The American Airlines pilot who was arrested for attacking one of the airline’s ground agents sure seems like a piece of work — and not just for this one incident where he is reported to have pushed the woman and grabbed her by the neck.
Over at AirlinePilotForums.com a pilot tells this story,
I confirmed it was the same guy. He was involved in my worst jumpseat experience ever. I was offline jumpeating on the 777 out of MIA and went to introduce myself to the Captain even though I had a seat in the back. I didn’t interrupt anything. Knocked, introduced myself with my license and medical in hand.
He said, “You have a seat in the back?” I said yes. He then yelled, “Then what the **** are you doing up here?” I left and he came back to my seat and chewed my ass out some more saying he’d never seen someone who had a seat in the back come into the cockpit. It ruined my whole week.
He adds “After the flight was over I went to shake his hand and say thanks for the ride and he gave me a fist bump.”
If the story is as-told what’s strange is that you’d expect the pilot seated in back to check in with the cockpit anyway even if he wasn’t jumpseating. Naturally it’s a pilot forum so some pilots come to the man’s defense, suggesting that (1) we shouldn’t take a foreign government’s word for what happened (never mind the word of the American Airlines employee who was attacked) and (2) that the pilot in the jump seat story could just have a common name and be a different person, though I’ve had someone separately reach out to tell me it’s the same individual.
While the pilot was briefly detained in Brazil for his attack on the American employee, he’s already out of custody and flew three-cabin first class home to the States.
Frankly, Parker has finally found his candidate for EVP-Customer Relations.
Who would dare complain now about the demitasse seats and toilet, no electronics, and food created by researchers from Purina Dog Chow?
If anything justifies instant dismissal, it must be physically attacking a colleague. Why AA still employs him is a mystery and it’s even more puzzling why they put him in First Class and risk him attacking their most valuable customers.
Of course, if you kept reading the thread it seems like this story is actually about a different pilot.
“I apologize if I mixed up the Captain. I asked my AA friend if the Captain has the initials “XX.” And he said yes. It very well could have been a different Captain with the same initials. The incident did happen. However, my apologies for the mix up.”
@Rail Provocateur that’s only if Kirby doesn’t poach him away to UA first.
I agree with all of the above. He certainly sounds like a piece of something.
I believe said captain was the president of the AA pilot union a few years ago.
I hope this guy is single and doesn’t have a spouse (and children) at home suffering domestic abuse. Whether she purposely or accidentally stepped on his foot, or if she tried to punch him, going for someone’s neck is pure animal.
AA, UA, DL, Spirit, Frontier’s pilots are taxi drivers.
DJ
That’s an insult to taxi drivers!
He was the APA Union President during the 00,s. Real hard line guy. Very confrontational. The internet is full of articles with his name and what he did during that tenure.
It’s not rude to introduce yourself to the Cockpit. It’s a courtesy both ways. In case of Emergency. The Cockpit knows it has able trained Crew members onboard, if assistance is needed.
I’m sorry this, ruined this guys day, week or must have this memory.