So, you're the one.... Yes, Ma'am!

Most of you in the airline business have likely heard of this guy by now. You might even be expecting this blog to be another installment of bashing, but it won't be. Instead, I've got some different angles to talk about.

First off, if you haven't heard of Mr. Tim Martins, here's a little background info. He's an FO for American Eagle. There was an article in Airline Pilot, the Airline Pilots Association magazine called, "Wise Beyond His Years." The article was about FO Tim Martins, and in it he made some very impressive and specific claims about himself. Most notably, he flies F-16s for the 177th Fighter Wing of the NJ Air National Guard, and works as a firefighter and paramedic for Ladder Company #2 in NYC.

Well, once this article ran back in April of this year, there was quite a stir. This article made this guy out to be a role model for the ALPA Code of Ethics. However, no one was able to substantiate his claims. Turns out, the 117th Fighter Wing has never heard of him. That is when it all began to unravel.

So, first and foremost, this was a huge embarrassment for ALPA. I know you can't check every single fact every single time when publishing a magazine, but the irony of this is just too funny. Turns out the guy is totally full of shit about his background, has a history of being full of shit about lots of things in his past, yet he was touted as such an upstanding and exemplary pilot. Some of the quotes from the magazine:

"F/O Timothy Martins personifies pilot professionalism and living by the ALPA code of ethics."

"He is what ALPA stands for. Tim is ALPA."

"Nominated by F/O Ray Nicoll(Delta), F/O Martins was selected from an excellent field of pilots recommended by their peers."

Yikes. Yikes, yikes, yikes. A turn of events like that just makes your stomach churn. This article has since been removed from the online version of Airline Pilot magazine.

I will admit, I do understand a little of where FO Martins is coming from. I wanted to be a fighter pilot. Lots of us did. Hell, there isn't a pilot I've flown with yet that can't stream at least a few quotes from the movie Top Gun. No, the movie wasn't realistic at all, but it was damn entertaining. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about what might have been if I had been able to be a military pilot. Perhaps fantasy just went a little far for FO Martins. Perhaps he's even got a diagnosable medical condition where his brain has trouble keeping fact apart from fantasy. I don't think there is any screening for that in any FAA medical certification.

I certainly don't envy the position he is now in. I can't imagine him being able to get hired at any other airline now. With how much exposure this now has, he'll always be known as as a dishonest pilot. That's got to be tough to live every day with if he's still flying the line now. I've also heard that some ACTUAL fighter pilots are really steamed about this.

Let's look at it another way. OK, so he was full of crap. However, he didn't break any FAA regulations, he didn't do anything unsafe, and no one was in any danger for what he said. *shrug* The biggest problem is that it's an act of dishonesty. That doesn't reflect well on a professional pilot. That said, I think Mr. Martins would have a brilliant career in politics ahead of him. Or, perhaps airline CEO? After all, those are two very profitable careers that seem to reward dishonesty more often than not. Senator Tim Martins? I can see it happening.

The other point that came to mind for me was all the talk on the "internets" about FO Martins when this whole thing blew up.
http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/military/49320-military-poser-alpa-magazine.html
This thread has since reached epic proportions, however, at least at first, I was very impressed with the pilot groups out there as they weren't immediately going for the jugular. They were saying things like, "Hey, this doesn't sound right." "Lets get some information and see if this guys is really full of it." People were actually taking this very objectively. There was a suspicion and so they went forth and gathered actual information before hanging the accused out to dry. It was short lived since his story could not be validated, but that's fine. At least they gave him a chance. In an era where the media paints the accused to be guilty before proven innocent, it was great to see people attempting to give him the benefit of the doubt while they tried to dig up validation on his story. If only we could all be more like this more of the time.

We make WHAT!?

If you're reading this, then you likely understand that regional pilots, specifically first officers, do not make a whole lot of money. The other 99.999% of the public think that every airline pilot makes six figures. This is just the way of things.

A recent issue of Professional Pilot magazine ran a "2010 Pilot Salary Recap." I was curious, so I paged to that section. They showed the typical pay ranges for various turboprops, bizjets and the like. Then, I saw a category for Regional Jets. I was VERY curious.

