13 flight attendants fired after refusing to fly on vandalized plane - Polidicks

[quote][img]http://i.imgur.com/5IFGEFHl.jpg[/img] Thirteen former United flight attendants are petitioning the federal government to be reinstated after the airline fired them for refusing to fly on a plane defaced with a threatening message. On July 14, 2014, a United flight scheduled to carry more than 300 passengers from San Francisco to Hong Kong was delayed when the words “Bye Bye” along with drawings of two faces were found scrawled high up on the body of the plane. Spooked by what they perceived as a threat, the flight attendants all refused to fly and later the airline fired them for “insubordination.” No question 2014 was a scary year to be flying after three large passenger jets were lost — one disappeared mid flight and has not been found since, a second was shot down over Ukraine, and a third crashed in the Java Sea in December. Read more: [url]http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/national/wp/2015/01/08/13-united-flight-attendants-want-their-jobs-back-after-refusing-to-fly-on-a-plane-defaced-with-a-creepy-message/[/url][/quote] Do you think their concerns that the plane could have been tampered with were justified? Should they get their jobs back?

If they generally were good flight attendants, with no previous discrepancies then I think the company who fired them was a little harsh

After they initially refused, was the plane given a thorough inspection and given the all-clear? If the plane was vandalized, then obviously some people had access to it without proper clearance. I wouldn't want to fly a possibly tampered-with plane without a very thorough check.

For all you know, it could be an outsider who somehow managed to slip past the airport security and did it. I can understand why they'll refuse.

I wonder if they informed the passengers about this message. I bet all of them would have refused to get on as well.

They inspected the plane afterwards and it was given the all clear. Its a drawing out of what looks like dust/dirt and engine oil, I wouldn't really call it vandalisim.

[QUOTE=onebit;46898551]Maybe an employee did it?[/QUOTE] I doubt vandalizing the plane as an employee would be a smart idea, considering the fact that if something went wrong with it said employee would be linked to it. He/She would be fighting a down hill shitball

I don't see why the company didn't wanna take the threat seriously, and just fire the whole flight staff instead. In a time like this, I'm pretty sure their customers wouldn't have wanted to fly either had they knew about this. Which in my opinion means the airline tried to hide what happen. Which even if it was a harmless threat, I be pretty pissed if I got on a plane and a company didn't disclose things like this. The appropriate response would have been trying to find who did it, not punish a flight crew with a valid reason to refuse to fly. I'm a logical person, but even I know most people will never feel comfortable just from a inspection check.

[QUOTE=MR-X;46898573]They inspected the plane afterwards and it was given the all clear. Its a drawing out of what looks like dust/dirt and engine oil, I wouldn't really call it vandalisim.[/QUOTE] Technically it is vandalism, but if they checked the plane over and found nothing out of the ordinary then there's no reason for them to be all up in arms about it.

[QUOTE=Tudd;46898600]I don't see why the company didn't wanna take the threat seriously, and just fire the whole flight staff instead. In a time like this, I'm pretty sure their customers wouldn't have wanted to fly either had they knew about this. Which in my opinion means the airline tried to hide what happen. [B]Which even if it was a harmless threat, I be pretty pissed if I got on a plane and a company didn't disclose things like this. [/B] The appropriate response would have been trying to find who did it, not punish a flight crew with a valid reason to refuse to fly. I'm a logical person, but even I know most people will never feel comfortable just from a inspection check.[/QUOTE] It's not even necessarily a threat, harmless or not. It's done on the bottom of the tail; it could just be a tongue in cheek message for people who watch planes head off. It say's a lot that our first thought seems to have been that it was in reference to a hijacking. People wouldn't leap to that conclusion if someone scrawled "bye bye" on the back of a van or train.

This is United we're talking about. Arguably the worst airline in the US.

