SWA Pilot on paid leave pending alcohol investigation

[nimtz]

Lets say that I walk out of a bar and head to my car. You see me stumble and say "are you drunk?". I then go call a taxi to take me home. Did I do the right thing?


But the key thing with this pilot, is he did not test drunk. Someone said he smelled of alcohol....but he had called in sick before anyone got to him. He was told by his CP to go back to the hotel and get better.

All you guys want to do is argue with everyone...TSA, passengers, etc. Take a lesson from this guy....walk away and call in sick.

BS!

This guy may have dodged the bullet, but he put himself in a corner that made our profession look bad, AGAIN. The lesson is don't go to the freaking airport and put yourself in this situation. Bang in sick at the hotel and man up for the impending CP carpet dance.

And for god sakes he said "I partied hard last night" to an airport cop! Heaps of common sense there! The only lesson here is how NOT to handle a few too many. Boy check your social skills if you think this fella handled things right...

 

[Midnight Flyer]

Honestly, I hope it doesn't ruin his career, but I'm sure the guy must have something going on in his life to risk one of the most stable flying jobs in the country. I guessing he needs help.

Ditto.
With all the layoffs and downsizing happening right now, if he gets fired, he's not finding another flying job.
I don't even drink the night before a trip anymore. My airline job is worthless and unstable, and still I'm not taking any chances with the TSA or the public making accusations. I can't imagine anyone with a job like SWA dumb enough to jeopardize it by "partying hard". Wasn't that what college was all about?

 

[BrokenWing]

According to the police report, he called in sick from the airport bathroom. Looks like there was every intention to operate the flight up the point that he got confronted by a passenger. If he was really trying to do the right thing after a lapse of judgment (which we've all had), then he should have called in from the hotel room and commuted home later that day.

 

[Lequip]

For those patting the drunk SWA pilot on the back for doing a good job, get real!! This drunk pilot in question screwed up big time and should have never showed up to the airport in uniform. The only reason he called in sick was because he got busted. Had he not been questioned he would have operated his flight. It's idiots like this that give us all a bad name. Shame on this fool and to the idiots patting him on the back for doing a good job.

 

[mdf]

Wow it is sure is comforting to see how many perfect people we have here on this forum. Especially since nobody was there, and knows all the facts, other than what they read in the papers. This is a good guy. Maybe he had 2 beers with dinner at 12:00am, slept in late, didn't get to eat, and went to the airport. Maybe he tied one on big time, but still felt fine at show time. The point is maybe he made a mistake, or maybe it was more innocent than you think. The bottom line is if you have never made a mistake then feel free to comment, otherwise I would STFU until I knew all the facts regarding the situation.

 

[McNugget]

Wow it is sure is comforting to see how many perfect people we have here on this forum. Especially since nobody was there, and knows all the facts, other than what they read in the papers. This is a good guy. Maybe he had 2 beers with dinner at 12:00am, slept in late, didn't get to eat, and went to the airport. Maybe he tied one on big time, but still felt fine at show time. The point is maybe he made a mistake, or maybe it was more innocent than you think. The bottom line is if you have never made a mistake then feel free to comment, otherwise I would STFU until I knew all the facts regarding the situation.

FACTS? FACTS! These are the people who take Flightinfo as the holy gospel of aviation. There's no stinkin' FACTS, here!

 

[dane]

Alone?

Hey y'all,

I find myself wondering who he was partying with? Either he was alone in his room, or maybe he was at the bar with some other people. Somebody knows, either colleagues or other hotel guests.

Anyway, if he did scr__ up, lesson learned and he will never do it again.

dane

 

[Dude]

All,

I spoke with the First Officer of that crew and he said the Captain was NOT drunk. All the allegations are apparently baseless as are the bogus report of the alcohol odor and the running to the restroom. It is possible for the police and the accuser to fabricate part of their story.

Why was he NOT detained? Why was he NOT arrested? Why is he still employed? Think about the whole situation and consider that if he was even close to intoxicated, they would have kept him detained long enough for a blood-test and then arrested him. They certainly wouldn't have let him go.

If he was drunk, throw the book at him. It doesn't seem to be the case though. Imagine if you were wrongly accused of drinking because of a stupid passenger and your name was plastered all over the news.

 

[skiandsurf]

All,



If he was drunk, throw the book at him. It doesn't seem to be the case though. Imagine if you were wrongly accused of drinking because of a stupid passenger and your name was plastered all over the news.

Maybe, just maybe, this guy is a non-drinker. And maybe, just maybe, he was sick and wasnt feeling good, and some passenger accused him of being drunk. Maybe, just maybe this pilot thought to himself "f*** you, I am sick and going back to bed". Then when confronted by the cop, tells the cop that he was "partying hard last night" hoping to get a breathalyzer to blow a .00.

Since all of you FIers are perfect, you dont have anything to worry about. For those of you that might push the limit and might find yourself in a bad situation, take a lesson from this guy...Dont argue, walk away and call in sick.

By the way....was the flight delayed or canceled?

 

[Amish RakeFight]

What's the offical call-in-sick beer of SWA?