Here are the pay rates they published for part 121 (aka airline) first officers in regional jets:

CRJ200 Average: $42,000 Low: $27,000 High: $62,000
CRJ700 Average: $47,000 Low: $35,000 High: $65,000
CRJ900 Average: $50,000 Low: $38,000 High: $71,000
ERJ145 Average: $42,000 Low: $31,000 High: $63,000
ERJ175 Average: $47,000 Low: $36,000 High: $67,000

All I could say after reading this was, "WTF!? Are you kidding me?!?!? Where in the holiest of all hells are you getting this information?" I emailed then asking them to justify this garbage information. Here's what I got back from them:

Dear Pilot Stig,

"We're Gay!"

-Propilot Magazine

OK, that's not what I got back. I haven't contacted them. I was about to, but then I found where they explain the data they have. Turns out, they sent out surveys to pilots and the data they gather back is what they publish. They do claim, however, they have a verification process of this data. Huh. Well, I guess there are a few points to make here:

If this data is just from pilots answering surveys, one would imagine that those pilots with embarrassingly low pay rates, wouldn't be as willing to let others know just how little they are paid. Pilots have egos, you know. Those pilots doing well, would feel more accomplished showing the salary they earn. This would sway the figures to the high side.

Lets also take note that the article states they received 22.2% of their surveys back from pilots. That's means that nearly 4/5ths of the data is MISSING!!! That's not an insignificant portion. This study is being published using data from 1/5th of the pilots they queried.

Since all pay rates are based on seniority (i.e. years of service), new hire FOs would be the lowest paid pilots. I would have to say that I don't know of a single US regional airline that pays their new hire FOs $30,000/year, yet the low figures published here are all OVER $30,000. That just doesn't pass the sniff test in terms of a true representation of what the lowest paid RJ pilots are being paid. Put it this way, back when Northwest was still around, their first year FO pay for the DC-9 was about $30,000/year. You really think regional airlines will be paying FOs more than a mainline carrier???

Most pay scales with airlines will "cap out." You will continue to be paid more and more each year you stay at one company. However, at some point, you will top out on the pay scale and not make anymore for subsequent years. Again, I don't know of ANY US regional carriers who have pay scales for FOs that reach numbers like this survey shows as its high figures. Again, the sniff test is not passed.

I willfully admit, I am only familiar with US regional carriers. Perhaps much of this data is for carriers overseas.

So, I guess the lesson learned here is to be very careful of what you read. These numbers are very misleading. I know ProPilot is just basing this off surveys, and they do state that on the first page of that report. I do question their verification process, since I just don't buy these figures as reasonable.

"There are liars, damned liars, and statisticians." - Mark Twain

The other stuff

There's a guy in Indiana that I keep in touch with, give advice to and answer questions for. He's wanting to do what I done. No, not clog a hotel toilet in the morning. He wants to ditch an existing career and fly airplanes for a living. I refuse to tell him, "Don't do it... you'll hate it... blaaa blaa..." But, I'm also not going to lead him on saying it's all rainbows and butterflies.

Even after only a year in the industry, I understood what those guys were talking about when they told me not to do this for a living, but its still something I'm glad I did. It fits me far better than the old "cubical farm" did. I just wasn't cut out for that.

As a long distance commuter, I have spent many an hour on the jumpseat of mainline aircraft. I think 90% of the captains on those planes and many of the FOs, have military aviation backgrounds. The particular crew that pops into my head, were both military pilots and we chatted a fair bit for the flight. Once they learned of my former career they said, "What made you wanna do this for a living?" I said that I had always loved planes, loved flying them, and I dearly hated my job. Their reply was, "Oh yeah, flying airplanes is great. But, it's not the flying part that's the problem!"

They really hit the nail on the head with that. The actual flying of the aircraft is really a fun and challenging job. It's the "other stuff" that's more difficult and annoying to deal with. Everything from reading endless company memos that seem to be meant for a 3 year old, to listening to your company management tell you how poorly flight crews do their job and how we're to blame for the company not making money. About 90% of what happens outside of the plane is a pain in the ass. Some things are worse than others. For the most part, once all the passengers are on board, and the cabin door is closed, about 90% of that work isn't bad at all. There are challenges involved in the flight, but the actual operation of the flight is what you've really signed up for.

