Pilot praised for honest message to passengers after he refused to fly plane despite it being deemed safe
While most people aren't usually very pleased if their flight gets canceled, this pilot was applauded for doing so.
Anyone who travels frequently knows that its not uncommon to encounter problems. From your luggage getting lost to your flight being delayed, there are several ways your trip can go wrong.
Arguably one of the worst things to happen is if your flight is canceled all together, and this is what happened to a passenger-filled plane that was about to set of Hawaii from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) last year.
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Passengers who were scheduled to fly to Hawaii reportedly had to deplane not once, not twice, but three times.
The pilot informed passengers that there was a leaking faucet in the galley and, because mechanics struggled to fix it, they had to leave the aircraft for a different American Airlines jet.
But there was then issues with the second plane too as blogger Johnny Jet detailed the events that then unfolded on his website.
Recalling what the pilot said, he penned: "Minor issue with the oil pressure, problem with engine number two. We’re talking to maintenance control right now. Sorry it’s taken so long but things are pretty good right now. Just bear with us for a few more minutes if you would please."
Around half an hour later, they were yet to be airborne and the pilot proceeded to give the passengers another update.
"The aircraft is being observed, so to speak, because oil pressure on the number two engine is trending upwards, and the aircraft is going to require, actually, it’s the fuel pressure, fuel system filter replacement when the aircraft gets back from Hawaii," he explained.
"They’ve told us that the plane is good to go but I’m not really feeling it. I’m not going to leave the ground if I’m not completely certain that we have an air-worthy aircraft, so I’m going to probably err on the side of caution and am refusing the aircraft."
The pilot hailed it a 'tough call' but expressed his concerns that the aircraft might have issues during the flight and he didn't want to take any risks.
You'd typically expect a load of groans and heavy sighing on the plane at that point, but some people actually applauded the decision.
Johnny Jet shared a video of the announcement being made on YouTube and a lot of people praised the pilot's decision.
At the time of writing, the clip has been viewed over 862,000 times.
One person commented: "I applaud this pilot. A mature and true leader who is not afraid to make the tough calls. If the pilot makes this call then I am heading for the exit and calling it a day."
A second wrote: "Standing ovation for a pilot who wants to be 100% safe!!!!"
"I rather be delayed and inconvenienced than perish in the Pacific Ocean." added a third.
UNILAD has contacted American Airlines for comment.
Topics: Travel, Pilot, Viral, Hawaii, Los Angeles
Niamh Shackleton