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Posted: 7/10/2002 3:59:57 PM EDT
[url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020710/od_nm/joke_dc_2[/url]
[b]Passenger Taken Off Flight for Drunk Pilot Joke[/b]
[i]Wed Jul 10,10:01 AM ET[/i]

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - An air passenger who jokingly questioned whether the plane's pilots were sober was removed from an Americas West flight Monday, one week after two of the airline's pilots were arrested in Miami on charges of operating an aircraft while drunk.

America West spokeswoman Patty Nowack said Tuesday the passenger was removed from the Tucson-bound plane and later placed aboard another flight.

"Safety is no joking matter. It is taken very seriously. we try to make the best decisions for all passengers based on what the situation is at hand," Nowack said.

San Francisco International Airport spokesman Ron Wilson said the incident occurred shortly after boarding when the woman asked flight attendants if they had "checked the crew for sobriety."

Wilson said the decision to remove the passenger was left to the airline.

Nowack said the crew decided to take the woman off the aircraft after determining that her remarks constituted a potential security problem.

"While this passenger may have been joking it is difficult to determine if someone is joking or serious. We take any comment regarding safety seriously," she said.

America West last week fired pilots Thomas Cloyd and Christopher Hughes, who were arrested on July 1 on charges of operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol.

The Federal Aviation Administration also revoked the pilots licenses of both men, who were instructed to taxi their airplane back to the gate after security screeners at Miami airport alerted authorities that they had smelled alcohol when the pilots passed through a check.

Police later said a Breathalyzer test at an airport substation had showed the men with blood alcohol levels at 0.091 and 0.084 respectively. Florida law considers a person intoxicated at 0.08.
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 4:04:34 PM EDT
[#1]
I guess it's no longer acceptable to question the airlines about safety, or they'll bump ya, huh?  So was this individual actually joking or was she serious about her question?  In light of recent events I'd submit it was an acceptable question to ask a flight crew.  Methinks they were just being snooty about it.  Of course, I wasn't there, I don't fly airplanes for a living, and I don't play a steward (or stewardess) on TV, or in real life.  
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 4:12:53 PM EDT
[#2]
Wether she was joking or serious, what's the f*cking problem??? Who gives a damn if the poor airline was offended? Maybe she just wanted to make sure she wasn't about to go for a ride in an airplane piloted by a couple of drunks. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 4:24:07 PM EDT
[#3]
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 7:05:36 PM EDT
[#4]
That's good damage control. [whacko]
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 7:28:00 PM EDT
[#5]
If the Airline has a drug/alcohol test for it's employees the question is valid as she is a customer. They just fired 2 drunks, I would also be concerned.
Can you say Lawsuit? I know ya can.

[:)>]
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 7:41:25 PM EDT
[#6]
If the airline is so concerned about safety, why not make the flight crew blow into a breathalyzer before departure?
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 7:52:38 PM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
If the airline is so concerned about safety, why not make the flight crew blow into a breathalyzer before departure?
View Quote


The answer is that they're not!  They're a business, and they're concerned with the [b]illusion of safety[/b].  That illusion is what keeps people flying.  I fly all the time, and am never reassured by the fact that I can no longer carry my swiss army knife, sog multi-plier, and spyderco.  But the sheeple feel safer, and that's what counts.  [:|]
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 8:06:39 PM EDT
[#8]
Wow.  the hypocacy of America West is stunning.  They claim that they removed her for a safety issue.  However, the only thing she did was ask if the pilots were sober.  She didn't joke that she had a bomb or the guy next to her was trying to light his shoes.  She asked, jokingly, if the pilots were sober.  There was NO legitmate safety reason to pull her off the plane.  Its not like she's sneaking into the cockpit with a fifth of whisky to spike the pilots' coffee.  AW, regardless of what their spokespeople say, really did it because they wanted to punish her for embarrassing them.  (If they were really concerned about the safety of the flight due to the safety issues she raised, they would have held the flight and tested the pilots -- not interrogated the passenger.)  

Anyone got an e-mail address for America West?  It is outrageous that they jerked this woman around because they're sensitive to the fact that their airline had 2 drunks taxiing for takeoff a week ago.  

