SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Ever wonder what goes on in the cockpit during your flight? Or what the pilots talk about? Well, one Southwest pilot's tirade about his co-workers was caught on tape and broadcast across U.S. airspace. It was an expletive-filled rant about other employees who are gay, overweight, and older.
It happened on a flight from Austin to San Diego. The pilot of that flight had a lot on his mind and he didn't hesitate to share. “Eleven (expletive) over the top (expletive), (expletive) homosexuals and a granny."
With his cockpit mic open, the pilot rants about his co-workers, “After that, it was just a continuous stream of gays and grannies and grandes..." He goes into detail about how increasingly difficult it is to find co-workers he can sleep with, “Now I’m back in Houston, which is easily where the ugliest base. I mean it's all these (expletive) old dudes and grannies and there's like maybe a handful of cute chicks."
Passengers couldn't hear, but air traffic controllers and other pilots certainly could. One air traffic controller says, “Someone's got a stuck mic and, uh, telling us all about their endeavors. We don't need to hear that." Another pilot on a Skywest flight responds, “And they wonder why airline pilots have a bad reputation."
After the incident Southwest released a video statement. Captain Chuck Magill, VP of Southwest Airlines Flight Operations says, “On behalf of the pilot, I want to apologize to our employees, to our customers, and to fellow pilots in the industry."
Southwest sent the pilot to sensitivity training and he's back in the air. Southwest has not identified the pilot. We know he was suspended but not fired. Southwest has not stated the reasoning behind that decision.
