Passenger wants to know if you're sober.

[dasleben]

Well, as you know, I don't think those guys should be getting a call when there are guys with plenty of TPIC time looking for jobs.

Your opinion on this aside, you're asking long-time regional FOs to "take one for the team" again and wait even longer for the ability to move on. It's far too much to ask of a group that's already been beaten to death in the last few years, particularly for a requirement that doesn't even come close to assessing a person's total level of experience.

What you're asking is for pilots to willingly, and completely, leave career progression to luck and timing, and that simply will not happen.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Your opinion on this aside, you're asking long-time regional FOs to "take one for the team" again and wait even longer for the ability to move on.

Oh, I'm not asking that at all. I recommend that they all do what is in their own best interest. If they can get hired at a career carrier, then go for it! I'm just saying that the legacy carriers shouldn't be hiring them when so many pilots with command experience are available.

 

[jtrain609]

Oh, I'm not asking that at all. I recommend that they all do what is in their own best interest. If they can get hired at a career carrier, then go for it! I'm just saying that the legacy carriers shouldn't be hiring them when so many pilots with command experience are available.

I hear that argument at work a lot...from captains who have about as much personality as a hungry grizzly bear.

There's a very good reason that folks with tons of TPIC are getting passed up, and it has nothing to do with their logbook.

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Oh, I'm not asking that at all. I recommend that they all do what is in their own best interest. If they can get hired at a career carrier, then go for it! I'm just saying that the legacy carriers shouldn't be hiring them when so many pilots with command experience are available.

The guys who have command experience who haven't moved on from Pinnacle, letting me upgrade, aka lifers, have some pretty big skeletons in their closets.

Now the union will get a guy who couldn't land an interview at Delta a shot. Busting P56 twice takes major effort.

And yet, guys with thousands of hours of making sure the guy who signs for the paperwork doesn't screw up, should be excluded.

CAs have missed alternates, missed no-APU / no-huffer overnight situations, don't have clear plans of action for abnormalities including weather or mechanical, don't do PAs, miss
MEL compliance, don't read their FOMs / CFMs.

These are the guys that Pinnacle ALPA got the SSP for.

There is a reason they are still at Pinnacle, and it's not because life is comfortable.

 

[Autothrust Blue]

I hear that argument at work a lot...from captains who have about as much personality as a hungry grizzly bear.

There's a very good reason that folks with tons of TPIC are getting passed up, and it has nothing to do with their logbook.

Same reason that flow-throughs are bad, evil, and wrong.

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Same reason that flow-throughs are bad, evil, and wrong.

Flow-throughs are the future. Better get used to the idea.

 

[CFI A&P]

This happened aboard my flight two days ago although the FA didn't even mention it till today. A passenger walks aboard and asks the FA "I want to know if you're sober." The passenger has not accused you of anything (yet). Now if the flight attendant approaches you, or if you happen to overhear, or even if it happens in the terminal, what do you do?

This happened to a friend of mine recently. It was his last week of work before turning 65. His FO said they should go for the drug / alcohol test immediately. My friend's response was something along the line of "I retire tomorrow, truck her! Let's go to the hotel."

 

[Slim11]

In a previous life, as a flight attendant, I saw a captain handle the question this way...he got up, pulled out his cell phone, handed it to the passenger and said, "If you think I am under the influence of anything, call 911 right now. You can use my cell phone." The passenger thought twice, turned around and went to his seat.

This was over 20 years ago. I made a note to myself of how that was handled. When I became a captain, I never had the need to use that response. Now, it's out of my hands. If we are challenged in such a manner, call the CP, call OPS to off-load the passengers, tell the passengers why, and who is responsible. Then get tested.

By the time that is done, the flight will likely have canceled and the individual who thought they were making a joke might be in police custody for their own protection.

 

[BobDDuck]

This was over 20 years ago.

Probably didn't want to risk hurting his wrist calling having to use a brick phone.

 

[gotWXdagain]

Probably didn't want to risk hurting his wrist calling having to use a brick phone.

Just to make you feel super old, in 1994 cell phones actually looked like this:

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Just to make you feel super old, in 1994 cell phones actually looked like this:

Only if you had a lot of money. That was a "compact" cell phone in '94. My dad owned one, but not until a couple of years later when they were cheaper.

