People can just about do what they want to another person. An employee for Eulen America, the ground services company that does drug testing for American Airlines, asked the flight attendant at the door for a pilot named David.. This is a misscarige of justice Shame on AA for not throughly looking into this so carelessly and now this man's career is ruined. AA and the drug testing company botched the entire testing procedure. All of those members are still able to perform their duties as professional pilots, the letter continued. All Rights Reserved. Not saying this captain is hiding something, but maybe he was drinking & when the name thing happened he sped off to avoid being fired for coming up hot? April 2021 - American Airlines plans to resume hiring pilots this fall, the carrier told aviators on Tuesday, as a rebound in demand prompts airlines to rethinking their future staffing. Alaska Airlines Business Card Review: 70K Miles & Lufthansas Boeing 787 Business Class: Exactly As Expected. Maybe he was sick, or a family member was sick, and it cost a fortune cancer treatment, is upwards of 300k. Not sure they state the rank of the person on the testing order. The airline, I suppose, could have simply suspended the pilot from flying and then investigated to determine whether the pilot bore zero fault or partial fault in not getting the situation cleared up in the moment. He just makes bad decisions. Since the FAA unlawfully revoked his license, he may have a seperate claim against them for taking away his living w/o proof of any crime or policy violation. I would counter the bluff. More than a third of American Airlines pilots and flight attendants will take voluntary leave or retire in April or May, helping the Fort Worth-based carrier deal with an excess of workers during . Roles are available at BOS (Boston), FLL (Fort Lauderdale), JFK (New York), LAX (Los Angeles) and MCO (Orlando). If this were reddit, it'd be an ETA from me. I was a certified DOC drug and alcohol testing instructor and have done thousands of test. How does it feel to be living under a dictatorship. My last name is frequently garbled, despite being pronounced exactly as written, and it takes only a few seconds to ask, "did you mean XYZ?" They, in turn, went to American Airlines claiming their employee is harassing them and sought to cancel him. Apparently he'll kick me off before I even make it down the jet bridge. He will be well compensated for both mistakes SHAME SHAME SHAME on you AA, Monica: "What kind of loves are pilots living". This program is designed to reward pilots for their efforts and incentivize all pilots to continue their careers at Envoy or begin a new chapter at American Airlines. Major airlines expected to hire record number of pilots in 2022, Aviation Industry to Face Post-Pandemic Pilot Shortage, In North America, a Shortage of 12,000 Commercial Pilots Is Expected by 2023. Cumulative raises will amount to . August 2021 - Envoy is introducing the Pilot Retention and Bonus Program for pilots to earn up to $150,000 in retention compensation and captain bonuses. April 2021 - CommuteAir, a United Express carrier, announced it will offer a fast-track hiring process for ATP Flight School students, strengthening CommuteAirs partnership with ATP as the airline continues growing. A judge has ruled that the FAA took away Ingrams license illegally. The company has a strict vaccine mandate, requiring staff to get the shot or be terminated,. Pilots are routinely administered random drug and alcohol tests. * Sexual harassment. The FAA never contacted My CFI, never did a background check or contacted the flight MD who issued my medical license. April 2021 - Envoy Air Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL) operating nearly 180 aircraft on about 900 daily flights to more than 150 destinations. The airline says the. Southwest is not the only carrier hiring pilots in 2021, but it is further evidence of the ongoing recovery in the American aviation industry. Minnesota-based Sun Country and United Express carrier GoJet, which have all announced pilot pay increases since the beginning of December. As a result, Mager wrote, Ingram was grounded forever and all FAA public records of him ever having been a pilot were gone from the FAA Airmen Registry public website., This is a BETA experience. The airline said at the time that weather created a domino effect of pilots and flight attendants reaching federal limits on hours worked, and it took days to work through the shortage of crew members. April 2021 - United Airlines on Thursday told staff it will soon begin hiring hundreds of pilots a process the airline was forced to halt when coronavirus pandemic devastated travel demand last year, according to an internal email reviewed by CNBC. Whether AA crew members have the "right" to ask for the paperwork, I don't know, but if there wasn't even a full name given - which might have reduced the chance of confusion in a poor pronunciation - then it is hard to argue that the pilot was at fault. Either he is really victimizing himself or he took terrible financial decisions in his life. I consent to the use of following cookies: Necessary cookies help make a website usable by enabling basic functions like page navigation and access to secure areas of the website. I don't want someone who makes bad decision flying me around. He has even received a dui but the DMV and FAA dont talk and its an honor system for pilot to self report their DUIs. Now Its Back, Replacing Russian Losses In