but not because of any condition, but because of his piloting duties, which is inaccurate. He claims to have had ‘paperwork’ attesting to his exemption, which is something anyone could have. It makes sense that the TSA would question it.
To be clear, the pilot was breaking a rule but not doing anything wrong in a more fundamental sense.
- Properly fitted and worn N95 masks provided some measure of protection against spreading viruses to others, and inhaling virus yourself.
- But flimsy paper masks met the requirements of the rule, and provided essentially no protection (even more so as the virus mutated and spread more easily).
- So the rule itself didn’t do much to limit spread of the virus. And this incident occurred after vaccines and treatments for Covid-19 were widely available. Indeed, the incident occurred mere months before the mandate was overturned by a federal judge.
Saliba already sued his union and that case was dismissed. He sued American and that case was dismissed also.
There was a strong anti-mask, anti-vaccine ideological tendency among major airline pilot groups. Pilot unions have even been negotiating “medical freedom” provisions in their new contracts to counteract future vaccine mandates.
I don’t want someone this stupid flying my plane!
He probably already flew an AA plane already , stupid or not.
Sounds like he had an attitude , more than anything. He could have put the mask on in the terminal , like everyone else had to.
TWO dismissals and he still wants to Sue? 23 MILLION because he thought he was above everyone else? RACIAL DISCRIMINATION because of his name? Where does it end?
Countersue and bankrupt the POS.
He is so dumb.
If one has trouble breathing with a mask, they should wear a mask! That person would be extra vulnerable to the effects of Covid, making them unable to breathe.
It’s just like asthma. Those with asthma should wear masks more and be up to date with bivalent vaccines.
As I read through some of this blog post about the American Airlines pilot who refused to wear a mask in 2021 and is now suing for racial discrimination, I couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions. On one hand, safety protocols such as mask-wearing are crucial to ensure the wellbeing of both passengers and crew during flights. On the other hand, allegations of racial discrimination must be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.
First and foremost, let me address the issue of mask refusal. As we all know, 2021 was a challenging year for the aviation industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Airlines across the globe had to implement stringent safety measures, including mandatory mask-wearing, to protect everyone involved. It is disheartening to learn that a pilot, who holds the safety and trust of passengers in their hands, would resist such an essential safety protocol.
While I understand that some individuals may have reservations or concerns about mask-wearing, it is crucial for everyone to adhere to these guidelines for the greater good. The safety of passengers and crew should always be the top priority. As pilots, their duty goes beyond just operating the aircraft; they also play a crucial role in upholding safety standards throughout the flight.
Now, regarding the allegations of racial discrimination made by the pilot, it is essential to remember that everyone deserves to work in an environment free from discrimination and bias. If there is any truth to these claims, it is crucial that the airline conducts a thorough and impartial investigation to address the issue appropriately.
We should approach this situation with open minds and seek a comprehensive understanding of all the factors at play. It is essential not to jump to conclusions until all the evidence has been gathered and thoroughly examined.
At the end of the day, we must remember that these are allegations, and the truth will only be revealed through a proper investigation. In the meantime, it serves as a reminder that we all need to come together to build inclusive and equitable workplaces in every industry, including aviation.
As travelers, let us continue to prioritize our safety and that of our fellow passengers by respecting the rules set forth by airlines and following safety protocols diligently. As for American Airlines, they must handle this situation with transparency, sensitivity, and fairness to ensure justice is served.
Let us hope that this incident becomes a catalyst for positive change, leading to a more united and equal aviation industry where safety, professionalism, and respect for all are at the forefront. Only then can we truly fly towards a brighter future for air travel.
Shut up, Dewry. Start your own BS blog if you want to pontificate utter horsepucky.
Firstly, it’s crucial to recognize that there are various medical conditions and disabilities that may prevent individuals from wearing masks. These conditions could include severe respiratory issues, sensory sensitivities, or other underlying health problems. Jumping to conclusions about their fitness to operate an aircraft based solely on their inability to wear a mask in the terminal oversimplifies the situation and may lead to unfair discrimination.