Everyone should also write their Congresspeople and the FAA.  It is one thing for America West to pull someone off the plane for a genuine safety issue.  It is NOT acceptable for AW to try to use safety issues to bully passengers because the airline has too sensitive to be able to understand legitmate safety concerns of passengers.  
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 8:11:57 PM EDT
[#9]
The America West Homepage: [url]http://beta.americawest.com/homeIE.asp[/url]
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 8:34:54 PM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
Wow.  the hypocacy of America West is stunning.  
View Quote


Ed Zachary
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 8:50:07 PM EDT
[#11]
Be careful how you make your jokes.  If you joke that you saw the pilots drinking in the bar earlier at while on my flight, I'm going to stop the flight.  Both of us will walk off the plane and get a piss test right then and there, to make sure nobody questions my sobriety.  That will probably take a couple of hours minimum to arrange.  To make things interesting, I might even find a way to make sure the other passengers know that you are the one that caused their grief.(g)

I sacrificed too much money, personal life, and tears for this career, to let a dumb joke put my
job in jeopardy.  It seems like every ten years or so, one of my peers has to demean the profession with their drinking problem.  I hope you folks realize just how disgusted, the vast majority of pilots are, at the prospect that these two are really guilty of what they are charged with.  I personally quit drinking well before the company policy says I have too.  
- Anarki


Quoted:
Wether she was joking or serious, what's the f*cking problem??? Who gives a damn if the poor airline was offended? Maybe she just wanted to make sure she wasn't about to go for a ride in an airplane piloted by a couple of drunks. Sounds perfectly reasonable to me.
View Quote


Link Posted: 7/10/2002 9:01:46 PM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:

I sacrificed too much money, personal life, and tears for this career, to let a dumb joke put my
job in jeopardy.  
View Quote


If you have nothing to hide, then you should not object to a blood alcohol test.
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 9:32:11 PM EDT
[#13]
I have the upmost respect for pilots and for comercial pasenger pilot specificaly. They have a very demanding techincal job which requires intensive training and are under scrutany every time they go to work. 99.99% of them are profesional and dedicated, it sadens me to see one or two bad apples give the rest a bad name.
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 11:04:42 PM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
Be careful how you make your jokes.  If you joke that you saw the pilots drinking in the bar earlier at while on my flight, I'm going to stop the flight.  Both of us will walk off the plane and get a piss test right then and there, to make sure nobody questions my sobriety.
View Quote

They don't do piss tests for alcohol, at least not that I've ever heard of.  It's either breath or blood.  You must be drunk. [img]http://www.ar15.com/members/albums/Chimborazo/beer.gif[/img] [:D]

Seriously, though -- if someone made a false claim, IMHO the proper scenario would be exactly as you describe:  stop the flight, test the pilots.  If the pilots test clean, then haul the asshole off to jail for disrupting the flight.  If the pilots test drunk, then haul the assholes off to jail for attempting to endanger an entire planeload of passengers.
I hope you folks realize just how disgusted, the vast majority of pilots are, at the prospect that these two are really guilty of what they are charged with.
View Quote

I didn't realize there was any doubt.  They got tested and were found to be over the .08 limit, which meant that they were legally drunk when they drove to the airport, and still legally drunk when they pulled away from the gate.

I'm not surprised that America West has had these problems.  From what I've read, they have the worst maintenance record of any airline.  If I recall correctly, the FAA nearly shut them down a year or two ago because of it.

A couple of Seattle Times articles mentioning it:
[url]http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=faa09&date=20001209[/url]
[url]http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=airsafety24&date=20020224[/url]
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 11:18:46 PM EDT
[#15]
Quoted:
Be careful how you make your jokes.  If you joke that you saw the pilots drinking in the bar earlier at while on my flight, I'm going to stop the flight.  Both of us will walk off the plane and get a piss test right then and there, to make sure nobody questions my sobriety.  That will probably take a couple of hours minimum to arrange.  To make things interesting, I might even find a way to make sure the other passengers know that you are the one that caused their grief.(g)

I sacrificed too much money, personal life, and tears for this career, to let a dumb joke put my
job in jeopardy.  It seems like every ten years or so, one of my peers has to demean the profession with their drinking problem.  I hope you folks realize just how disgusted, the vast majority of pilots are, at the prospect that these two are really guilty of what they are charged with.  I personally quit drinking well before the company policy says I have too.  
- Anarki
View Quote


That doesn't make any sense.  Why would you go to all the trouble yourself just to prove you did NOT have alcohol in your system?

A bona fide allegation made to the correct parties would necessitate a test anyway.  You wouldn't have the choice.  If you blow hot, there's no way to avoid it anyway.  

A silly comment, like the one here, is as irrelevant as someone just wondering to themselves about a pilot's level of sobriety.  

If instead the passenger asked if you were qualified to actually fly the plane, would you stop and proceed to demonstrate your level of competence to fly the plane?  
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 11:20:07 PM EDT
[#16]
Link Posted: 7/10/2002 11:23:15 PM EDT
[#17]
Link Posted: 7/13/2002 12:04:38 PM EDT
[#18]
The airlines and airport security is becoming more and more like a NAZI occupied state and we are doomed to live with it. Thanks a fuc**** lot OSAMA , hope your buried under 1000 tons of ruble you piece of shit.
Link Posted: 7/13/2002 1:03:00 PM EDT
[#19]
Customer service for [url=http://beta.americawest.com/contact/ps_email.asp]America West[/url]

I left them a little missive, feel free to leave one of your own.

Oh, and they promise to "get back to you as soon as someone can"...

How about I hold my breath?
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