Sunwing Party Flight and the Duty of the Pilot in Command
Like pretty much everyone else in Canada and around the world, I was outraged to read the news about the infamous Sunwing “party flight” to Cancun. Even Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau condemned the irresponsible behaviour, calling the instigators barbarians and purposeless people.
However, whilst the vast majority of the people were especially frustrated because of the careless behaviour of the 150 or so Quebec influencers and reality TV stars partying maskless, vaping, and drinking onboard the chartered flight in COVID times, we should be more concerned by the fact the plane was allowed to land as planned in Cancun, Mexico with the flight attendants taking refuge in the back of the aircraft.
As explicitly stated in the Tokyo Convention of 1963, maintaining “good order and discipline” in the aircraft is the duty of the pilot in command.
The investigators of Transport Canada will have to determine if the purser (also known as “cabin manager” or “chief flight attendant”) properly assessed the gravity of the situation and adequately conveyed the assessment to the pilot in command. They will also have to determine if the pilot in command failed to protect the passengers and the flight crew from this out-of-control situation.
Normally, under these circumstances, the pilot in command should have landed the plane at the nearest airport and handed over the disturbing passengers to the authorities. The fact that “good order and discipline” was not maintained could warrant the suspension of the pilot in command, the purser or both.
It is for the airline to set the rules of conduct for the passengers and not the other way around. This does not exonerate the passengers who jeopardized the safety of the flight.
Conseiller RS&DE
3 年More than mask or virus, my attention is more puzzled by the chances of weight debalancing and stress on plane frame that this gang of ravers moving like uninibited idiots had taken. Not sure that such a group behavior has been included in any commercial plane design simulation and maybe it should be. Only one certainty: they should thanks the large safety margins used to certify this aircraft. Do you know which model they were aboard? Sunwing has mainly 737-800 NG but they are supposed to get some 737 Max8. Was it a suicide-like mission secretly sponsored by Boeing to test the last patch to their famous MCAS software? Sounds like a social network marketing genius idea that crashes instead to crash the plane. Partial success.
Sustainable Energy Ideas & Concepts - Project Manager CIMA+
3 年As the old saying goes… ??two wrongs don't make a right??