When my Indiana buddy asks me a question, I don't pull the PR move and act like everything is great in my line of work. I try to be honest and fair. He knows and understands that. I wish I had more people like me to chat with before I made the jump to this career. I would have still done it, however, I certainly could have been better prepared for things. It would have made for fewer mistakes and a lot less stress.

New TSA Badge

Credit where it's due. This is the creation of Patrick Smith, who was the big inspiration for me to create this very blog. I highly recommend reading his book, Ask the Pilot.

As you may already have guessed, Patrick Smith is Pilot Stig approved! :-)

Top 10 Airline Myths

10. Airline pilots all make six figure salaries: In the regional airlines today, one might reach a 6-figure salary, but that will only be after being on the job with the same company for 20 years or more. All pay rates are based on "years of service" and those rates differ from company to company. Most companies are such that their most senior pilots are making just over $100k per year. However, at that same company, the most junior pilots are making less than $20k per year. All the other pilots are somewhere in between.

9. Airline pilots only work 2 weeks per month: While it is true that many regional pilots fly between 75 and 90 hours per month, don't be fooled into comparing this to most people's 40 hour week. As I explained in this post, 75 hours of pay means you can end up actually working 290 hours per month, taking into account all the time you spend sitting around airports and hotels. Airlines like to say that we are not working during this time and hence we aren't paid for it. However, we are required to be at the airport or hotel during this time, away from our homes and families. 290 hours per month works out to around 36 8-hour days per month, in case you were wondering. I'll be honest, I'm not a fan of Michael Moore, but even he seems to get it, as pointed out here.

8. The best pilots become Captains: When an airline pilot becomes a Captain is SOLELY based on seniority. Those pilots with the earliest date of hire with that company are the most senior. Based on how many aircraft the company operates and how much flying with do, there are a certain number of Captain and First Officer slots availible. When you hire, you'll be on the bottom of the list. In order to upgrade to Captain, there's really only a few things that can allow that to happen. If you are in the company long enough, and enough old guys retire, then you can move up enough in relative seniority to hold the left seat in something. Another way is for the company to experience very rapid growth. This means additional aircraft and additional flying, hence, more captain slots are available. The company will also be hiring more people, but all of them would be more junior to you, so your relative seniority would climb and you might be senior enough to get an upgrade. It has NOTHING to do with anything else. Skills, experience, how good a person you are, your background, your dashing good looks, how good a Captain you can be, etc. Compass Airlines is a very classic example of this. Many former ATA pilots took jobs at Compass. So, there are former DC-10 Captains who are now sitting in the right seat of an EMB-175. The guy or gal sitting in the left seat next to them might only have 1/10th of their hours, but they have an earlier date of hire in that company.

7. Airlines care about their pilots and cabin crews: At least at the regionals, this is laughable. The company doesn't care about their crews. It's obvious. We are merely an expense for them, and they seem to hate the fact that they actually need to pay us to make the whole company operate. Regional airlines constantly try to pressure flight crews into taking a flight with an aircraft that has an unsolved problem, or into weather that is below FAA minimum requirements. Pilots have been threatened with disciplinary actions if they were to refuse. When pilots get busted by the FAA for taking such a flight, the company throws their hands up saying "Hey, they're the pilots. They chose to go! We didn't make them! It's not our fault!" The company only views the crews as names and numbers that they seem to get off on bullying us around. Another great example of how the company views it's workforce is the treatment of ground crews. It's not uncommon for a huge group of rampies to be fired after a few years for no apparent reason. There is a reason. After being around for a few years, the rampies start to make more money. By firing senior rampies, and hiring new ones, the company is able to lower their operating costs. And, yes, this dose actually happen.

