Passengers to sue airline over Captain's PAs
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Passengers to sue airline over Captain's PAs
A bizarre story from Brazil, courtesy of Ananova news:
Passengers to sue airline over pilot's comments
Passengers on an internal flight in Brazil are suing the airline over "inappropriate" comments made by the pilot.
They say the pilot made them feel "scared and nervous" with his comments on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Vitoria.
The Gol airlines flights was scheduled to take one hour but took more than five hours and ended up at a different airport.
Passenger Ari Vieira Augusto told Terra Noticias Populares: "When he announced we couldn't land in Vitoria due to bad weather, he said he had some good news and some bad news.
"The good news was that he had made a good take off and the bad was that no airplanes were being successful in landing at our destination, and he didn't explain anything else.
"He was crazy, irresponsible and a joker. He said we were 10,000 feet above ground, 46 celsius degrees below zero and that he wouldn't advise anyone to get out of the airplane without a heavy coat."
Passengers also told how the pilot insisted on trying to land at Vitoria even after he knew the conditions weren't good.
They say he got to within 200 metres of the runway when he suddenly turned away, terrifying the passengers. The plane went on to land in the city of Belo Horizonte after another hour.
Passenger Henrique Rebelo added: "At the end the pilot even had the nerve to ask if we were as dizzy as him because of all the turns he had to make!"
Passengers to sue airline over pilot's comments
Passengers on an internal flight in Brazil are suing the airline over "inappropriate" comments made by the pilot.
They say the pilot made them feel "scared and nervous" with his comments on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Vitoria.
The Gol airlines flights was scheduled to take one hour but took more than five hours and ended up at a different airport.
Passenger Ari Vieira Augusto told Terra Noticias Populares: "When he announced we couldn't land in Vitoria due to bad weather, he said he had some good news and some bad news.
"The good news was that he had made a good take off and the bad was that no airplanes were being successful in landing at our destination, and he didn't explain anything else.
"He was crazy, irresponsible and a joker. He said we were 10,000 feet above ground, 46 celsius degrees below zero and that he wouldn't advise anyone to get out of the airplane without a heavy coat."
Passengers also told how the pilot insisted on trying to land at Vitoria even after he knew the conditions weren't good.
They say he got to within 200 metres of the runway when he suddenly turned away, terrifying the passengers. The plane went on to land in the city of Belo Horizonte after another hour.
Passenger Henrique Rebelo added: "At the end the pilot even had the nerve to ask if we were as dizzy as him because of all the turns he had to make!"
Ohcirrej
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"He was crazy, irresponsible and a joker. He said we were 10,000 feet above ground, 46 celsius degrees below zero and that he wouldn't advise anyone to get out of the airplane without a heavy coat."
Definately one of the better ones I have heard.But what next? ATC being sued for a go-around that reminds people about a certain BBC documentary? I understand these things can scare people, and perhaps a little re-assurance from the pilot could have been useful. But to resort to litigation? Will airlines have to get people to sign an indemnity waiver covering for events that, while not endangering the aircraft, can scare the cr@p out of you?
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Jerricho
Maybe there's a difference between unfortunate stuff that just happens and airline employee induced discomfort?
I wasn't on this flight, so don't know if this was the case.
However, businesses just cannot let their employees scare people by inappropriate comments with zero payback. (And again, I'm not judging this case, but talking abstractly about the principle.)
This principle of acting sensibly extends to the pax too, e.g. making the 'bomb' joke at check in is no longer considered funny.
Maybe there's a difference between unfortunate stuff that just happens and airline employee induced discomfort?
I wasn't on this flight, so don't know if this was the case.
However, businesses just cannot let their employees scare people by inappropriate comments with zero payback. (And again, I'm not judging this case, but talking abstractly about the principle.)
This principle of acting sensibly extends to the pax too, e.g. making the 'bomb' joke at check in is no longer considered funny.
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It's ridiculous; what he said was perfectly innocent and indeed, if he were taken to task about it, he could defend it as a truthful comment! (An OAT of -46 generally requires a heavy coat!)
Indeed, it looks as if his intention was to cheer passengers up and it probably was lost on passengers who were probably pretty peeved as a result of being diverted.
Indeed, it looks as if his intention was to cheer passengers up and it probably was lost on passengers who were probably pretty peeved as a result of being diverted.
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Bear in mind the following:
1) Air travel in Brazil and indeed Latin America is not yet as common as in the US, Europe or Asia
2) GOL is a low-cost carrier, which might mean that:
3) Passengers may have been first-time flyers/inexperienced flyers, and thus hyper-sensitive.