 

[Gadget]

One additional thought here: You don't really want to put yourself thru an additional drug/alcohol test just on the tiny chance you could have a false positive. So...I would ask the PAX, "are you asking me or accusing me?" Followed by "because if you are asking me the answer is no, now please kindly take your seat...but if you are accusing me I will remove myself from the flight to get tested, and if your lucky you and your fellow passengers may get outta here in a couple of hours. Which is it?" Most likely I think that would take care of the situation.

 

[z987k]

One additional thought here: You don't really want to put yourself thru an additional drug/alcohol test just on the tiny chance you could have a false positive. So...I would ask the PAX, "are you asking me or accusing me?" Followed by "because if you are asking me the answer is no, now please kindly take your seat...but if you are accusing me I will remove myself from the flight to get tested, and if your lucky you and your fellow passengers may get outta here in a couple of hours. Which is it?" Most likely I think that would take care of the situation.

You mean on the tiny chance that you'd have two false positives? There's a reason the sample is split in two.

 

[splash]

Everything so serious and everyone easily offended. You laugh it away and go about your day. Where are the social skills today? Someone take me to the other side.

 

[JordanD]

Everything so serious and everyone easily offended. You laugh it away and go about your day. Where are the social skills today? Someone take me to the other side.

And say you brush it off and are later involved in a relatively minor, normally not that big a deal incident and later you're on the news with "pilot accused of being drunk MINUTES before accident. You won't BELIEVE what happens next!"

Thank the media and the "every jackwagon with a smartphone is a reporter" culture, not people being overly protective of their careers.

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Everything so serious and everyone easily offended. You laugh it away and go about your day. Where are the social skills today? Someone take me to the other side.

Nope. Because then the passenger tweets about it, and now you have operated a flight suspected drunk. Alcohol wears off, and so there is now no proof you were not or were, drunk.

@splash , unless you're trolling us, you need some professional help. Your posts don't paint your mental state in a good light. Sorry man.

 

[derg]

Everything so serious and everyone easily offended. You laugh it away and go about your day. Where are the social skills today? Someone take me to the other side.

Depends on the company.

Mine has a defined "procedure" and we're supposed to follow it.

 

[splash]

multi things to say, where do I begin...

Jordan, if people were not afraid of losing their careers the BS would be powerless. People are controlled by fear. I'm overwhelmed by the power of accusation these days. I believe we are all overwhelmed with it. Some children lose a good parent because of it.

Spice, well we live in a world where accusation is solid until proven not true. I don't know how we got there as a culture but who is at fault...everyone's to blame. I don't know why it is guilty till proven innocent these days or how it was allowed to become this. Yeah, my profession could use some help. It's starting to pick up now though and was nothing like it was 10 years ago lucky to have a CFI gig. Thanks for your concern, my mental state is fine, Im not the greatest when it comes to first impressions. I'm easily stuck in the bad file around a certain personality trait others may have. I have noticed that trait is dominated in the pilot world. Not a problem after some time. In general, I'm entertaining with costumers behind a yoke. I generated alot of business with good ratings by entertaining them with just being myself (stupid and free spirit when able). Thanks for reaching out though. I'm no troll.

 

[splash]

[QUOTE post: 2568391, member: 1"]Depends on the company.

Mine has a defined "procedure" and we're supposed to follow it.[/QUOTE]

Most companies have to suck up to where the money comes from today. I think that is also generated by fear, eh? What do you think? How can we change this if true? ...Like it is just drama but you have to take it seriosly to stay alive as if overly cautious but painstaking.

 

[derg]

[QUOTE post: 2568391, member: 1"]Depends on the company.

Mine has a defined "procedure" and we're supposed to follow it.

Most companies have to suck up to where the money comes from today. I think that is also generated by fear, eh? What do you think? How can we change this if true? ...Like it is just drama but you have to take it seriosly to stay alive as if overly cautious but painstaking.[/QUOTE]

I don't really have an opinion for the most part.

Someone made a flippant comment, all of first class heard, ASA (back in the early aughts) didn't do their job and stop the passenger, so we went "full procedure". Cleared, ended up having a sweet layover in Pensacola on the beach. And those were the pre social media days.

Nowadays, in the age of Twitter and Facebook, if a joke/accusation is made, I'm certainly following the prescribed procedure to a tee.