6. Airlines care about passengers: Regional airlines don't exist to be nice to you. All the TV commercials you see are made by advertising companies. Those companies aren't paid to tell you the truth. They are paid to get you to fly. It's business. Businessmen and businesswomen don't get to be successful by being nice, generous and giving people. Do you think Warren Buffett is a nice guy at business meetings? How about The Donald. No. It's business. It's not personal. It's money and that's it. It's faceless ruthlessness. That's how business people are. That's how they are trained to be. If you can screw someone else to make more money, then that is just what you do. Don't believe me? Go spend some time at an airport. Just sit around various gates and listen to what unfolds. Everything from an elderly passenger waiting on a aircraft for 30 minutes waiting on a wheelchair, to passengers looking at the "On Time" label next to their 5:30pm flight when the current time is 6:10pm.

5. Airlines care about safety: The only way airlines are interested in safety is in advertising. Stating that you are a safe airline and that you are safety oriented sounds great when trying to sell tickets. In practice, airlines will cut safety short whenever they can get away with it. Why? Airlines are a business. Safety regulations typically add inefficiencies to the system. Broken planes can't fly passengers and generate revenue. Fixing and maintaining airplanes is expensive. Crews without legal rest can not fly passengers and generate revenue. Weather delays mean canceled flights, lost revenue, and overbookings to deal with later. Business people are constantly on the hunt for ways to trim their operating costs. The FAA has many rules in place for aircraft, crews, etc, to protect the traveling public from the company cutting corners in safety in order to cut costs and make more money. Now, commonsense states that any money saved with this will be blown out of the water if a plane crashes and people die. However, airline managers don't seem to get this. They seem to only be reactive, not proactive. If the plane hasn't crashed yet, keep trimming. We'll deal with a crash when it happens. Besides, we can always call it, "pilot error." It's like company managers are a disease and the FAA is the vaccine designed to keep the infection at bay.

4. Pilots only work 8 hours per day: This depends on if you are using the company's definition of work, or the normal human definition of work. Pilots can fly up to 8 hours in a day. Sure. But we can be on duty for up to 16 hours in a day. That's TWICE the amount of time. On duty means we are required to be at the airport and available to the company. Yes, just sitting around. Sometimes for up to 5 hours straight. During this time (known as airport appreciation time), we are paid the mighty $1.50/hr per diem, and that's all. So, if you think of "on duty" as being "at work" then you are more of a normal human.

3. Pilots have 12 hours of rest every night: I've had everything from 8 hours rest to 21 hours rest on overnights. It varies constantly. However, the term "rest" is of particular importance in this discussion. See my post on Rest Defined. In summary, the FAA definition of rest, and Webster's definition of rest are NOT the same. 8 hours of "rest" usually means 5 hours of sleep if you're lucky.

2. Pilots always go on strike whenever they aren't happy: Airline pilots in the US are under the Railway Labor Act of 1947. This SEVERELY restricts a pilot group's ability to strike. A great example of this is the just ended Spirit Airlines strike. Those pilots had been trying to get a fair contract for THREE YEARS before they were able to actually walk off the job in protest of the company's treatment towards them. THREE YEARS of empty promises from management, low pay, and poor working conditions set by the company. This wasn't a case of unhappy temper tantrum pilots as the media has been portraying. The law prohibits that from occurring. The fact that those pilots actually got to the point where they legally went on strike, with all the RLA's restrictions, shows just how poorly Spirit management has treated the pilots on the line and in contract negotiations over the last THREE YEARS. All I hear in the media is the strike happened because of the pilots. In truth, THREE YEARS of bad management is what really made that strike happen.

And, the number one airline myth...

1. Airline pilots' jobs are all automated: Anyone who says this has NO F*CKING IDEA what they are talking about. That's just a fact. Several completely ignorant journalists out there have written things stating the auto pilot does everything and the pilots are just sitting there making money for doing nothing. To these douches, I ask this. Go take a type rating class for a regional jet or turboprop. Go ahead. I'm sure your company would even pay for it. Even if it's just a week or two long abbreviated course. After all, the whole course is a full month long. I would just love to see the expression on your faces when you try and shoot a simple visual approach backed up by a coupled ILS in visual conditions. Even with all systems operating, no bad weather to worry about, and not even a slam dunk from ATC. It will be oh so quickly that you realize the plane doesn't just fly itself. Please, this is a serious matter. After all, writing about something you are utterly clueless on is very irresponsible and an insult to your profession. Paging Mr Chris Pummmer! Paging Mr Marshall Brain! Try and fly one of these highly automated aircraft (full motion simulator would suffice just fine since you're likely not even pilots.) Then write an article telling us all how easy it actually was. I'll be here waiting.

