Assault on Aer Arann flight_14/08/2004

[flapsforty]

Maximus and Basil, your point about the Captain being the end responsible is true but not relevant here. At least in my eyes. Perhaps the extra help required was the Captain radio-ing for police?

The reason I made my above post was a tendency I see among our own pilots in the day to day operation. A tendency, born out of chivalry and with the best possible intentions, to offer to get involved in the cabin long before a situation has spun out of control of the cabin crew.

Perhaps because they have bad experience with cc in this regards, perhaps because they are afraid to delegate when the u-no-wot hits the fan, perhaps because they feel that since they are responsible, they are expected to personally sort it. I don't really know.
I do know that I believe that we should expect others to be able to do their jobs properly.

Speaking in general, and not in any way looking with hindsight at what this cpatain did because I don't have all the facts, I do think that suitably trained cabin crew is able to handle pax situations equally well if not better than a pilot.
Different skills, different areas of expertise.

......and when things do go pear shaped, especially while still on the ground, is it not better (and cheaper for the airline) to let the CC take it on the nose rather than the captain?

Basil, line up in sequence!