Ukraine. I'd love for other crewmembers to chime in to tell what procedures exist or existed at their airline. I'm an FAA Airman too. This time they are targeting an American Airlines pilot who spoke out against a proposed diversity initiative in his local school district. I doubt a veteran pilot with all that time in went through his savings and his investments in that short a time. Whether AA crew members have the "right" to ask for the paperwork, I don't know, but if there wasn't even a full name given - which might have reduced the chance of confusion in a poor pronunciation - then it is hard to argue that the pilot was at fault. August 2021 - Pilots who choose to join Piedmont Airlines exceptional aviation team can earn over $180,000 in bonuses as part of an unprecedented recruitment and retention package and have a guaranteed job at American Airlines under a company flow program. He should have kept his cool about what seemed to be a mistake. Him running out of money 2 years from retirement, that is bad decision making. Looking ahead, were preparing to potentially build back to 2019 levels of flying by summer 2023, he wrote. My FAA incident was long before I went there. This is a wrongful termination type of case and the former pilot must be filly compensated for all damages including getting back his pilot license and certifications. No free government lawyer here. It's been a long year, but we're excited to announce that the Pilot application window at GoJet Airlines is NOW OPEN! Some of APAs members are unable to undergo vaccination for documented medical reasons, while others are reluctant to get vaccinated based upon concerns about the potential for career-ending side effects, read the Sept. 24 letter. July 2021 - Southwest Airlines is coming back, and the airline is focused on having the staffing it needs in a post-crisis world. Advertiser Disclosure: Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission. He should get what hes owed because he shouldnt have been fired, but not a dime more. He spent all his money doesn't mean he's guilty. Two months later, American fired him. This man was a faithful employee who got the boot right as he was getting ready for retirement. The U.S. rail company in the memo noted that many employees have expressed apprehension about getting a COVID-19 vaccine. High Experience Bonus, $15,000 for those with at least 1,000 hours of qualified FAR 121 experience or $10,000 for those with at least 750 hours of qualified FAR 121 experience. How is it possible that a pilot not only gets fired but has his license revoked by the FAA over what amounts to a miscommunication? I agree that they both screwed up. My brother and I grew up around aircraft our whole lives. Random testing is enabled through a notification process whereby a notifier directly approaches the pilot and notifies him by name. Mager wrote. Two months later, he was fired from the airline, and even had his license revoked by the FAA. Why didn't the employee at Eulen immediately contact a Supervisor? Ive exhausted my 401K and sold stock and two cars to survive. July 2021 - Envoy is pleased to announce the return of a bonus for all new hire pilots. If a contractor came up looking for a pilot who wasnt on the flight, it might make sense to stick around and take some time to clarify, rather than just walking off and moving on with your day. This is one of those situations where you almost have to wonder if theres more to the story thats not known. Some really great made up time, money and more. With 18 domiciles, a fleet of over 450 aircraft and growing, and flying agreements with four mainline partners United, Delta, American and Alaska SkyWest offers the best quality of life for pilots. So the union's hands were tied. Now this is Miami, and I can tell you for most of the Eulen workers English is not their primary language. March 2, 2021 - We're ready, are you?! The pilot if he had nothing to hide should have taken the drug test. I hope this guy gets a nice settlement for all the pay he lost, and then some. Pilots and flight attendants at Dallas-based Southwest Airlines have complained of similar issues. I do not understand why they do not do more random drug tests in the medical field. Its Dewitt, not Hewitt. Well be a big hirer again, CEO Ted Christie told CNBC. Alaska Elites Now Get American Upgrade Certificates, Please view our advertising policy page for additional details about our partners. January 20, 2022 - The fault lies with both parties. I guess not "clearly" but rather "probably" the testing company is at fault. The dude probably makes +300K USD (Capitan easily +500K USD), so at least 5x what i make. Then againlong trip and someone is asking for someone else, you are in go-home mode. Furthermore, a judge is allowing his lawsuit to proceed in order to get compensation, as he is suing both American Airlines and Eulen America, the company that performed the drug test. CRJ-Type Rating Bonus, $7,500 for pilots with qualified CRJ-type rating. Three brothers named Lambert arrived in Virginia in the 1730s. As an AA Pilot for 35 years, I hope DeWitt gets every single penny and then some. The airline contractor clearly asked for a specify person. They had to know who the pilot was that was to be tested. The hard working people of America are being treated with no respect or dignity. As a commercial truck driver I am subject to random drug and alcohol tests as well, so I understand the implications of refusal to test. 22 years flying for the Airline I indicated a