Such pax may not have seen the lighter side of diversions/bad weather/go-arounds/cockpit humour.
1) Air travel in Brazil and indeed Latin America is not yet as common as in the US, Europe or Asia
2) GOL is a low-cost carrier, which might mean that:
3) Passengers may have been first-time flyers/inexperienced flyers, and thus hyper-sensitive.
Such pax may not have seen the lighter side of diversions/bad weather/go-arounds/cockpit humour.
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Jokes and such
Oh man... Next we hear that we get sued for the way we sit in the cockpit while PAX are boarding...
Taking al the fun out of the job.. Right? Smiling Cabin crew. That could be interpreted as trying to hit on PAX. No Smiles. What a rude crew! Meals on board. Oh thats just soooo bad that one can't eat it. No food and the service sucks.
On a BA flight from Gatwick to Malaga as PAX I heard a couple discussing the flight time and service. Seemed that they where very unhappy as their ticket had cost them "A lot" and it took BA "A lot" longer to get there than Easy Jet. What a horrible situation. Yes, the food was bad too.
One just can't please em all.
Back to my hole
JJ
Taking al the fun out of the job.. Right? Smiling Cabin crew. That could be interpreted as trying to hit on PAX. No Smiles. What a rude crew! Meals on board. Oh thats just soooo bad that one can't eat it. No food and the service sucks.
On a BA flight from Gatwick to Malaga as PAX I heard a couple discussing the flight time and service. Seemed that they where very unhappy as their ticket had cost them "A lot" and it took BA "A lot" longer to get there than Easy Jet. What a horrible situation. Yes, the food was bad too.
One just can't please em all.
Back to my hole
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A number of years ago my then boss spent a lot of time flying between GLA and the Islands, I remember he told of a captain who prior to a return flight walked to the a/c tapping a white cane and wearing dark glasses. Apparently is was a real hoot for the regulars but not for a couple of Americans who suffered a humour (sorry - humor) failure and complained.
As I subsequently found out to my cost that my boss was a lying b'stard, I was never really sure whether it was a true story.
As I subsequently found out to my cost that my boss was a lying b'stard, I was never really sure whether it was a true story.
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RealFish, cant say whether your boss is a liar or not, but the event he described did happen regularly in the old days!
for a couple of Americans who suffered a humour (sorry - humor) failure
so whats new....
for a couple of Americans who suffered a humour (sorry - humor) failure
so whats new....
I was once flying World Airways into Newark when the pilot announced that
"We are starting our descent into Newark, New Jersey, home of the television show 'Little House on the Toxic Waste Dump.' "
This was when the show "Little House on the Prairie" was popular on TV.
I thought it was hysterical, but I'm not from New Jersey. Of course, World Airways stopped flying pax soon afterwards, so perhaps the pilot didn't care.
"We are starting our descent into Newark, New Jersey, home of the television show 'Little House on the Toxic Waste Dump.' "
This was when the show "Little House on the Prairie" was popular on TV.
I thought it was hysterical, but I'm not from New Jersey. Of course, World Airways stopped flying pax soon afterwards, so perhaps the pilot didn't care.
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AJ, you're right. I'll admit I didn't take your points into consideration, and for a first-time passenger, these events may have been harrowing.
However as F3G metions payback........payback for what? Employee induced discomfort? What somebody may find uncomfortable (like the coat comment) somebody else may find relief ("The pilot doesn't sound worried......I feel much better!"). Perhaps the pilot was trying to share his frustration and discomfort as well when asking if people were dizzy?
Like always, there is the compulsion now for litigation. The people who want to sue and "get what's coming to them". How many people read and contributed to the thread about Aviation humour? How many of those were "quips" from the driver about an event during the flight.
However as F3G metions payback........payback for what? Employee induced discomfort? What somebody may find uncomfortable (like the coat comment) somebody else may find relief ("The pilot doesn't sound worried......I feel much better!"). Perhaps the pilot was trying to share his frustration and discomfort as well when asking if people were dizzy?
Like always, there is the compulsion now for litigation. The people who want to sue and "get what's coming to them". How many people read and contributed to the thread about Aviation humour? How many of those were "quips" from the driver about an event during the flight.
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Jerricho
I would have found the PA hilarious, but the point I was making is that professionals must consider the lowest common denominator when talking to the great unwashed who pay for the privilege of whatever service they have bought.
In my day job, what would be a hilarious quip to a colleague could easily be highly offensive to a paying punter, so I avoid them although it often makes the day a little duller for me as a consequence.
