The Leeward Islands Airline Pilots Association (LIALPA) is waiting to be informed of the measures LIAT will take in dealing with the passenger who caused the disruption and cancellation of one of its flights on December 13th 2016.
The passenger who was on-board an aircraft in Barbados, destined for St Vincent, made a serious allegation that they had detected the smell of alcohol on one of the pilots.
LIALPA is aware of the standing procedures the Company has in dealing with disruptive passengers.
In the past, these measures have included legal action taken against the passenger (s) and/or the passenger (s) being blacklisted on all LIAT operated flights. We are confident that LIAT will deal with this situation no differently.
We have noted LIAT’s Press Release where the company strongly refuted the allegations against the pilot, and also noted the pilot’s voluntary submission of independent medical testing showing negative results.
We wish to thank the Company for clearing the air and letting the public know that the pilot was completely innocent of the allegation.
However, based on precedent, we are not satisfied with LIAT simply saying that no findings or action was taken by any airport or other authority on the passenger’s allegation.
Therefore, we await the Company informing us of the actions it will take against this disruptive passenger.
LIALPA wishes to state categorically, that we were never in doubt that our Pilot was innocent of the mischievous allegation and we continue to stand unequivocally in support of our Pilot. We will also do whatever is necessary to protect our pilot’s reputation and will explore all avenues in doing so.
LIALPA regrets the disruption and subsequent cancellation of the flight. We want to reassure the travelling public that we are always committed and dedicated to serving you at the highest professional levels.
Our social contract with the Caribbean people is unbreakable, and our commitment to transporting you at the highest levels of safety is and always will remain paramount.
The pilot association should be ashamed of themselves. I was supposed to travel on LIAT on Christmas Eve from Barbados to Dominica and had to end up paying US$250. for a night at a hotel because of LIAT’s incompetence. The problems facing this airline is not just management but also its workers. The association should be looking at ways to better the service instead of trying to punish the people who continue to keep them in business.
The association should take a look in the mirror and also remember that without us passengers their members will have no jobs. Take this for the safety issue that it is. You need the eyes and ears of everyone is today’s environment. I would consider it my duty to say something if I suspect that the pilots are intoxicated. This could save lives. Let go of your stupid egos and examine at the issue with non prejudiced minds.
This happened recently, maybe yesterday, the first day of 2017; so when those ignorant babbling so called idiots who are defending someone who might be drunk and was getting ready to fly an aircraft, if he went along and took that plane down the clowns who are defending him would sing another drunken song!
By Josh King Veuer
A Canadian airline pilot reportedly passed out in the cookpit and is being charge with being drunk on the job
According to police, after his arrest, the 37-year-old man was found to have ovethree times the legal limit of alcohol in his body.
Sunwing Airline pilot Captain Miroslav Gronych was reportedly “behaving oddly before he became unconscious in the cockpit.”
Great Job LIALPA. Next time they will know their place. The Wet Wipes she smelled on the man and saying is Alcohol he consumed. Charge her. If they think LIALPA playing they lie. That’s the only real organisation at LIAT.
LIAT CONTINUES TO HAVE THE SAFEST OPERATIONS IN THE CARIBBEAN. That’s my choice of travel.
That must be your only choice of travel, because that’s all you have in Dominica.
Haahahahahahahahahahahahahahah!
You either fly LIAT in and out of Dominica, or you fly on a birds back, or swim the ocean!
The pilot assoc & LIAT are so backwards. Could they not find another pilot like most airlines do to continue with the flight? I applaud the passenger for speaking up.
Now, mr chairman of the (LIALPA) , is it the first time that a liat flight has been canceled, how much flights were canceled by liat that same week, how many passenger took actions against liat, more so when you guys take industrial actions, reporting sick merely hours before a flight and leaving thousands of passengers stranded, dont you see this as disruptive pilots, what actions did liat take against you guys, just shut your pie hole and go sit down man.
The pilots at LIAT are frustrated with management, I know that but this is not the way to go about airing their grievances. They are short of crew and I doubt that a spare pilot could even have been found as a replacement on that occasion in Barbados. LIAT management is beyond a joke. The acting CEO is weak and does not have the respect of her own employees.
Many pilots would leave if they could find an alternative employer but some have been with the airline so long, they would find it difficult to do so. They have to blame themselves too for having an attitude of being a law onto themselves. Let them call a general strike, refuse to fly altogether. Have a showdown. See if they are as indispensable as they think and establish who really runs this aviation minnow because things can not continue as they are.
I recall DNO’s article of 15th December on this. In the article it stated that the co-pilot pointed out that the pilot was not intoxicated but was merely using a wet wipe. This turned out to be indeed the case – He had not drank and was NOT drunk but was using a wet wipe.