professional experience Pilot. As a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group, Envoy is the largest regional airline provider for American, the worlds largest airline. The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered. If you are not the person they are asking for & notified them as so, then continued on your way. Which, from the standpoint of efficiency, was/is stupid. He was terminated without cause. A supporter of former President Donald Trump shows his colors with a "Let's Go Brandon" hat. An additional identifying detail usually asked from a person who is asked to submit to a blood test is the date of birth. Heres a case where someone got fired over a drug test situation, even though they had nothing to hide. JC. Unclassified cookies are cookies that we are in the process of classifying, together with the providers of individual cookies. Smart money says the contractor had an accident, pronounced the W as a V, and this pilot, unless we are to believe he has never heard someone with an accent attempt to pronounce his name, figured he could just move on by saying it wasnt his name. It is not to much to ask! Pilots at American Airlines are pushing back against the Biden Administration vaccine mandate, demanding exemptions and warning the vaccine mandate will lead to travel disruptions. As a commercial truck driver I am subject to random drug and alcohol tests as well, so I understand the implications of refusal to test. The carrier plans to hire 10,000 new pilots by the end of the decade and a total of 25,000 new employees by 2026. Stay up-to-date on pilot hiring announcements and what's going on with the pilot job market. Legal fees alone would eat every penny I have saved over a lifetime given the ample pockets of the testing company and AA. I always waited at least two weeks before my test to consume an Everything Spice Bagel. Yesterday was a great day for your union, wrote Ed Sicher, president of the Allied Pilots Association, which represents American pilots, said in an Oct. 20 message to pilots. Sounds a little too fishy on (THAT) part. The contractor is at fault!! Scares the CR** out of me. A judge ruled that the FAA illegally revoked his license, and he can now proceed with suing both the airline and the company behind the drug test. The pilots union, along with the flight attendants union, has complained that problems at the airline this summer have made it difficult to get hotels, food and transportation for crew members during trips. He previously worked as a business journalist for the Orlando Sentinel, Tulsa World and The Monitor in McAllen. CHICAGO (WLS) -- United Airlines said it has fired almost 600 employees for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID, despite the mandate the company put in place. A Southwest Airlines pilot who watched porn and exposed his genitals to a female officer on a flight to Florida has been sentenced to one year of probation. And with an industry leading flow-through agreement to American, Envoy pilots have a direct path to a mainline flying career, with no additional interview required. February 26, 2021 - Come fly with us: Our First Officer application window opens March 1 to March 7. Clearly the testing company (through their employee) bears some degree of fault for reporting this as a "refusal" rather than a paperwork mix-up. Pilot Retention Bonus Program, up to $150,000. I worked at AAL for 11 years. Would love your thoughts, please comment. Pilots training and building their hours now will be among the most competitive. Ingram needs to be made whole for the loss of his earnings, the loss of his license, and the abuse he was administered.. Delta Air Lines is flying a different route. Additionally, Amtrak is mandating all employees to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1. Subsequently, Ingram met the notifier and told her his name was not David, and the two both walked up the jet bridge and into the terminal.. The pilot repeatedly and consistently insisted that the notifier had never notified him that he was selected for a random alcohol/drug test. Pilots at four U.S. airlines are now seeing significantly larger paychecks as the industry faces a pilot shortage. While there might not be free lawyers, many would accept arrangements that you pay them after the litigation, some only if you win. In the other, a judge allowed his lawsuit to proceed seeking compensation for the incident. Pilots who start training and building their hours now will be among the most competitive. Im a retired Bus driver who also got drug tested. June 2021 - Delta Air Lines will begin hiring 150 per month starting in September until the end of the year. Focus on the story. The pilot should have stuck around and confirmed the true name of the tested, and the testing company should not have jumped to conclusions and deemed it as a refusal to test. You might assume well maybe he had something to hide, but clearly thats not the case, because he then volunteered to take a test, and had no drugs in his system. American Airlines sent out a defiant email to all of its U.S. employees, putting them on notice that if they do not get fully vaccinated against COVID by November 24, they will be FIRED on the spot. The certification requires a . Worse yet AAL managers sanctioned it wholeheartedly and aggressively. If the contractor went to that flight for a reason. Its been a long dark hole in the ground prison alone and told repeatedly to never tell anyone so as to protect me.. Does any employee