Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It is now becoming public that the pilot was responding to concerns raised by passengers relayed to him via cabin attendants. What were his choices as the captain of the ship if indeed, his passengers were raising the alarm? Does he simply ignore the possibility of a volatile in-flight confontation or choose to advise security to ask the muslims to de-plane and let the security boffos and his airline work out a solution?
I've flown on a lot of airplanes, and never once has the pilot asked me for my opinion as to whether it was wise to take off, or taken a poll of the passengers before making a decision about the safety of the flying conditions. If there's a guy sitting next to me telling the stewardess, "It's just not possible. This airplane is so heavy, how can it possibly stay up there?" I don't expect her to scurry up to the cockpit to ask the pilot to scrub the takeoff because one of the passengers is worried about what will happen.
If the passengers were saying that they were too afraid to fly with those scary men on the airplane, he could have said, "Those gentlemen paid for their tickets, just as you did. They were required to go through the same security checkpoints that you went through. Their bags went through the same screening and searching protocols as yours went through. What is more, their right to practice their religion is protected by the same First Amendment that protects yours. There is no reason to think that these two gentlemen pose any greater danger to this aircraft or the people on it than anyone else, but if any of you wish to exit the aircraft and take another flight I will delay pushback to give you the opportunity to do so."
On and on it goes - and if these two clowns removed from the plane really want something to be upset about, why aren't they angry at those Muslims doing all the killings and murders that make all Muslims look bad?
How do you know they aren't? Believe it or not, there are Muslims who hate al-Qaeda just as much as you or I do.
The pilot is responsible for getting the plane to its destination without crashing. He is not responsible for security screening. I wouldn't feel so comfortable flying with a pilot who's more worried about kicking people off for their attire than doing his damn job.
The FAA disagrees with you. The pilot is the final authority of everything that goes on while he is in command. He has the right, the authority, and the obligation to do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of the crew and passengers. He is like the captain of a ship and is empowered with euqal responsibility. You seem to think of him as a bus driver that doesn't care what happens on board as long as he makes all of his stops on time. Like I said earlier, the FAA disagrees with you and, thankfully for all fliers, the FAA is correct and you are wrong.
If they are living in the US, why would they insist on appearing like they're still in the Middle East? Do they think that's going to get them accepted here?
Is this "conform to our dress code" attitude considered to be an example of "land of the free", or is refusing to fly somebody based on their dress more a "home of the brave" thing?
The FAA disagrees with you. The pilot is the final authority of everything that goes on while he is in command. He has the right, the authority, and the obligation to do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of the crew and passengers. He is like the captain of a ship and is empowered with euqal responsibility. You seem to think of him as a bus driver that doesn't care what happens on board as long as he makes all of his stops on time. Like I said earlier, the FAA disagrees with you and, thankfully for all fliers, the FAA is correct and you are wrong.
You're right, but please don't put too much faith into pilots' intelligence. Take it from someone who used to work with them for years. A third of these people are idiots.
You're right, but please don't put too much faith into pilots' intelligence. Take it from someone who used to work with them for years. A third of these people are idiots.
Oh, I'm not putting my fiath in their intelligence. I'm putting it in their self-preservation instnct. I believe anyone on the plane will err on the side of safety because its their lives that are on the line. I trust that more than I trust some security screener who will still be alive at the end of the day if he allows an armed terrorist on to the plane. Pilots have a saying "If a pilot makes a mistake, the pilot could die. If a controller makes a mistake, the pilot could die." I would extend that to TSA screeners as well these days.
You're right, but please don't put too much faith into pilots' intelligence. Take it from someone who used to work with them for years. A third of these people are idiots.
As in every field. But yes, pilots have the legal authority and obligation to do whatever they feel is necessary for safety. This overrides what the company would like at times.
You sound like an angry, disgruntled loner type... I'm getting kind of a distinct Ted Kaczynski/Jared Lee Loughner vibe from you.
I don't think I trust you and I don't feel safe flying on a plane with you.
Fine by me. I'ld rather be on a plane with other people who would kick butt if the flight was threatened, than a bunch of sheep wringing their hands about how offended the bad guy would be, if you asked them politely to stop crashing the plane.
I am not aggressive until pushed. Live Free or Die. Give me Liberty or Death. Live and Let Live. Push me to far from these ideals and then maybe I would get agressive.
I am not subject to much, and won't be a slave to Islam, but i won't stop anyone who likes that idea.
The FAA disagrees with you. The pilot is the final authority of everything that goes on while he is in command. He has the right, the authority, and the obligation to do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of the crew and passengers. He is like the captain of a ship and is empowered with euqal responsibility. You seem to think of him as a bus driver that doesn't care what happens on board as long as he makes all of his stops on time. Like I said earlier, the FAA disagrees with you and, thankfully for all fliers, the FAA is correct and you are wrong.
Umm... No. He can refuse to pilot the plane with them in it, just as I can refuse to do my job while I'm at work, and just like me, he can be taken off the plane and fired by the company that he works for. It's as simple as that. In this case, the company laid down to the bigot pilot. You seem to think the pilot is some kind of tyrant who answers to no one. How ridiculous...
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
