Over the summer the FAA launched a safety audit of Southwest Airlines. This came after the airline came within feet of the water while still miles from Tampa less than a month after another of the airline’s 737s descended to just over 500 feet while still 9 miles out from the Oklahoma City airport. In April, a Southwest Airlines flight in Hawaii came within 400 feet of the Pacific Ocean. Then in June a Southwest Airlines flight took off from a closed runway Southwest has shared internally some of the issues that FAA inspectors have flagged during the Certificate Holder Evaluation Process Safety Audit. I suppose some of these are better than the pilots who spent a flight watching video feed of passengers in the lavatory? The airline declined comment since “[t]he CHEP is still…
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Tag Archives for pilot.
American Airlines Pilots Overthrow Union President in ALPA Merger Battle: The Fallout Begins
The President of the American Airlines pilot union has been removed, recalled by the union’s board of directors in a 15-5 vote. Captain Ed Sicher, in office in 2022, had controversially sought to exclude pilots from union positions that favored merging with the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), which is the largest pilot union group while pilots at American have their own independent union.
Passengers Left Standing As Iberia Pilot Pushes Back In Miami—Does Cabin Video Show Major Safety Breach?
The pilot of an Iberia flight from Miami to Madrid pushed back the Airbus A330 despite “DOZENS of passengers still waiting to find their seats and stow their bags.”
One passenger, filming the cabin, noted that flight attendants seemed “unconcerned” and wanted to report this to government authorities. In fact, one crewmember is distributing predeparture beverages in the aisle and overhead bins remain open as well.
United Pilot Saves The Day After Emergency Landing, Surprises Stranded Passengers With 30 Pizzas Delivered To The Terminal
The pilot of a San Francisco to Houston United Airlines flight ordered pizza for everyone on board after the plane diverted to New Mexico for a medical emergency, leaving passengers with a long delay on the ground.
Unprecedented Pilot Wages In Peril: Is The Golden Era Already Over? JetBlue Cockpit Crew Think So
Pilots have been seeing record wages in new deals at the major carriers, in the face of paying too many to retire at the depths of Covid while not adding more to the pipeline, a recovery in air travel, and the time and cost to introduce new pilots as a result of government regulation lobbied for by the big pilot union ALPA. The tide may be about to turn.
Safety Showdown: Another American Airlines Pilot Refuses To Fly Faulty Aircraft
Initially the flight delay was due to maintenance. A passenger reports that it was a “door issue.” Mechanics responded, and it appears that maintenance determined they could defer fixing the issue. The captain, though, told passengers he wouldn’t fly the plane in that condition.
American Airlines Just Cancelled All New Pilot Training Through End Of Year As Stock Tanks
American already reduced its pilot hiring for 2024 by 40% year-over-year, also citing Boeing issues, pausing new hire classes for the summer and potentially for December as well. This was consistent with guidance the airline had provided at its March investor day.
But now has cancelled all of its new-hire pilot training through end of 2024.
How Drunken Japan Airlines Pilot’s Big Night In Dallas Cancelled A Flight To Tokyo Last Week
A Japan Airlines flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its 49-year-old captain was reported for drunken and disruptive behavior at his layover hotel. Police were called.
Southwest Airlines Pilot Leans Out Cockpit Window, Cleans Windshield To Ensure On-Time Departure
This Southwest Airlines pilot cleaned his own windshield in order to make it out safely and on time. That’s not part of the job description, or something you see every day, though here’s an American Airlines pilot who did it, too.
Police Body Cam Footage Reveals Pilot’s Love Triangle, Cheating With Delta Flight Attendant
The pilot seems to be dating this flight attendant and it doesn’t seem like a brand new relationship, either, so there appears to have been… overlap. The flight attendant was on her way out of the house, and had spent the night. She appears to be wearing a Delta (purple) uniform and is reportedly Seattle-based.