A significant number of air travellers are nervous flyers and do not appreciate 'gallows' humour, so why take the commercial riks of offending them?
Ignore the principle and you end in difficulty (payback) - not necessarily in litigation, but more often by people voting with their feet.
I would have found the PA hilarious, but the point I was making is that professionals must consider the lowest common denominator when talking to the great unwashed who pay for the privilege of whatever service they have bought.
In my day job, what would be a hilarious quip to a colleague could easily be highly offensive to a paying punter, so I avoid them although it often makes the day a little duller for me as a consequence.
A significant number of air travellers are nervous flyers and do not appreciate 'gallows' humour, so why take the commercial riks of offending them?
Ignore the principle and you end in difficulty (payback) - not necessarily in litigation, but more often by people voting with their feet.
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The poor sod was slightly off key. But better the hint of originality than reading from the same old hackneyed songsheet. Regular BA pax must wince or just not listen to the same old banaal, trite, schmalz that is always churned out. There was one original who also wrote a book, but his humour of course was not welcomed by management as it strayed from the songsheet and even the laughable phonetic foreign version. Don't people feel embarrassed continually reading the same script or do we have to do everything by numbers.
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This is worth a read!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/b...ts/3199441.stm
Travellers feared train derailment
One carriage on a passenger train tipped on to one set of wheels as it took a bend too fast, according to passengers on board.
The West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) train was alleged to have been trying to make up time after a 20-minute delay when the incident happened on Monday.
The train, the 0655 BST King's Lynn to London King's Cross service, was travelling between Letchworth and Hitchin in Hertfordshire.
Passengers reported the train tipped on to one set of wheels as it took a bend too fast - claims which WAGN said it was investigating.
One traveller on the King's Lynn to London service said bags and passengers were "flying all over the place".
A WAGN spokeswoman said: "We have started an investigation and we take any incident such as this very seriously."
She added: "According to passengers, a carriage was shaking.
"The driver has been suspended, which is normal procedure while incidents are being investigated.
"He has been tested for alcohol and drugs but it will be a few days before we have the test results.
"The driver is being interviewed and the train has been taken out of service."
===========================
So the passengers could tell; the train was going to fast, was actually on one set of wheels, took the bend to fast and as a result the drivers job is now on the line (pardon the pun) And he is being tested for drugs and booze!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/b...ts/3199441.stm
Travellers feared train derailment
One carriage on a passenger train tipped on to one set of wheels as it took a bend too fast, according to passengers on board.
The West Anglia Great Northern (WAGN) train was alleged to have been trying to make up time after a 20-minute delay when the incident happened on Monday.
The train, the 0655 BST King's Lynn to London King's Cross service, was travelling between Letchworth and Hitchin in Hertfordshire.
Passengers reported the train tipped on to one set of wheels as it took a bend too fast - claims which WAGN said it was investigating.
One traveller on the King's Lynn to London service said bags and passengers were "flying all over the place".
A WAGN spokeswoman said: "We have started an investigation and we take any incident such as this very seriously."
She added: "According to passengers, a carriage was shaking.
"The driver has been suspended, which is normal procedure while incidents are being investigated.
"He has been tested for alcohol and drugs but it will be a few days before we have the test results.
"The driver is being interviewed and the train has been taken out of service."
===========================
So the passengers could tell; the train was going to fast, was actually on one set of wheels, took the bend to fast and as a result the drivers job is now on the line (pardon the pun) And he is being tested for drugs and booze!
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Fair 'nuff 3 Greens...............I see what you're getting at.
I just get so p*ssed off about the old "I'm gonna sue culture". Like those bloodsuckers that greet you in shopping malls with "Have you had an accident in the past 3 years???". Or the guy that falls out of the car screaming whip-lash for a bump at walking pace.
I just get so p*ssed off about the old "I'm gonna sue culture". Like those bloodsuckers that greet you in shopping malls with "Have you had an accident in the past 3 years???". Or the guy that falls out of the car screaming whip-lash for a bump at walking pace.
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Reminds me of 2 particular items a CSD came up with.
1) Pilot says for those of you on the right you can see Rockall, for those of you on the left you can see F...all
2) And after landing in Saudi, a CSD was heard to say, "Welcome to Riyadh, where the local time is about 300 years behind everywhere else"
I did not hear either of these, just stories, true or otherwise, retold.
1) Pilot says for those of you on the right you can see Rockall, for those of you on the left you can see F...all
2) And after landing in Saudi, a CSD was heard to say, "Welcome to Riyadh, where the local time is about 300 years behind everywhere else"
I did not hear either of these, just stories, true or otherwise, retold.