[QUOTE=Michael haxz;46898580]I doubt vandalizing the plane as an employee would be a smart idea, considering the fact that if something went wrong with it said employee would be linked to it. He/She would be fighting a down hill shitball[/QUOTE] whoever did this is not a smart person., and therefore would not be expected to make sound decisions like that, employee or not.

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;46898833] People wouldn't leap to that conclusion if someone scrawled "bye bye" on the back of a van or train.[/QUOTE] Because people generally dont plant bombs on vans or trains. Plus with planes being under heavy security at all times would lead someone to believe that the person that snuck in there didn't just do it to write on a plane

[QUOTE=Sgt-NiallR;46898833]It's not even necessarily a threat, harmless or not. It's done on the bottom of the tail; it could just be a tongue in cheek message for people who watch planes head off. It say's a lot that our first thought seems to have been that it was in reference to a hijacking. People wouldn't leap to that conclusion if someone scrawled "bye bye" on the back of a van or train.[/QUOTE] Vans and trains also don't have a chance of plummeting out of the sky/crashing into the ground.

guess what airline I am staying away from now they where shit last time I fly with them as well.

Washington Post's writing on this is terrible. [quote]The message was found high on the plane’s tail cone just before takeoff during one of the pilots’ final inspections of the plane.[/quote] "Just before takeoff" is a far stretch for this. He probably noticed it on his walk-around...at the ramp.. way before takeoff. They make it sound like the pilot disembarked the airplane on the runway to check everything and only then noticed it.

That message looks lighthearted, I mean who the fuck would watch that from below and think "shit that plane is gonna crash".

Maybe the message was just a red herring and it was a different plane that was tampered with!

-snip-

It was United Airlines, I would refuse to fly with them as well regardless of place tampering.

the off chance that someone tampered with the plane, especially with regards to how the public views flying lately, means that it was pretty justifed for the attendants to feel uncomfortable and refuse to fly what if they told the passengers the same thing? im pretty sure the reaction would be similar.

[QUOTE=draugur;46900847]It was United Airlines, I would refuse to fly with them as well regardless of place tampering.[/QUOTE] I dunno, I've exclusively flown Delta and United the last few years and I like United's first class more. Coach is pretty much equal on both imo.

[QUOTE=MR-X;46898573]They inspected the plane afterwards and it was given the all clear. Its a drawing out of what looks like dust/dirt and engine oil, I wouldn't really call it vandalisim.[/QUOTE] Where did you hear that? I heard the opposite, that United blew off their concerns.

[QUOTE=aznz888;46900886]the off chance that someone tampered with the plane, especially with regards to how the public views flying lately, means that it was pretty justifed for the attendants to feel uncomfortable and refuse to fly what if they told the passengers the same thing? im pretty sure the reaction would be similar.[/QUOTE] Dude, I get jumpy enough when they say they have to re check the plane due to a thing being slight out of place Telling me someone wrote "Bye bye" on the fuselage? Fuck off, I'm out of there, and demanding for a new ticket/plane. I expect some quality regarding security and maintenance.

[QUOTE=darunner;46902680]Where did you hear that? I heard the opposite, that United blew off their concerns.[/QUOTE] The article, where United states that the plane was inspected as per regulations and given an all-clear.

[IMG_THUMB]http://i.imgur.com/0Bu6vfh.jpg[/IMG_THUMB]

[QUOTE=Kinversulath;46902824]The article, where United states that the plane was inspected as per regulations and given an all-clear.[/QUOTE] Hmm, interesting source.

It's probably going to be a contractual thing, with their union if there is one. If the plane flies, you fly. Otherwise that is insubordination. I find it hard to believe flight attendants are allowed by the airlines to just opt out of flights whenever they feel like it.

You're paid to be on the plane. If you're not going to do that you're out of a job. Simple as that.

[QUOTE=Jeremie. B;46903217]You're paid to be on the plane. If you're not going to do that you're out of a job. Simple as that.[/QUOTE] Being paid to do something doesn't mean shit when health and safety is potentially compromised.