Flying a heavy

http://www.khou.com/news/local/southwest-passenger-too-big--95897874.html

I have to say, Southwest is the only company that seems to have issues with big fatty's on their airplanes. In actuality, I think SWA is the only company with the balls to call out the "Overweight American." This country has had a growing overweight problem for some time now. I'll be honest, I'd like to lose a few pounds, but there is a difference in having a few extra pounds and a really truly obese person taking up more than their fair share of space.

Now, there might be a few of you out there who are going to act all high and mighty and say you understand the plight of large people and don't like when an airline alienates obese people. When these people are the ones assigned a seat next to a "beefy," I hear them say things that don't convey their supposed sincerity and understanding of larger persons. I hear phrases like, "Sweaty and smelly." "Rolls touching me the whole time." And, my favorite, "Spilling over the arm rest."

So, when I saw this news article, I didn't expect it to be more than the standard dichotomy as I just described. Then, I read the following:

"I guess because he’s a Florida man, and you see two-pieces all day on skinny women that you just wanna discriminate against a Texas woman or something. Everything in Texas is bigger. What, ya gonna ban the whole state?" Guillory added.

Just hold on a second there Bessie.... "Everything is bigger in Texas?" "Ban the whole state?" Holy crap, if I was from Texas, I'd be pretty pissed off. I bust my ass to stay in decent shape. This woman is LARGE. One does not require a medical doctor to see that she's obese. Maybe she is one of those unfortunate few that has a serious medical condition and she can not rid herself of so much body mass. HOWEVER, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say she's likely one of the other 99.999% of obese people that are victims of their own actions.

Point of fact, it's not easy for everyone to get and stay in shape. Especially when you consider how easy it is to eat junk food and be lazy. It's not easy to learn the complete anatomy of the human body either. So, if you don't put in the hours studying and learning it, you won't become a medical doctor. So, if you're eating fast food constantly, never working out and logging 1000s of hours of couch time, then don't run your damn mouth about how you are the victim.

Last time I checked, there were an awful lot of people from Texas that are not obese. Lance Armstrong is from Texas. I don't know anyone that would consider him out of shape. These women are from Texas as well. I don't see anyone here that is anywhere near the hugeness of Ms. Connie Guillory. She's obese. That's just a fact. There's no emotion or prejudice behind that. Based on her height, weight and body fat percentage, she is obese. Plain and simple.

It's been extensively documented in the medical community that it's not healthy to be of such size. We certainly seem to have no problem judging people whole smoke and drink. We know those activities are not conducive to healthy living. So, why is it so bad to call out the fatties? And why would this woman imply, in her apparent defense, that everyone else from the state of Texas is just as fat as she is? That isn't even a defense. It's simply a deflection, and a poor one at that.

Put down the burger and get your ass on a treadmill, Ms. Guillory. Trust me, all the passengers you sit next to will like it and most important of all, you will be happier with yourself and live a longer, healthier life.

Soapy parallels

So, I was taking dump at the hotel this morning... I didn't have anything to read at the time. All I could find was a bar of soap. I figured, well, it's better than just staring at the wall.

I began to read it's wrapper: "A botanical blend of ingredients to gently cleanse and condition the skin. Made with a pure aroma from organically grown plants and flowers and a luxurious blend of palm oils."

Directly below that, I read: "Ingredients: Sodium Palmate, Sodium Palm Kernelate, Water, Glycerin, Sorbitol, Palm Kernel Acid, Fragrance, Sodium Chloride, Mica and Titanium Dioxide, Tetrasodium EDTA, Tetrasodium Etidronte, Citric acid Iron Oxides, Yellow 5.