But the lady passenger was also not wrong in raising an alarm of caution. Most disinfecting gels, sprays, liquids, lotions or paper towels or larger wet towels have an alcohol base. If the disinfecting gel or spray or other liquid in the wet wipe was alcohol based then the lady could indeed have smelt alcohol. And if it was a hot tiring day and the pilot had used it profusely in wiping his face or applied or utilized prodigiously on his arms if he was in short sleeves, then indeed the smell of alcohol would be strong.
It was unfortunate that the pilot was embarrassingly accused of drinking alcohol at a time he seemingly did not. But the lady had a right to feeling secure. She was probably very fearful.
She was concerned and cited the fact that has children and a husband. She had a right to query. My only concern is probably how she queried and the mode and tone of communications.
I believe because of the nature of disgust due to the possible implications of the accusation there was immediate push-back and understandably so. But if indeed passengers smelt the alcohol base of the wet wipe they would be adamant. The reactions on both sides are very much understandable – A VERY IDEAL CONDITION FOR ARGUEMENT AND BREAK DOWN OF COMMUNICATION.
I do not believe that any action(s) or sanctions should be taken against the lady passenger, nor should the Pilot Association chase butterflies, though the solidarity with and defense of their colleague is justifiable and understandable especially in the face of his innocence.
I think LIAT simply needs to reexamine its guidelines as per Pilot pre-flight preparations and use of alcohol free wet wipes or freshening agent before flight.
I have never seen LIAT pilots interact with pax. LIAT crew is one of its major problem. When you stop flying them you will see attitude change.
These two-bit pilots really think very highly of themselves. But that is not even the problem. They really do not give a Ray’s behind about the CUSTOMER. As far as they are concerned, passengers are an inconvenience.
I sometimes defended LIAT, but with that mentality coupled with the politics at the very top, that airline will never change. It is rotten at its core.
We have to be responsible in our actions and liat should do something about that passenger.
You see it is one thing to put the blame on the poor passenger. Why is it impossible that the pilot was inebriated (drunken).
Even here in the United State pilots are taken off flights because of the smell of alcohol on their breath!
The pilot is at fault, if it is true that he used a chemical to clean his hands that smell like alcohol he and LIAT is at fault!
In the West Indies, we are aware of how people indulge in the drinking of alcohol, we see drivers driving with beer, or rum in one hand, so why couldn’t that man had his belly filled with rum before boarding the aircraft.
There is nothing special about one who pilots an aircraft, they are simply men and women, the authorities should be happy that the passenger call attention to what she smelled and believe it was on his breath, perhaps she might have saved her life and others that day!
That should not be considered disrupted! Is it not better to be safe preventing some triadic from happening?
Seriously? Well the LIALPA has more guts than a calabash to want to blacklist the passenger. No one is questioning the safety record of LIAT which has been great so far – merci Bon Dieu. However, the pilot deserted the aircraft and was ultimately the cause of the flight being cancelled. His co-pilot added fuel to the fire by verbally assaulting a paying customer which seems to have escaped the notice of the LIALPA . LIAT management mishandled the entire situation which is not at all surprising given the morons at the head of this despicable airline.
I think the LIALPA is barking up the wrong tree. This can only cause a backlash on LIAT because we will take our dollars elsewhere. I for starters, am outta here. Good bye!
LIAT is so close to a class action lawsuit for their vicious track record of bad business and disregard for travellers/customers.
The Liat…Pilot Association needs a cold shower and to just chill. The association thinks it’s a “little god” over the Caribbean.
…is the association for real? these ppl must be dumb. Ban who? ban what? eh? stuppssss!!!!
Ban you?
With the opening of St. Vincent International Airport, LIAT will soon become history, it is time it makes its exit unto the metal trash heap of history!
Exactly, primadonas. Pleeeze. Are they serious?
I am shocked
(1) The problem was the pilot not a passenger.
(2) It did not involve just one but several passengers saying the same thing.
(3) It was a safety and security issue putting lives at risk.
(4) LAIT has shown terrible public relations: the worst I have ever seen with any company.
(5) In the future people will be afraid to report potential problems.
(6) This is causing people to decide against using LAIT airline.
(7) One commentator hit an all time low by making it a racial issue. He (she) actually implied people were picking on LAIT because it is a black person airline whatever that means.
(8) The problem and the response of the airline company is causing people to decide against flying with this airline.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. (A frequent visitor to the Caribbean)
People are as stupid as you think they are…
1) It literally takes 1 person to stir up others (so so dumb)
2) With “mob-mentality” the 1st bit of gossip is always correct (very sad)
3) If I were the pilot, who was cleared of all the allegations, I would definitely sue all the faces I remember.