The medical evaluation process for pilots is rigorous and comprehensive. It involves thorough assessments of physical health, mental well-being, and cognitive abilities to ensure that pilots can perform their duties safely and efficiently. It is not accurate to assume that an inability to wear a mask in the terminal automatically disqualifies someone from operating an aircraft.
Furthermore, aviation authorities and airlines already have strict protocols in place to protect the health and safety of passengers and crew members. These measures include enhanced sanitation practices, HEPA filters to improve air quality, and social distancing wherever possible. In cases where a passenger or crew member cannot wear a mask due to a legitimate medical reason, alternative solutions can be explored, such as offering them a face shield or providing additional safety precautions during the flight.
The focus should be on creating an inclusive and accommodating environment that prioritizes safety for all passengers and crew members. Instead of assuming that those unable to wear masks are unfit to operate an aircraft, we should encourage open communication and collaboration between medical professionals, aviation authorities, and individuals with medical conditions to find suitable solutions that maintain safety while respecting the rights and needs of all passengers and crew members.
Making blanket judgments about an individual’s fitness to operate an aircraft based solely on their inability to wear a mask is unfair and disregards the complex nature of medical conditions. Aviation authorities and airlines already have robust safety protocols in place, and the emphasis should be on finding inclusive solutions that ensure the safety and well-being of everyone on board.
This is America, anyone can sue for any reason, and often receive money, if not to make to the lawsuit go away, as damages.
“Liebeck v. McDonald’s Restaurants, also known as the McDonald’s coffee case and the hot coffee lawsuit, was a highly publicized 1994 product liability lawsuit in the United States against the McDonald’s restaurant chain… awarded a net $160,000 compensatory damages and $2.7 million punitive damages … trial judge reduced the punitive damages to $640,000 … parties settled for a confidential amount before an appeal was decided.”
“A South Florida jury awarded $800,000 in damages to a little girl who was severely burned when a hot Chicken McNugget fell on her leg as her mother pulled away from the drive-thru of a McDonald’s restaurant.” Doesn’t make a difference how stupid a mother is, a chicken nugget cannot cause THAT much of a medically significant burn, it’s too small.
Q: What do you call 1,000 dead lawyers at the bottom of the ocean? A: A good start.
BTW, Fred, your comment is wholly off-target and uncalled for, it’s arguably long and pontificating (and bloviating) but there’s no horsepucky.
I have no patience for the mask and Covid vaccine crowd…continuing to pontificate and drone on about the safety of others and how submission to these mandates was somehow noble. During the pandemic when legitimate research showed masks didn’t work or suggested the vaccines may not work well…or at all and might be harmful to some…corporate media restricted their speech. Government colluded with social media companies to call that speech misinformation. Government doubled down on its mandates and threatened every working American that if they didn’t take this vaccine, they couldn’t work…well technically, smaller companies were initially exempt, but I digress. Some even tried to get these experts in trouble…but truth wins in the long term while hyperbole and lies seem to win in the short term. This is mostly because people trust institutions and seem to distrust learned individuals countering a ‘narrative’ despite their credentials. I laugh because the post now quotes the ‘latest’ nonsense about masks but a year or two ago, I read posts that quoted the nonsense being proliferated then. Some of the comments seem to be stuck in the so called science that was no science at all but was politics masking as science only a short time ago. There are now many studies that have concluded that all of the popular mask assumptions were wrong. There are now studies showing the many issues in particular young people have had with their health post-vaccine.
It was a pleasure to be a part of the organizations that fought back this nonsense and to be continuing the much needed litigation to address those who were wronged in the workplace as well.
Mark – people like you are the problem. Your patience is irrelevant.
You can tell Gary liked wearing the Covid mask of obedience.
I can see what he did there LOL.. Prolly a good ole’ smart conservative citizen (IME a vast majority of pilots are conservative indeed, as naturally expected due to the high intellectual and emotional intelligence levels that the job demands) giving the woke mob that abducted this country a dose of the insanity they created. Cut ’em with their own knife.
And none of you libs dare to say he can’t identify as a Caucasian, you clearly say ‘they’ can be whatever they want. or else you are just a bunch of racists.
