news

It was on The Today show this morning. A woman was boarding the plane and asked the stewardess who was standing in the next to the cockpit door "Is everybody sober in there?". The Stewardess was not amused and asked if the woman was worried. The woman said no and sat down. Several minutes later an announcement came on that the flight would be delayed because a passenger was suspicious that the pilots were drinking and they were going to take a sobriety test. A security guard then came on the plane, escorted the woman off, and she was rerouted to a later and more inconvenient flight.

Looks like the woman is going to sue. The Spokesperson for America West (who is already in trouble for pilots flying under the influence), apologized to the woman several times, but I think they know they blew it. While I agree that the joke might have been inappropriate, I really think they overreacted in pulling her off the flight.

I guess we all better watch what we say in addition to all the other rules and regulations while flying.

ME

she has every right to. I hope she gets more than that punk in Inglewood, CA.

Dick

What is really frightening with the America West flight( with the drunk pilots) is that the flight attendants made no attmpt to prevent them from flying.

It appears that security person in the terminal initiated the action to halt the flight.

The flight had pushed back and was taxiing down the runway. I'd fire the flight attendandts too

sally

Never, no more will I fly America West. They obviously feel so guilty that they are taking things to the extreme. And I agree the the flight crew should be questioned about why they thought the pilots were fit to fly.

kkj

I think asking the flight attendants to stop a pilot from flying drunk is like asking a nurse in an operating room to stop a drunk doctor. It is very hard to do.

The airline certainly took this woman's comment the wrong way. She had every right to ask. She wasn't disrespecting the pilots, their fellow drunk pilots already did that.

traveller

<<it is very hard to do>>?
are they really that timid? i don't want to fly with a wuss like that. i prefer someone who considers not only MY safety but that of the other passengers. I certainly wouldn't get in a car with a driver who had been drinking, why fly?

nurse nancy

I am a surgical nurse. You'd better believe me when I tell you that I would report any doctor who was acting suspiciously and I have questioned many orders in my career. These have been lack of judgement because of fatigue and overwork, not alcohol consumption. At the beginning of each flight we are told that the attendants are there primarily for our safety. What a load of garbage! I was held to a standard involving malpractice as well as the doctors. Are we supposed to accept that the attendants are not professionals and therefore not really liable under the law for jeopardising our safety? WOW! I hope this passenger takes them for all they're worth.

traveller

Thank you, Nurse Nancy, for taking your responsibilities seriously.

Ed

Nurse Nancy is not being brave, bold, or showing off.
I'm a physician and there is a code in most OR's in most non-rural hospitals which practically eliminates the childishness that makes corporate whistleblowing difficult.
Most all OR nurses I've ever known are not timid souls and would not hesitate an instant to call a surgeon or anesthesiologist on suspicious behavior.

Never Again

Why is America Worst still in business? I made the mistake of trying to fly with them. Had a connection in Phoenix and needed to catch a cruiseship in Vancouver. The flight arrived in Phoenix a little late but my connecting flight was also late departing and still at the gate. When we arrived at the departure gate, we were told we could not board even though the plane was still at the gate, and the attendant literally ran to slam the jetway door closed. The plane continued to sit there for about 20 minutes while we argued and then pushed back. After some spirited discussion the plane then came back to the gate and we were able to board. It then sat there another 30 minutes before departing. On the return trip, we were not so lucky and had to stay in Phoenix after missing our connection. Stayed in a really seedy part of Phoenix until the next day. This time got into another arguement with ticketing agent who would not identify himself when I asked his name to file a complaint. I would never fly this airline again and cannot understand why it is still in business. Caveat emptor.

John

I've flown AWA easily 100 times over the past 10 years and have experienced a grand total of major SNAFU....grounded aircraft overnight because the destination airport was closed due to storms.
AWA is more of a no-frills feeling carrier vs UA and AA, but if you live in PHX, you almost have to fly with them.
Everyone's experience is different I guess.

John

....that should read ".....a grand total of one major SNAFU...."

wondering

John: I take it you live in Phoenix. The devil is in the connection through Phoenix.

John

Yes, I can see how that could make a difference.
I have rarely had to connect in PHX.

Huh?

Obviously America West blew it, but the passenger did, too. Making an incredibly insensitive remark to someone who is one of many having their careers trashed by events that they have almost zero control over isn't too bright.

I hope the courts don't provide that passenger with any more compensation than her actual economic damages in this case, which are probably not all that much. It's a dumb case to bring to court, but a pretty good indication of how some people will happily muck up the judicial system trying to make a point. And for those of you cheering her on, I hope you get to spend a few weeks on jury duty dealing with some stupid, petty insult like this that wastes 20 times more of YOUR time and money than the plaintiff lost in the original incident in question. Gimme a BREAK!

frivilous

I agree, but the point is that this is a poorly managed corporation. At least they do not hide the fact like the Enrons of the worldcom

laywer

I work in aviation law and policy, and let me tell you that no one in our field flies America West. They are hanging on to their certification by a thread - the FAA has them on probation and they are one mechanic's mistake from being at least temporarily grounded. This arrest of drunk pilots was on the heels of an internal America West report that about %40 of their pilots have fallen asleep in the cockpit. Something is seriously wrong with that airline.

not laughing

On the other hand, there are signs at security in Newark and a repeated loudspeaker announcement at Bush I Intercontinental (Houston) warning that anyone who makes "inappropariate jokes" may be detained. (I assume this means jokes about bombs and terrorism.)Perhaps they should just change it to cover jokes in general.

Facts Only

'Lawyer' is either lying about being associated with the FAA, really uninformed, or just plain out to lunch.

Note this message from last year here at Fodor's by someone named 'Wendy':

Message: According to US News & World Report, America West is one mechanical violation away from being shut down by the FAA.
***************************************
Author: Edward ([email protected])
Date: 06/17/2001, 09:40 pm
Message: Wrong, Wendy.
That's NOT what the article said.

The article (from December of last year) cited the FAA's frustration with AWA's failure to demonstrate a coherent and carefully supervised maintenance program, largely due to recent job cuts and management changes.
It did NOT state that there was a plan to shut the airline down, and there was 'one more strike and you're out' policy.

The FAA demanded that AWA come up with a new plan to demonstrate a committment to their maintenance program.
Since that plan was designed, there has been no other statement from the FAA.

Does this mean AWA is top notch in the industry with regard to safety, etc? No. In fact, if I had to bet, I'd guess that the struggling second tier airlines are probably the spottiest (USAirways, TWA (now AA), Northwest, etc).
But stick to the facts.
AWA has never had a major incident and never a fatality since it was formed in 1983. And Phoenix is usually rated one of the 5 safest airports in North America (largely due to the lack of foul weather).
And no, I don't work for AWA. And yes, the FAA is truly a mess and field inspectors are in many ways discouraged from making life difficult for the airlines.
But try to throw your stones more accurately.

************************************************** ****************************

Message: And the 2001 quality rankings for major carriers(try not to snicker, now) as released by the US Dept of Transportation:
1. US Airways
2. Northwest
3. Southwest
4. Delta
5. American
6. America West
7. Continental
8. United
9. TWA