4) Do onto others as you would yourself…
I am not saying I side with LIAT, who i deem to be in the way; however a man’s reputation is all he really has in this world… don’t go uselessly tarnishing it.
And yes… if a pilot does smell like alcohol, there should be a test on-board or at least carry some litmus paper…
several people sometimes parrot each other and never think of the accused.
“LIALPA wishes to state categorically, that we were never in doubt that our Pilot was innocent of the mischievous allegation and we continue to stand unequivocally in support of our Pilot.”
Mr. Hill, In the quote above, you see a display of the stupid mentality of a bunch of people who was not in Barbados, at the time of the incident, the did not witness the passenger experience, yet these people stated categorically they had no doubt the pilot was not drunk, how can someone make a stupid statement like that?
How can anybody come to that conclusion when they were not present the day of the incident that pilot was not drunk! As for this contract the clowns are talking about they have with the Caribbean people is a whole bunch of Baloney! If they say they have a contract with the Caribbean people asks them why they discriminate against Dominicans, and treat our us as if we do not exist?
Rev Hill, go and look on the affairs of the Lord, because all you doing is spreading false witness. Tell the people that your Cult has been deceiving many. If LIAT was a White owned company you’ll be talking differently.
Tell the Dominicans that they are Israelites and that Christmas is pagan. Life and death is in the power of your tongue and you just killed many people.
hahahahaha i just died… the thing is.. i’m going to hell in every religion…
OMG we in the Caribbean are truly in a third world, when are we as a people gonna snapped of this ?.
Pilots association get your priorities right! LIAT is a joke of an airline! The service they provide is not fit for purpose! Deal with the disruptive airline called LIAT.
A passenger was concerned for their safety and raised they alarm. They are entitled to do that. You cannot expect people to fly on a plane if they genuinely fear for their life!
Thank you!
To hell with the modern day bourgeoisie, the (massa) replace the slave masters of four hundred years ago.
They believe that passengers have no rights,when in fact without people flying in suffering on that low class, low grade which they call an airline some of the people farting from their mouth will not have anything to do for a living!
Let’s see how it plays out when Argyle International Airport in St. Vincent commenced accepting International flights what will happen to LIAT If you can fly on a passenger jet connecting all of the islands in the Caribbean excluding Dominica, Montserrat, and Tortollla, who is going to fly LIAT
It is doomed I and I am happy, after sixty years; of wasting peoples time it is time to go!
The way and manner in which LIAT is dealing with this situation borders on being criminal.
The government responsible for licensing this airline to fly should revoke their license before there is a tragedy and both the airline and the government are sued.
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill.
I can;t believe LIAT. They should be blacklisted from carrying passengers to and from any country. They are unreliable and for someone to tell me, Liat have to take passengers from Dominica to Antigua then back to dominica to pick up more passengers, then back to antigua then puerto rico and tell me if this is not too bush bullpooopoo!!.When they finish tey want to say that they are blacklisting passengers? Black list that!
*****IT’S OUR RIGHT****
We have noted LIAT’s Press Release where the company strongly refuted the allegations against the pilot, and also noted the pilot’s voluntary submission of independent medical testing showing negative results.
………………………………………
How soon after the allegation did the pilot made himself available to be tested?
This is a very important question.
Does anyone know? Did LIAT release the details about that?
Otherwise prospective passengers have every RIGHT to SAY something if something does not LOOK right or SMELL right!!!
-Thanks
Sounds to me the pilots of LIAT are more interested in themselves than the passengers. They may be forgetting that passengers are customers, who ultimately pay their wages and a customer is always right, even when he/she is wrong. There are better ways to handle this. Even if the passenger allegation turned out to be wrong, it did cause unease among the rest of the passengers on board. LIAT should have provided a replacement pilot, proceeded with the flight and carry out their investigation out of the public eye in order to maintain confidence in their personnel and service.
They always have the prerogative to refuse future service to a passenger and blacklist him/her discretely. The last thing you want to do is to pick a rift with your customers in public. I would shy away from a supplier who does this as it creates the impression that they are more interested in protecting themselves than their customers.
This will just make passengers scared to speak out next time they have a concern. How simply this could have been resolved the same time instead of the pilot walking out and causing a cancellation of an entire flight. Imagine u having so sit through turbulence wondering if the pilot is really intoxicated or not. Bad move pilot.
Well I will not be afraid to speak nuh. my life is worth it.
It seems that whenever some human beings have a few skills they think they are Gods. The pilot should have handled the situation professionally and not like a pampered child. Passengers have the right to raise issues of concern. Silly pilot.