Gun Foot Shoot!
There is much hyperbole being spouted here but also countered by many common sense observations and many incorrect assumptions!
The Captain has ultimate authority only when the doors are closed otherwise he is generally the conduit for operational instructions from Operations.
That the situation was shockingly handled is beyond question and reaffirms my wariness of US attitudes and enforcement protocols. Plus how can the airline "suddenly" discover it needed to position 4! crew members ?..
In europe I could not begin to imagine this situation occurring. I have had to manage offloads on several occasions but always from a safety/inebriated, aircraft performance/MTOW, tech angle. Positioning crew will NEVER trump a fare paying passenger. Spare Jump/crew seats can be authorised but thats it. If the crew cannot be accommodated then the airline will charter to postion the crew as required.
This disgraceful mismanaged event was matched only by the defensive arrogance of an uncaring remote corporation.
Last edited by Greek God; 11th Apr 2017 at 23:42.
Reason: Sp