Airlines
Alaska Airlines Pilots Refused to Fly Together and Turned the Plane Around to the Gate After Argument
A flight operated by Alaska Airlines was delayed when two of the pilots decided they couldn’t fly the aircraft together.
A flight operated by Alaska Airlines was delayed when two of the pilots decided they couldn’t fly the aircraft together. According to the airline, the pilots “had a professional disagreement” before returning to the gate of Alaska flight AS1080, which was scheduled to travel from Washington to San Francisco.
When the flight, which was already almost two hours late, experienced an additional delay due to the pilots’ inability to get along, passengers became frustrated.
While apologizing to customers for the delay, Alaska Airlines insisted that it was for the best. Despite the unfortunate circumstances, the airline claims that the pilots acted appropriately for the sake of safety. “The management assessed the captain and the first officer and found that they were still qualified to fly.
The statement continues, “We apologized to our guests for the inconvenience this caused. Due to a storm, the flight was already two hours late, and passengers waited on the tarmac until it was safe to take off.
One of the passengers was genuinely confused by what happened. I’ve never done this before, he declared. The already delayed Alaska #1080 from IAD to SFO returns to the gate. The pilot exits the aircraft after saying, “In the interest of safety… because I and my first officer can’t get along.” One of the pilots stormed off the plane, and another passenger recorded it on camera.
Although the Alaska Airlines flight was scheduled to touch down in San Francisco at 7:05 PM, it actually did so at 9:31 PM. The flight that the San Francisco flight replacement pilot was transferred from was destined for Los Angeles. That flight, which was originally scheduled to land at 8:05 PM but ultimately touched down at 10:38 PM, was further delayed so they could find their own replacement pilot.
