United Airlines pilot pleads guilty to intoxication

by Scott Carmichael on

Back in November, Tom wrote about a United Airlines pilot who was pulled from his flight minutes before take-off when his fellow crew members suspected he was drunk.

The pilot, Erwin Washington was scheduled to fly from London Heathrow to Chicago when the authorities asked him to take a breathalyzer test. He recorded 31mg/100, which is more than three times over the legal limit.

Because no replacement pilot was available, all 124 passengers had to be rebooked on other flights.

In a London court, Mr. Washington pleaded guilty to the incident, and will be sentenced next month. In similar cases, pilots are usually handed a fine or suspended sentence.

United Airlines has removed the pilot from service pending the investigation, but the guilty plea may spell the end of his career.

Galley Gossip: Lawyer wants to become a flight attendant

by Heather Poole on


Dear Heather,

I am an attorney, but I stopped working to go back to school for a tax-law post graduate degree and learned so much in school about flight attendants – weird right? Well it’s not really that weird because my professor used to work as a tax lawyer for an airline, so income tax and flight attendant benefits were a big topic! It really got me thinking… wait a minute… this could be an AWESOME way to see the world and have fun being in customer service. I’m a pretty personable person and love meeting people and helping them out. Does it take a certain type of person to be a flight attendant? I just really want to have some fun and adventure. I know there is a lot more to the job than that, but is there ENOUGH fun and adventure to make the not -so -glamorous parts of the job worth it?

Claire

Dear Claire,

Believe it or not, you’re not the only attorney interested in becoming a flight attendant. One of my colleagues who works part time for the airline owns his own law firm in Boston. There’s a reason he still flies when he really doesn’t have to. That’s because the job is still filled with enough fun and adventure to make the not-so-glamorous parts of the job worth it! But it’s up to each flight attendant to make the most of the job, to focus on the positive and take advantage of the flexibility and flying benefits. You’d be surprised to learn how many flight attendants don’t do that. Otherwise it becomes just like any other job. And remember no one ever becomes a flight attendant for the money, but you probably already learned that in tax-law class.
Most of the letters I receive from those interested in becoming a flight attendant are from people who are trying to decide between attending college or a flight attendant training school. I always advise them to go to college first and to avoid the training schools altogether. No need to waste money when airlines train you once you’re hired.

These days the airline industry is not stable. Most airlines are either cutting back or going under, which is why it’s so important to have an education or something to fall back on in case the job doesn’t work out. It’s only because you, Claire, already have an education, as well as a rather impressive career, that I say go for it! Why not? If it’s not the job you’ve always dreamt about you can always quit and go back to being a lawyer. Or better yet, do both!

The biggest problem you may have is actually finding an airline that is hiring. Check out flightattendantcareer.com for a list of airlines now accepting applications. Corporate flying is another alternative. I’ll write more about that in an upcoming Galley Gossip post. Until then, good luck!

And keep me posted!

Heather Poole

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Have a flight attendant question? Send an email to Skydoll123@yahoo.com

Photos courtesy of Dmytrok and Morberg

Irish bookie taking bets on the next bankrupt airline

by Scott Carmichael on

Irish bookie Paddy Power has a long history of funny and quirky wagers. One of their latest is right up our alley – pick the next airline to go bankrupt. Before you pull out your wallet to bet on the demise of your personal favorite airline, you’ll need to know that Paddy Power does not accept U.S. based customers (blame the government for that).

Those outside the U.S. could make a fortune if Air Force One happens to go bankrupt, though more realistic chances are offered on British Airways and several small European low cost carriers.

The fineprint is simple – the airline must cease operations and ground its entire fleet. Airlines cutting routes or other services do not count. If you were a betting kind of person, what would your money be on? Leave your “bet” in the comments!

American Airlines is being watched by the FAA

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Three strikes have led to increased federal attention for American Airlines. The last month hasn’t been kind to the airline. In two instances, planes bumped wingtips with during landings in Charlotte, North Carolina and Austin, Texas and another overshot the runway in Jamaica. The FAA released a statement on Friday indicating that it would review these situations in case they’re symptoms of a larger problem. American Airlines, of course, is cooperating with the FAA in this matter.

And, this comes on top of the airline’s customer service debacle, in which a flight attendant threw a nutter over a passenger’s request for orange juice (still no word on whether disciplinary action or litigation has occurred).

This doesn’t change my perspective on American as the one to beat in 2010. A little extra FAA scrutiny doesn’t change much, and if the airline comes out the other end with no problems – and, better, resolutions – this extra look will soon be forgotten.

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Security at its best: plane returns to destination (for nothing) after “do not fly list” confusion

by Scott Carmichael on

Plane takes off, then ground crew notices plane passenger is on “do not fly list”, plane turns back to airport, passenger not really on “do not fly list”.

That dear readers, is the short version of a breakdown in security.

The moronic incident took place on board a GoJet flight, operating as United Express. The plane departed St. Louis airport, destined for O’Hare. Before take-off, the ground computers used to check for bad guys were not working.

Once the plane was on its way, someone managed to kick some sense into the computers, and noticed that the plane was carrying someone who on the government list of people suspected of something bad. The airline ordered their plane to return back to St. Louis.

Once on the ground, the ground staff came to the conclusion that the bad guy wasn’t really a bad guy, and that he was not the same person as the one on the list. Still with us?

Seriously – you can’t make this stuff up. First we let people fly who are on a watch list, then we let planes take off with someone who may or may not be on the list. The stupidest part? The time the plane took to turn around and land at St. Louis airport is probably only 20 minutes less than it would have taken to fly on to Chicago. Didn’t someone think that if the bad guy really was a terrorist, that turning around minutes into the flight may have been more suspicious than just going on to its destination, and checking him out there?

We don’t need terrorist to screw up air travel – we are doing a mighty fine job on our own.