Hmmmm... you know... This bar of soap is a great parallel to airline CEOs. On one hand they are telling us how tough they have it, and how they can't make money, how many fees they must charge passengers, how expensive Jet-A is, how many crews will be furloughed, and how they can't afford to pay employees more money. Then, you look at their multi-million dollar salaries, custom suits, fancy cars, and endless stock options, none of which has ANYTHING to do with with their performance as a "captain of industry."

Why don't we ask them, "Hey, if you're the one running the company and taking all the credit and profit from success, why aren't you taking blame for the losses? Aren't you the big boss in charge? Could it be that you actually suck at your job and don't deserve your paycheck?"

Maybe you're good at it, maybe you're not. But, I think it's a question worth asking. I know if I can't perform on my job, my ass will be in the chief pilot's office with that very same question being asked of me. I think most people must perform on their job or they will risk losing that job.

Why is today's CEO considered so high and mighty? They are just people. Most are without medical, science or engineering degrees. They have accounting degrees and MBAs. They can be good, and they can really blow. It's time to weed out the ones that blow. It's time for performance based compensation for these high and mighty industry leaders. If they truly are so good, then they should have no problem whatsoever showing how awesome they are with RESULTS, thereby EARNING their paycheck. If they screw up, the don't get all their bonuses and stock options, and the make a meager wage like the rest of us. If they keep screwing up, it's out the damn door and no severance pay either!

If you take the job and say, "I can do this job and make this work," and you don't... that's false advertising and you shouldn't be rewarded for it. To bad, so sad.

My FFAOs post

I posted this just last month. It was meant to be half-serious. First half, yes, I really think it just might cause some of those oh-so-full-of-themselves passengers to cool the attitude a bit. However, second half, red tape would certainly strangle any such thing from actually happening.

However, looks like this FA is thinking it's a good idea!
http://www.indystar.com/article/20100604/NEWS02/6040391/1086/LIVING04/Flight-attendant-with-gun-arrested-at-airport?source=pn_s

Lightning

Not all that long ago, I was struck by lightning while flying. I saw the bolt right out the windscreen. It hit just to the side of the nose. And, in case you were wondering, there was indeed a browning of certain cotton fibers in the flightdeck that day.

However, my little incident doesn't hold a candle to this:

Video Link

It's also important to point out that even after that, the plane is flying along under power without any obvious issues besides a lot of ruined pants. Even the nav lights and strobes are functioning after the strike.

That's a serious nap

http://www.detnews.com/article/20100527/METRO02/5270453/1361/Ferndale-woman-sues-airlines-after-she-was-left-sleeping-on-plane

I'm guessing that most of you have heard of this incident by now. I wasn't going to actually blog about it, but I ran across some other blogs that were harping on this woman for the incident.

I will say, yes, this whole thing does sound a little preposterous, but then again, this is the airline industry. Preposterous is actually par for the course sometimes. The basic idea is this woman, Ginger McGuire, was exhausted from traveling, and she zonked out hard on her flight from Detroit to Philly. She claims that when she woke up, it was 3am, and she was alone on a dark airplane. After that, she claimed she didn't call for help since she was panicking. She was found during a routine security sweep by Police and TSA agents.

The first thing I can tell you, is that the flight attendant from this flight will be fired. And, I'll tell you why. The FAA regs state the following:

During the passenger boarding and deplaning phase on each flight, all of the flight attendants required by § 121.391(a) must be on board the airplane. (taken from this page)

This is the reason why a flight attendant can NOT step off the airplane even to assist a passenger on the jetway. They can't even put a carry on bag that doesn't fit in an overhead out on the jetway. If there are passengers on, they can't step one foot off that airplane. If they do, they will be fired. That's a regulation from the feds. Part 121.291(a).

It's an important rule, and I don't have a problem with it. However, I take great issue when some dipshit know-it-all frequent flier tells a flight attendant, "I fly all the time, and I know there is no such regulation." Yes, I have heard that very statement with my own ears. I wanted to slap the dick right out of that guys mouth.

It doesn't matter why this incident happened in terms of actions against the FA. The aircraft was an RJ with 50 seats or less, so it only required one FA. The law states that he/she MUST be on board if there is a single passenger on board. No ifs ands or buts. That's how the feds roll.