@Mark:
> I have no patience for the mask and Covid vaccine crowd…continuing to pontificate and drone on about the safety of others and how submission to these mandates was somehow noble.
Your kowtowing to the death cult shouldn’t be seen as something noble.
Just look at the real world: Places that were more serious about protecting the people had a lower death toll. That continues to this day–pretending it’s somehow over (yes, the pandemic is over–that doesn’t mean the disease is) doesn’t make it go away. Denying Covid doesn’t make it not the 4th leading cause of death in the US.
> During the pandemic when legitimate research showed masks didn’t work or suggested the vaccines may not work well…or at all and might be harmful to some…corporate media restricted their speech.
There has always been a fair amount of politically motivated “science” and we saw it in droves with Covid. Lots of outright faked data, especially with trying to pretend that anti-parasite drugs work against a virus.
The data we have on masks shows that they’re like condoms–they only work when they’re actually used (proper use: 98% effective–and data from the Nevada brothels suggests this number is too low. Real world: 84%.) People have shown a major tendency to let down their guard around friends/associates–and that’s where they get infected.
As for the vaccine–there is **one** threat from the vaccine you don’t get from the virus–anaphylaxis. Everything else the vaccine has been blamed for is far more likely to happen if you’re infected than from the vaccine.
> There are now many studies that have concluded that all of the popular mask assumptions were wrong. There are now studies showing the many issues in particular young people have had with their health post-vaccine.
No–the mask assumptions have never been rebutted. What we have seen is that people aren’t good about wearing them reliably. Furthermore, the studies mostly do not distinguish masks from respirators–and against Omicron masks are nearly worthless, respirators or don’t bother.
As for the vaccine–I see a lot of unscientific claims of harm repeated ad nauseum, but no solid science behind them.
> It was a pleasure to be a part of the organizations that fought back this nonsense and to be continuing the much needed litigation to address those who were wronged in the workplace as well.
You don’t get to pick and choose what safety regulations you are going to follow. If you feel they are wrong you take it up with the regulatory body that issued them, you don’t simply ignore them. The number of people who actually have a proper reason not to wear a mask is tiny–and should disqualify someone from flying a jet because it would also mean they can’t wear an oxygen mask if the plane decompresses.
The two previous lawsuits (re: required masking) were dismissed for being vague and without merit.
This third lawsuit is different and it seems like the Plaintiff (pilot) is trying a new tactic, this time making a case for racial profiling, since the premise of the previous two complaints were a bust.
I’d take it a tad more seriously if Plaintiff wasn’t so ludicrous in his demand for 23 (cough, cough) million dollars.
@BBK:
> Prolly a good ole’ smart conservative citizen (IME a vast majority of pilots are conservative indeed, as naturally expected due to the high intellectual and emotional intelligence levels that the job demands)
Except it’s the other way around:
http://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Psychological-Science-2012-Hodson-0956797611421206.pdf
Intelligence is associated with liberal ideas.
Pilots will tend to be conservative because a lot of them got their training from the military.
> And none of you libs dare to say he can’t identify as a Caucasian, you clearly say ‘they’ can be whatever they want. or else you are just a bunch of racists.
I don’t care what he identifies as–it’s completely irrelevant as it was his refusing to wear a mask that was the issue, not his race.
The real COVID conspiracy was executed by a bunch of talking heads in the media and politics, none of whom has a ounce of medical, public health or epidemiology training who think they know more than the professionals. A group of people that:
1. know more about how to educate children than educators
2. think that drag queens are more of a threat to kids than priests, scout masters, coaches, etc.
3. think it’s okay to teach that slavery taught valuable life skills
4. think J6 was just a bunch of tourists strolling through the Capitol
5. clutch their pearls and get the vapors when people call to defund the police while they demand other aspects of law enforcement be defunded
So, you’ll excuse some of us if we think you can take your delusional world of conspiracy theories that are the modern-day equivalent of walking around with aluminum foil around on your heads to prevent satellites from spying on you and blow it out your rears.
As for this pilot, just another whiny, entitled brat who is upset that he didn’t get his way and that there were consequences for his actions.
