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IP: Passenger taken off flight for drunk pilot joke
From: Dave Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 18:49:47 -0400
Better not complain about the food or service or maybe even lack of on time arrival. They should be sued. Dave ------ Forwarded Message From: EEkid () aol com Date: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 14:04:27 -0400 (EDT) To: dave () farber net Subject: Passenger taken off flight for drunk pilot joke Passenger taken off flight for drunk pilot joke SAN FRANCISCO, California (Reuters) -- An air passenger who jokingly questioned whether the plane's pilots were sober was removed from an Americas West flight on Monday, one week after two of the airline's pilots were arrested in Miami on charges of operating an aircraft while drunk. America West spokeswoman Patty Nowack said on Tuesday the passenger was removed from the Tucson-bound plane and later placed aboard another flight. "Safety is no joking matter. It is taken very seriously. we try to make the best decisions for all passengers based on what the situation is at hand," Nowack said. San Francisco International Airport spokesman Ron Wilson said the incident occurred shortly after boarding when the woman asked flight attendants if they had "checked the crew for sobriety." Wilson said the decision to remove the passenger was left to the airline. Nowack said the crew decided to take the woman off the aircraft after determining that her remarks constituted a potential security problem. "While this passenger may have been joking it is difficult to determine if someone is joking or serious. We take any comment regarding safety seriously," she said. America West last week fired pilots Thomas Cloyd and Christopher Hughes, who were arrested on July 1 on charges of operating an aircraft under the influence of alcohol. The Federal Aviation Administration also revoked the pilots licenses of both men, who were instructed to taxi their airplane back to the gate after security screeners at Miami airport alerted authorities that they had smelled alcohol when the pilots passed through a check. Police later said a Breathalyzer test at an airport substation had showed the men with blood alcohol levels at 0.091 and 0.084 respectively. Florida law considers a person intoxicated at 0.08. ------ End of Forwarded Message
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