What can passengers do if airline pilot acts bizarrely?
When a pilot on a United Airlines f light from Austin to San Francisco launched into a bizarre rant last week over the plane intercom, the 120 passengers in the cabin were put in the awkward position of looking after their own safety.
The pilot, who rambled on about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and her own divorce, was ultimately replaced on the flight and United Airlines apologized to the passengers — but not until several passengers got up and demanded to be let off the plane.
The pilot, who has not been identified, has been relieved of her flying duties, United Airlines spokesman Charles Hobart said.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires that pilots be clear of personality or mental disorders.
However, the FAA does not have any regulations addressing what to do if a pilot or copilot appears to be mentally incapable of flying a plane. Instead, the agency leaves it up to the airlines to come up with a procedure for such a situation.
As for the passengers, Hobart and FAA officials say travelers who fear that their pilot is acting strangely or worry that their safety is in jeopardy should immediately contact a crew member.
In the case of the flight from Austin, Texas, to San Francisco, United Airlines placed passengers who got off onto another flight, with no charge for rebooking.
“If there is a reasonable concern for their safety, we will work with them,” Hobart said of passengers who want to get off a plane before takeoff.
Delta to offer free food on long f lights
Apparently there is such a thing as a free lunch — at Delta Air Lines.
The Atlanta-based carrier announced that it will offer free meals for all passengers on several longhaul domestic flights — a service that many airlines eliminated about a decade ago in the face of tight budgets and fierce competition.
Starting March 1, Delta will offer free meals throughout the cabin on flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport as well as between JFK and San Francisco International Airport.
On April 24, the airline will expand the free meal offering to 10 other major routes, including BostonLos Angeles and Washington, D.C.-Los Angeles.
The airline will hand out meals such as a breakfast sandwich in the morning and a veggie wrap for lunch.
Delta said the offer of free food came in response to customer satisfaction polls that showed that travelers who were offered free munchies gave the airline high satisfaction scores.
As airline profits have started to rise in the last few years — thanks to lower fuel costs — several carriers have started to offer more complimentary snacks and drinks.
United Airlines added free snacks — waffles, pretzels, rice crackers or soy nuts — for economy passengers on flights within North America last year. American Airlines also added free snacks — cookies or pretzels — to all passengers on transcontinental flights.
Americans oppose in-f light phone calls
If you think that allowing mobile phone calls on commercial flights is a bad idea, you are not alone.
That is the main conclusion that comes from reading the more than 7,000 comments made by Americans in response to a proposal by the U.S. Department of Transportation to keep in place a ban on in-flight phone calls.
Nearly every comment submitted to the DOT website was strongly opposed to the idea of allowing phone calls on planes. The deadline for submitting the comments was Feb. 13.
Peter Keierleber of Sugar Land, Texas, called allowing calls on planes “outrageous.”
“Space is already very limited and why would you give someone the right to annoy me over my right to peace and quiet?” he wrote.
Even flight attendants voiced opposition.
“Personal space is a major component in sparking confrontations between passengers,” wrote Waynetta Keeling, a Texas resident who has been a flight attendant for 33 years.
The DOT’s proposed rule comes in response to a move by the Federal Communications Commission in 2013 to considering allowing mobile phone calls on planes. The FCC pointed out that new technology exists to allow calls without disrupting the navigation systems of an airline.
The FCC rule change is designed to address the technology aspect of allowing cellphone calls while the DOT is considering issues of onboard safety.
The proposed FCC rule change is still under consideration.