Mr. Grossman USA TODAY article!

[jpeace02]

Mr. Grossman,

Good afternoon. I would first like you to understand that I don't read your column, blog, etc. That being said someone sent me you column concerning your delayed flight to Oakland and I did want to respond.
I am an airline pilot at US Airways express. I'm not sure if you know this or not but pilots are typically very organized, and ambitious people. I don't know the actual reason your captain was late and it sounds like neither did you or the gate agent but I'm sure he had a good reason or the company screwed up a schedule (happens all the time.)
Your comment about the bar is tired and not funny. Comedy is odviously not your forte and maybe you should shy away from such style. Pilots are working longer and for less than they ever had. This is not a complaint but rather the truth.
Lastly you say you were former "airline management," but yet you don't understand the safety involved with airplanes. Of course we check the doors on the airplane and we even have indicator lights in the cockpit but that doesn't' override good old common sense which is odviously what this captain was displaying.
In conclusion I want to again reiterate that I don't read your work and I don't plan to in the future but I do wish you all the "airline karma" you deserve. Please take some responsibility and pride in your work, as we do, and do some research next time.

Sincerely,

Captain XXXXX

 

[Weasil]

Well you guys wrote much better replies than I did, I hope this ******************************bag reads them.

 

[SKYW Pilot]

COOPERVANE AND SKYW PILOT:

Nice job. Well written. And may I especially THANK YOU for not making pilots look like idiots by spelling like half of the posters in this website!! Nothing would look worse than a letter correcting Grossman with the spelling and grammar of a fifth-grader.

Thanks acaTerry. I figured since I'm writing to somebody who writes for a living, I should watch my spelling and grammar. I try not to give anybody crap for spelling and grammar errors on this board, but when writing a letter to a newspaper reporter it should be correct. Especially when you're telling the guy how we're perfetionists and professionals. Either way, all the letters are great, and I hope we get a response out of this guy! Keep flooding him with them, even if they are short and sweet!

 

[Simon Says]

Anyone get a reply from this guy? If you do.....POST IT!

 

[SKYW Pilot]

...perfetionists and professionals. Either way, all the letters are great, and I hope we get a response out of this guy! Keep flooding him with them, even if they are short and sweet!

Whoops... I meant perfectionist!!

 

[higherflyer]

I doubt that any of us will hear anything, but this is my response to the tool.

Thanks for the cheap shot. A flight is delayed because a crewmember is missing and you immediately throw out the 'pilot must be in the bar' line. Thanks. I appreciate your dig in an opportunity to sell your column. As a pilot for one of the largest airlines in the US, I think I can speak for all of the responsible, well-trained and educated coworkers, when I say: good on ya, mate; thanks for the dig.

The vast majority of airline pilots are responsible members of the profession. While a very small group of pilots do bring an alcohol/drug problem with them to work, you don't need to malign an entire group for the actions of a few. As a 'former airline executive' you should be sensitive to the fact that alcohol abuse is something the airlines and their pilots take very seriously.

I have delayed a flight or two when an insensitive clod such as yourself makes a very poor joke regarding alcohol use by working crew. We don't need your poor attempts at humour: keep them to yourself. I hope you feel better about yourself after that cheap shot. Count me as someone who will boot you from my aircraft if I find you on board. Who knows, you might have been drinking.