American Airlines has been struggling to get its act together for quite some time now, what with rows of airplane seats coming loose mid-flight, typhoid scares and continued contract disputes with its pilots. But even while the company accuses some of those pilots with staging sick-outs and hasn’t reached a deal with the pilots’ union yet, it announced this week that it’ll be adding 2,500 pilots to its payroll in the next five years. [More]
American Airlines To Hire 2,500 Pilots While Still Dealing With Contract Disputes
By October 25, 2012
Leader Of Pilots Union Tells American Airlines Members To Stop Pulling Sick-Out Shenanigans
By September 28, 2012
American Airlines has already clearly expressed its annoyance with any of its pilots who may be staging “sick-outs,” causing delayed or canceled flights in the midst of an ongoing dispute with the company, and now the acting president of the union that represents those same pilots is also telling them to simmer down now. [More]
US Airways Sues Pilots Over Alleged Work Slowdown
By August 1, 2011
While Continental has had to cancel dozens of flights due to suddenly “sick” pilots, the management at US Airways say its pilots have been more subtle about hobbling the airline’s operations — an allegation the pilots deny. [More]
Continental Cancels 24 Flights After Pilots Come Down With Mystery Illness At The Same Time
By July 27, 2011
Some sort of mysterious flu bug must be circulating the in cockpits of Continental flights. The airline has been forced to cancel 24 flights today because too many pilots called in sick. [More]
UPDATE: TSA Says Pilots Can Skip Scanners & Pat-Downs
By November 19, 2010
Earlier today, TSA chief John Pistole hinted on Good Morning America that airline pilots might soon be able to skirt the agency’s stricter screening procedures. Now one of the unions that had recently told pilots to refuse being scanned says a deal has actually been reached. [More]
Pilots Might Soon Get A Pass On Stricter Security Measures
By November 19, 2010
As we wrote last week, two of the nation’s largest airline pilots unions had recently told their members to refuse full-body scanners at airport security, arguing that pilots have already undergone rigorous background checks before getting their jobs. Now the head of the TSA says their could soon be a rule change that would treat pilots differently than passengers. [More]
Unions Tell Pilots To Just Say No To Full-Body Scanners
By November 11, 2010
Only weeks after an ExpressJet pilot refused to submit to either a full-body scan or a pat-down, unions representing the pilots at U.S. Airways and American Airlines have advised their members to not submit to the revealing scans. [More]
ExpressJet Pilot Just Says No To Full-Body Scan Or Pat-Down
By October 20, 2010
A pilot of Continental’s ExpressJet line has stirred up a ruckus after refusing to submit to either a full-body scan or the alternative, a hands-on pat-down from a TSA screener. [More]
Pilots Confess: We're Tired, Hungry & Just As Confused As You
By October 18, 2010
For many of us who travel on planes, believing the pilots are well-fed and rested is a necessity. But according to some of the industry secrets that airline pilots have divulged to the editors of Reader’s Digest, the men and women behind the controls are — for better or worse — just like the rest of us. [More]
Ryanair's Newest Cost Cutting Idea: Remove Second Pilot
By September 7, 2010
Did Ryanair’s publicity-chasing CEO Michael O’Leary read about that American Airlines flight back in June? In a recent interview, he suggested that one way to reduce costs would be to get rid of the second pilot and just make sure every flight has a flight attendant with a pilot’s license. [More]
Pilot Detained After Dropping Pants During Security Screening
By June 27, 2010
Look, pilots, we know that times are tough, but when security asks you to remove your belt and shoes, you probably shouldn’t laugh and drop your pants, ok? Because if you do, you’re going to end up detained and will have to explain yourself to a judge. Just ask United Airlines pilot Michael Slynn, who forgot this relatively simple advice yesterday in Rio de Janiero. [More]
Pilots Bristle As American Airline Tells Them To Fly With Less Fuel
By June 26, 2010
Extra fuel is joining peanuts and magazines on the list of things American Airlines wants to ditch at the gate. The airline announced plans this week to save cash by using “scientifically precise” computer models to load less fuel. If pilots want more, they’ll need to submit a request in writing. [More]
Spirit Airlines Flights Resume Friday, Offers Everyone $50 Off
By June 16, 2010
Spirit Airline flights, grounded since the beginning of a 5-day pilot strike, could will resume Friday, after the pilots union and the airline reached a tentative agreement following 26 straight hours of negotiation. In its typically tongue-in-cheek fashion, coinciding with the announcement was a “Strikingly Low Fares” promotion offering everyone $50 off new tickets plus 5,000 bonus miles. [More]
American Airlines Flight Attendant Uses Awesome Pilot Powers To Help Land Plane
By June 16, 2010
It’s good to have outside interests. For instance, there’s this 61-year-old flight attendant who works for American Airlines who also happens to have a commercial pilot’s license, which was good news for the pilot–and the 225 passengers–after his first officer went all Airplane! on him mid-flight. [More]
Fake Pilot Flew Passenger Jets For 13 Years
By May 17, 2010
Thomas Salme was working in maintenance at Scandinavian airline SAS, when he decided he wanted to move up into the cockpit. So, he did what any clever and ruthless crackpot would: He practiced on a flight simulator until he thought he was ready to fly, and then printed a fake pilot’s license at home. He got a job at European airline Air One, and spent 13 years flying passengers around Europe until being caught in March. The heavy hand of justice: a $2,500 fine and a one-year grounding. [More]
US Airways Pilot Pulls Plane Over To Kick Off Unruly Passenger
By November 17, 2009
A 49-year-old Scottish man with an injured arm grew angry at the crew on his US Airways flight to London last night, so he demanded they turn the plane around and take him back to Philadelphia. Instead, the pilot, who has had it up to here with you kids, landed the plane at Logan International Airport in Boston and had him removed.
Pilots Who Missed Minnesota Were Too Engrossed In Laptops To Land The Plane
By October 27, 2009
There is a reason that I am not a pilot and the reason is this: I am afraid I would get bored, start messing around with my laptop and miss Minnesota. Unfortunately for Northwest Airlines, they don’t hire people who utilize my rigorous program of self-doubt.
Continental Pilot Dies Midflight, Crew Lands Jet Safely
By June 18, 2009
CNN is reporting that the pilot of Continental Flight 61 from Brussels to Newark died midflight, forcing a relief pilot to take over the controls of the Boeing 777.