Nice to see the White Privilege Chad demographic represented in AA’s cockpit. What a dumpster fire of an airline
“There was a strong anti-mask, anti-vaccine ideological tendency among major airline pilot groups.”
Good for them. We needed more people to stand up against the tyranny unleashed during the Covid scam. If about 25-30% of people had simply said “NO”, this fraud would have ended long before it did.
“The obedient always think of themselves as virtuous rather than cowardly.” Robert Anton Wilson
This man is a hero. Anyone who went along with illegal mask mandates is a “Good German” who would have been right at home in the National Socialists party of Germany in WWII. The National Socialists even did exactly the same kind of medical tyranny on a large number of political enemies in concentration camps. All the people here who are attacking this pilot are ignorant of history, and have no respect for the people who have died to protect their freedoms and liberties. The Normies who defend mask policies have never fought for anything. They have no education, no knowledge, no wisdom. That is why anytime a tyrant tells them to jump off a cliff, they do. Now the science has come out and has demonstrated no usefulness to masks, whether N95 or not. That is why N95s are not used in BSL4 labs where such viruses are created as weapons. Likewise, these same Normies also fell for the lies of vaccine efficacy, which the manufacturers own studies clearly demonstrate less efficacy than placebo (doing nothing). What does that say about the intellectual abilities of all the people who attack this pilot? They have been proven wrong by science and in courts of law where we now know the truth. Remember that once all civilizations thought the world was flat. People who defend masks are flat-earthers who are horribly uneducated and terribly afraid of tyrants, that why they accept anything they are told without question. Idiocracy (the movie) in real life.
“Fred” you are the one who is irrelevant. Mark and James N have made some great points, but persons such as yourself will never be able to grasp what he and others are saying, due to the power mainstream media has over them. I can’t even begin to answer “Sobe ER Doc” blathering so I won’t try. It would be fruitless. Lol!
I’m with @Loren.
@James N
Talk about cowards. Like to see you walk up to a homeless person and call them a “bum”
Oh the tyranny.
Nice comment, Rog. What happened, did you comment on the wrong thread? Of course, it’s quite possible you’re simply off your meds.
Over at Paddle Your Own Kanoe it notes ” Salibe was suspended and has been on unpaid leave since 2021
PENDING A DISCIPLINARY OUTCOME.” (sorr,my phone doesn’t do italics)
18 months later, no final decision on his job status yet? What takes so long?
The anti maskers and anti vaccine people are still alive. I thought Covid 2 would have killed them off. Better luck with the next phase.of Covid. Darwin was right you can not cure stupid nor can you put a mask on them. There will always be those who think they know everything when all they have is a 6th grade education and some teaching from a news station that just paid out $$$$$$$$ millions for they fake news
I know I shouldn’t be surprised by comments made by people like Dillon, but how is it possible they still haven’t figured it out. The evidence is everywhere and overwhelming that Covid was nothing more than the basic flu, with the obvious difference being the unrelenting propaganda spit out by the MSM and the “experts”.
Most likely, it comes down to that once people take sides, most of them won’t consider logic or facts that contradict what they initially believed. Changing their minds would result in loss of face. Admitting an error damages most peoples’ self-esteem. They lack the strength of character to admit they were wrong. The last sentence is key to the ongoing Covid fallacies.
Interesting case. Seems he’d need to make a showing that the rule was selectively enforced to create some inference that the action taken against him was based on a legally protected characteristic.
I don’t know what was going on at that airport at the time, but the ones I went through were all fairly uniform in their approach. Seems like a tough case.
@CMorgan:
> “Fred” you are the one who is irrelevant. Mark and James N have made some great points, but persons such as yourself will never be able to grasp what he and others are saying, due to the power mainstream media has over them. I can’t even begin to answer “Sobe ER Doc” blathering so I won’t try. It would be fruitless. Lol!
They have parroted the QOP party line, they haven’t actually made any points. You’re doing exactly what your cult leader wants–closing your mind to any information that doesn’t agree with the cult.
