737 diverted to CWL

[hostie]

Having been in a similar situation...

Before I start I would also like to reiterate that as I was not onboard I cannot comment on this particular situation and expect that it will all be sorted out officially by those with ALL the information available.

I would like to clarify some of the many points raised and answer some of the questions asked.

I would also like to add the point of view of someone who has had to deal with this sort of incident before.

Paper Tiger - I think you'll find that any aircraft registered in the UK complies with the same CAA / JAR-Ops regulations including charters
I believe the following to be true (wrt UK reg a/c) please (and I know you will!) correct me if I'm wrong

It is an offense to be drunk on board an a/c

It is an offense to smoke on board an a/c

It is an offense to not comply with the instructions of the crew


Scroggs - CAA regs state that there is a min req of 1 cc member per 50 seats (seats not pax), as most 737s are under 150 seats this means there could have been as few as 3 crew on board.

with this ratio of 1 - 50 it can be an incredibly frightening situation if any size group takes on 'pack' or 'mob' mentality and all the relevant conflict management training in the world cannot prepare you for or predict individual reactions.

Crew are at the end of the day still human beings that are allowed to react as any other human is allowed to react when they feel threatened.

This said it is also true that their prime reason for being on board is for the safety of the pax
This is always upmost in their minds and if they believe that there is a threat to themselves, their pax or the a/c then they are to act accordingly.

If this is the case then they should (and thankfully did this time) receive the full backing of their management

You would expect them to receive the back up of the general flying public and the other pax on board

I have been involved in a similar incident and luckily received the full backing of all the other pax on board, who were offering to restrain pax for me, I was lucky and this was not required and I would have preferred not to take those pax up on their offers, but it was encouraging to know their support was there.
(The matter did go to court)

I feel sorry for the crew in this incident if they did not have that support

My recommendation to the crew would be to write a clear and comprehensive report of what happened (for themselves in addition to co procedures) as by the time it gets to court memories can fade. (allegedly those released on bail aren't due to return until March at the earliest)

This type of incident can be very traumatic and I sincerely wish all the crew well and hope that this does not diminish their view of what can be very enjoyable (hard) work
Please accept all offers of support and 'get back on the horse' as soon as you comfortably can.

Hostie