have the duty to inquire further? Written by Chris. If just David, the Eulen America employee should be put in prison. When people comment that he has used up his savings perhaps they are forgetting something. Employees not fully vaccinated will be required to submit a negative COVID-19 test result weekly, according to the memo. There isn't a pilot's union that's worth a Damm at America Airlines. It's really hard to tell what happened at the jet bridge. I hope DeWitt gets every single penny he deserves. Being a Dimwit in a cockpit doesn't make passengers feel safer. As former Chief, Alcohol & Drug Abuse Prevention & Control Program HQ U.S. Army Europe, I "saw" numerous soldiers discharged from the army for "drug positives." In August 2020, an American Airlines pilot was approached by a contractor to take a drug test. Before promoting Lakshman Amaranayaka as Vice President of Philadelphia, there . Sick, picked a wrong insurance. Pilots (and even more so Capitan of a legacy airline) are some of the most well compensated professions in the planet, especially in America. There's red flags all over this case, yet the union's leaders couldn't see through the paper bags they constantly are wearing over their heads! They need to go to the cockpit and say "hello captain, time for a drug test". While we do try to list all the best miles and points deals, the site does not include all card companies or credit card offers available in the marketplace. I think AA failed to notify the pilot properly and clearly. The next day, Ingram awoke to several voice mail messages from American Airlines flight department, expressing their shock that he refused to take a drug and alcohol test, Mager wrote. Random testing is way out of controll. In August 2020, Ingram, 64, became trapped in a nightmarish scenario involving a botched attempt by an employee of a ground services company. The program, which is available exclusively to ATP Flight School students and instructors, provides applicants a conditional job offer for a first officer position upon the successful completion of a background check and technical interview, creating a more streamlined hiring and onboarding experience for qualified candidates. In the military the ID is always check and signature. This case is just now going through court, and the pilot is finally getting some justice. Airlines are hiring at faster rates than ever before. The airline contractor clearly asked for a specify person. Prior to the report, American Airlines (A1G) (AAL) reported having asked over 3,300 employees to return from leave to aid in fortifying its staffing requirements. Within a hundred years, among their descendants, there were roughly forty variations of the family name because of the census workers' incorrect spelling. After the FAA presented its case, APA special counsel Sue Edwards made a motion to dismiss the case based upon the lack of credible factual evidence produced by the FAA, Sicher said. Im not saying he is guilty of anything but not being Diligent. Unfortunately even with a judge ruling in favor of Ingram, hell never be able to fly for an airline again. As for the drug test & everything else, my theory: First off, the contractor stated it was a refusal, so did he talk to the captain and state the name was wrong but wanted to drug test him because he was First off, the contractor stated it was a refusal, so did he talk to the captain and state the name was wrong but wanted to drug test him because he was the captain, and he said no and walked off? 2016 www.independentsentinel.com. Were you there? They have no CBA with the FAA, government, Eulen or airport. But I guess hindsight is 20/20, so. Currently Hiring 80 Instructors Per Month. They have no CBA with the FAA, government, Eulen or airport. After 40 years working no savings or anything ? If this were reddit, it'd be an ETA from me. It's really hard to tell what happened at the jet bridge. As for the captain, sounds like he would have known how serious this stuff was, why walk off like nothing happened? DeWitt Ingram, a 21-year American pilot, wants his life back. Nothing but a Y membership without the pool. They both messed up. In 2000, a ramp agent took the picture above of him at Palm Beach International Airport. This man has not been treated fairly by a company he worked for 32 years. Caffeine and Sugar. A new contract between Delta and its pilots increases their pay by 34%. Be careful what you eat! When huge airlines are partnering with incompetent ground service teams like Eulen AND even worse the FAAthese thighs are bound to happen. That is a lot of employees. Divorced, picked a wrong person. Unfortunately this incident has completely changed his life. He may not be totally in the right and easy to second guess, but to claim he spent all his money and thus must be guilty ignores the real cost of litigation. Airline . In a TikTok video widely shared by. Exhausted his 401K and sold cars and shares to survive ? On the other hand, the pilot should not have cavalierly said "No David here!" Amtrak will pay workers to get vaccinated. You must admit. But under the circumstances, Ingram declined to be tested. American Airlines and the FAA took the position that the pilot was properly notified by a Eulen Aviation notifier and that his failure to complete the test constituted a refusal, Sicher wrote. Michael Haak, 60, apologized before US. When huge airlines are partnering with incompetent ground service teams like Eulen AND even worse the FAAthese thighs are bound to happen.