A commercial flight diverted to Victorville, CA after attempting several approaches into a windy and gusty Las Vegas night. With fuel becoming a concern, the decision was made to divert to Ontario, CA (although no alternate was listed on the release). Running low on fuel, the flight could not continue to Ontario and had to divert to Victorville in the middle of the night, and with the local FBO closed for the day, options and resources were limited on how to attend to the diversion on the ground. The crew was limited by their legalities, and the flight attendants were new. An attempt was made to arrange ground transportation for the passengers and crew to the nearest airport served by the airline (Ontario, CA) but given the late hour, the prospect of such arrangements was null. The airline’s options were becoming limited with each passing moment, and there seemed to be no clear solution. By pure coincidence, a former employee of the airline (Operations Agent) at the time flew into Victorville in a rented Cessna C172 with a fellow friend and noticed the diverted plane there. The ex-employee got in contact with the airline’s dispatch department and advised them that he was at the scene and ready to assist in any manner possible. Knowing this, the dispatch team contacted the FBO’s manager and had him go to the airport so that the ex-employee could print off a paper copy of a release, allowing the flight to be dispatched from Victorville back to Las Vegas. A fueler was also called in after hours to load the plane with the proper fuel load for the short flight. Due to the quick response of the ex-employee during the situation and conducting the required tasks on the ground in Victorville, the flight was able to depart mere minutes before the crew timed out.
The reason why the employee had resigned from the airline was to attend a Dispatch course and obtain his Dispatch License. He had worked for the company for almost 6 years. The employee was recognized by the CEO and had a photo op after his actions during that night. A few months later, the employee did not make it to a final interview for the dispatch position he was seeking after not passing a phone screening, during which he wasn’t asked anything about dispatch, nor did the recruiter seem to know anything about his involvement in such an event.
Several new hire classes have passed in which a great number of internal candidates were accepted into the dispatch department.
Did such an employee deserve a final interview with his involvement in such a situation, or was this fair game?
The reason why the employee had resigned from the airline was to attend a Dispatch course and obtain his Dispatch License. He had worked for the company for almost 6 years. The employee was recognized by the CEO and had a photo op after his actions during that night. A few months later, the employee did not make it to a final interview for the dispatch position he was seeking after not passing a phone screening, during which he wasn’t asked anything about dispatch, nor did the recruiter seem to know anything about his involvement in such an event.
Several new hire classes have passed in which a great number of internal candidates were accepted into the dispatch department.
Did such an employee deserve a final interview with his involvement in such a situation, or was this fair game?