Now, to me it sounds like this crew was in a hurry to get off the plane and get to their hotel to get some rest. I'm guessing they had a short overnight scheduled, and the more time you spend dicking around at the airplane, the less time you have to spend relaxing/sleeping at the hotel. Or, if this crew was based at PHL, then they were done with their trip and anxious to get home. Nothing out of the ordinary, that's for sure.

At the end of the night, the passengers got off, and the FA likely just figured everyone was off. He/she might have looked back in the cabin, didn't see anyone, and then gathered their stuff, the pilots powered down the aircraft, everything went dark, and they all took off. Happens 1000s of times a day. This woman was likely slumped down out of view while she was sacked out. So, there are some points that need to be made here.

1.) The FA should have walked through the cabin to verify all passengers were off the plane.

2.) The law states the FA is required to be on board if a single passenger is on board. This FA left the plane with a passenger on board.

3.) Most people wake up on landing, especially MY landings!

4.) You'd have thought that SOME other passenger would have tried to wake her up, or make a comment to the FA on their way out... something. But, maybe this woman was seated further back than anyone else and the flight wasn't full. *shrug*

Playing the devil's advocate, if this woman was "faking" being asleep and stayed on the aircraft on purpose trying to have an excuse to sue an airline, the airline is still liable because she should have not had the opportunity to get away with such a stunt. The crew should have ensured that they left the aircraft secured, with no passengers on board. She was on the plane, and no crew member walked through the cabin to verify it was empty. Unless, you can prove that this women "hid" somewhere, like in an overhead (I'd pay to see someone fit in an ERJ145 overhead...) the crew will be held liable. FAs are cheap and are rarely in short supply. The FA is the most directly responsible, so they will be fired right away.

As far as the other two crew, the Capt will always receive all the credit for anything gone right, yet both the Capt and the FO will take the blame when things are wrong. Sometimes, it's a little heavier on the FO just as a scapegoat tactic. However, in some companies, the FO is mearly a decoration. So in that case, no matter if things end up great or awful, the FO won't be part of it at all. That could also be the case here. I don't know.

If I had been caught in the same situation as a passenger, I don't think I'd be suing the airline. Maybe she was faking it, but you'd have a hell of a time proving that. Bottom line, the crew left her on the plane. Whether she was actually asleep or not, it's simply not acceptable. No matter what the reason. So, she is suing the airline and like it or not, she does have the right to. I'm guessing the airline will settle out of court for it. They really don't have a leg to stand on that I see.

Ginger McGuire is suing on four counts. Negligence, false imprisonment, emotional distress and breech of contract. Likely, these were decided on and filed on her behalf by a lawyer. Negligence? Yes, the crew (hence the company) was negligent in leaving her on the plane when they left. False Imprisonment? Yeah. I'm guessing the cabin door was closed. It can be opened from the inside, but this woman is not trained in how to do that or anything. True, maybe she could have used an emergency exit, but she was left alone in a closed up and dark aircraft. Emotional Distress? Given the situation, that's a tough one to fight for the company. Just about any jury would see this as a very stressful situation. Breech of Contract? I don't know if it says on the back of your ticket in the fine print, "We promise to not leave you on board our aircraft after parking at the gate if you don't wake up." But, I'm pretty sure that's implied somewhere.

So, my predictions, if this does go to trial:
1.) Negligence, guilty as charged.
2.) False Imprisonment, could go either way, but I'm gonna guess guilty as charged.
3.) Emotional Distress, guilty as charged.
4.) Breech of Contract, guilty as charged.

Then again, we can surely take the angle of, if they actually paid flight attendants a respectable wage, they might actually get people that give a flying turd about doing their job to the best of their ability. As an employer, you really can't expect top notch performance out of employees that you barely compensate and treat like garbage. Alas, that's certainly for another blog...

BP Executives

Looks like I'm not alone in my opinion of some of these multi-million dollar leaders of industry....

http://www.borowitzreport.com/2010/05/25/experts-propose-plugging-oil-leak-with-bp-executives/

Andy Borowitz is Pilot Stig approved.