Pilot Fired for Stranding PAX

[millhouse21]

Pilot didn't fly because he was over duty limits and gets fired? WTF? Oh, I also like that the Civil Aviation Minister is involved in this.

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=733206

Pilot fired for stranding passengers

From correspondents in New Delhi

January 8, 2004

A PILTO of government-owned Air-India was fired for refusing to fly and leaving 300 passengers, mainly foreign tourists, stranded for 40 hours, it was reported today.


A Kaushal was flying the Frankfurt-New Delhi route on December 23. The plane was diverted from New Delhi to the western city of Ahmedabad because of dense fog.
Kaushal and his co-pilot M Gulabani refused to fly any further from Ahmedabad, saying they had worked 40 minutes more than their official duty time, the Indian Express newspaper reported.

Air-India had directed the pilots to fly to the western city of Bombay as an alternative and load sufficient surplus fuel to hold over in New Delhi in case of continuing bad weather. The pilots refused.

The passengers had to wait in Ahmedabad until a fresh crew was flown in from Bombay. The plane then took off for Bombay and finally reached New Delhi after a delay of 40 hours.

Some of the passengers' trauma was recorded on paper napkins, towels and placards at Bombay airport that said: ``Kidnapped by Air-India'', ``Never again to India'', ``We don't want to come back''.

The airline's public relations director Jitendra Bhargava said firing the pilot ``was a clear message to all Air-India employees that when it comes to customer inconvenience arising out of human lapse, the company will take a tough stand''.

India's Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy has instructed the airline to send a letter of the apology and a gift to all the passengers.

AP

 

[Capt. Tex]

Who cares? Air India isn't under the FAA, or US labor rules. they can do what they want.

 

[FN FAL]

As usuall, the media never tells, "the rest of the story".

I heard through reliable sources, that this pilot's problems soon began, after telling an official..."Don't have a COW, man!".

 

[GCD]

That's typical treatment in India. I'm really shocked they didn't shoot the crew.

 

[BlueBusDriver]

ROFLMAO.......

As usuall, the media never tells, "the rest of the story".

I heard through reliable sources, that this pilot's problems soon began, after telling an official..."Don't have a COW, man!".

Oh man.....now that's funny. Good one.

 

[Salty Dog]

It's too bad our fellow Americans have no clue the vast difference in real safety when they choose to fly the airlines of some booger-eater country vs. our own.

It would be helpful if ALPA got this sort of thing out early before Cabotage arguments rear their ugly head again.

 

[mckpickle]

Salty, Excellent point. Imagine if Bush let Cabotage go through and the we had Indians, Air Mexico, Freaken Air Botswana flying our domestic route structure. Ya thats safety.

 

[B190Captain]

That's all they did? I thought they were going to put them in front of a firing squad or hang them.