@James N:
> I know I shouldn’t be surprised by comments made by people like Dillon, but how is it possible they still haven’t figured it out. The evidence is everywhere and overwhelming that Covid was nothing more than the basic flu, with the obvious difference being the unrelenting propaganda spit out by the MSM and the “experts”.
The basic flu doesn’t kill at anything like the rate we saw with Covid, nor does it maim survivors. If this were some vast conspiracy to fake the deaths why didn’t your chief moron expose it??
> Most likely, it comes down to that once people take sides, most of them won’t consider logic or facts that contradict what they initially believed. Changing their minds would result in loss of face. Admitting an error damages most peoples’ self-esteem. They lack the strength of character to admit they were wrong. The last sentence is key to the ongoing Covid fallacies.
Look in the mirror. This mess started because your cult leader saw it disproportionately attacking blue areas and thought it was a good thing.
@lars:
> Interesting case. Seems he’d need to make a showing that the rule was selectively enforced to create some inference that the action taken against him was based on a legally protected characteristic.
My thought, also. Just because a minority suffers some adverse consequence doesn’t mean it was because they were a minority.
@Chi Hsuan:
I’m not going to quote your comment because I expect it’s going to be deleted. Calling your opponent names isn’t a legitimate argument.
Ths is hilarious! Not a one of the fools who fell for this crap have read the Pfizer or Moderna documents that were released. Still talking about masks and failed vaccines? Your righteousness and ignorance of your constitutional right has now become a mental illness of delusion to the facts. Please, do the world a favor and get more boosters.
Loren, you need help. Try and extract yourself from the MSM propaganda machine and actually do a little independent research. You might be surprised by what you learn.
@James N:
> Loren, you need help. Try and extract yourself from the MSM propaganda machine and actually do a little independent research. You might be surprised by what you learn.
“Do a little independent research” is right wing code for “pick the source that says what I want to hear.” It’s not realistically possible for the average person to do meaningful research–it takes a lot of time (and likely money) and quite a bit of training. (You got a postgraduate degree??) Meaningful research is realistically only done by those whose job it is to do such research.
All that’s realistically possible is to evaluate the credibility of the conflicting claims that are out there. There’s a huge difference in this–the denier “research” is typically horribly flawed if not outright fabricated. Since myocarditis was mentioned earlier let’s consider the first paper I saw on it (I think it was the first one that came out but I’m not certain.)
The claim was for young adults that the vaccine was riskier–but what exactly were they calculating?? The risk of getting it **in the next 120 days**. Yet the deniers have said that everyone’s going to get it–why limit your analysis to 120 days? Hint: The risk of getting it from the infection is the chance the infection produces it * the chance that you get infected. Make the latter number low by looking at a short window and you “lower” the supposed threat from infection. A realistic assessment would have been comparing infected vs vaccinated then infected–but that wouldn’t have produced the desired result. That was enough for me to recognize it was bunk. (And it turns out they had committed some major math blunders besides.)
The deniers claim that finding studies like that piece of garbage is doing “independent research”. Sorry, the authors had to retract their paper after the math error was discovered.
The popular media (whether mainstream or Faux et al) is pretty much worthless for understanding anything scientific–it’s always reduced to predigested answers that can’t convey the nuances. If they report on something scientific go look at the actual paper or at least what the science writers say about the paper.
Thanks, Loren, for basically confirming you don’t do independent research. I’m shocked!
James N, you say “The evidence is everywhere and overwhelming that Covid was nothing more than the basic flu, with the obvious difference being the unrelenting propaganda spit out by the MSM and the ‘experts’.”
Prior to COVID, I was a competitive runner, a triathlete and Ironman finisher. The only reason I had visited a doctor in the previous 10+ years was for inoculations prior to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Since COVID two-plus years ago I strain to climb a flight of stairs. I cannot jog 100 yards. Sometimes I can’t walk a block down the street. I have 13 different doctors. My income from self employment is down by 90% because of brain fog.
James N, you are a clueless fool.
@James N:
> Thanks, Loren, for basically confirming you don’t do independent research. I’m shocked!
Implying that you did. How about describing what you actually did that you believe constitutes “research”?