The president of North Korea has the power to do that. The president of Cuba has the power to do that. The president of Venezuela has the power to do that. The president of ISIS has the power to do that. Do you really want any U.S. president to have that much power? I know I don't! Mike

(Written on 26-01-2017)(Permalink)

Buy a Coke? Have you ever ridden on United? They've never charged for soft drinks in coach for the last 35 years. I know.

(Written on 09-06-2016)(Permalink)

Maybe that applies to most CEOs, but not all. Some really are worth every penny. I personally know Continental employees who cried when Bethune left. I don't personally know anyone who was sorry to see either Tilton or Smisek leave.

(Written on 22-10-2015)(Permalink)

I'm a United Airlines pilot and I thank God everyday that United management has not ordered any A380. I believe when the history of the A380 is written (soon) it will be shown that Airbus never sold one at a profit and no airline made a profit over their whole period of ownership. And I will predict that the last A380 will be built before 2020.

(Written on 04-06-2015)(Permalink)

What is the last thing to go through a bug's mind as he smashes into the windshield? His anus.

(Written on 26-04-2015)(Permalink)

I just read the whole article, all 3 parts. My first impression is that it is a total anti-GA hack job. The writers obviously think that all small planes are dangerous. More important, they intentionally write to make things sound not just bad, but in the worst possible light, without any regard to being fair. They point out that the manufacturers are involved in investigating GA accidents. Guess what? The manufacturers are heavily involved in investigating airline accidents. I'm tired of so many people, lead by hacks like the USA Today, who always portray private enterprise (manufacturers) as inherently untrustworthy, if not evil. Yet when they point to the NTSB, they are implying the only good solution is to make the government larger. The USA Today repeatedly point out that there have been 9 times as many GA deaths as airlines in the last 50 years. Fine, why not dig up the statistic on how many times more "amateur" driver caused deaths there have been as opposed t

(Written on 20-06-2014)(Permalink)

Yes, I am impatient. I was happy to pay for the vetting to access this program because it does save me time. The process of close physical inspection of every passenger is very labor intensive which makes it expensive and inefficient. Also, the genius of September 11 hijackers plan was to use only LEGAL objects. In case you've not studied the September 11 hijackings, they did NOTHING illegal when they went through the security inspection. September 11 also proved the worse thing is to allow hijackers into the cockpit. This means that you must closely vet all pilots. I am an airline pilot. I've be subject to finger printing and an extensive FBI background investigation. I AM NOT THE ENEMY!!! I'm locked in the cockpit every time I go to work, so why should I not be given an easier access to the boarding area? And if you are willing to be finger printed and have a background investigation, I am very happy for you to have easier access to the boarding area. If the TSA

(Written on 05-06-2014)(Permalink)

I took my first flying lesson in 1977 and started at a commuter airline in 1980. Yes, women pilots were even more rare than now. But sad to say, women pilots are still rare. As are minorities. I've never understood why so few women and minorities start flying lessons. I have always encouraged everyone I talk with to consider learning to fly. And while I strongly disagree with 'affirmative action' I have told women and minorities that for the foreseeable future, they will have a hiring advantage. Every flying school I've visited has been very accommodating to women and minorities. But I must admit, once you are working with pilots you will find a sadly high number of misogynists. For what it's worth, they are not better pilots.

(Written on 06-03-2014)(Permalink)

I am a commercial pilot with over 28,000 hours. I am also a Caucasian male who was born and grew up in Indiana. If you want a "solid" pilot you are looking at the wrong labels. I've flown with more than 1000 different pilots. The number women in my 'top 100 best pilots' are a very high percentage. There is only ONE woman in my 'bottom 100'. Emotions? I've worked many days with men who can't get their head into the job because of their emotions. I've flown with excellent pilots who were minorities, and or foreign, and or religious, and or atheist, and or military, and or civilian, and or straight, and or gay, and or fill in the blank. None of these labels determine if a person will be a good or bad pilot. Do I agree that being a mother is the highest honor for a woman? Yes, but I also believe being a father is the highest honor for a man. And I've observed over the years that what a man or woman does for a living has no bearing on whether they are a good or bad moth

(Written on 06-03-2014)(Permalink)

First, if you lower the top pilot's pay it will only put pressure to lower the bottom pilot's pay. Just because management might have more money does not mean they are willing to hand it out. Second, you say a large paycheck is not right for someone working les than 100 hours a month. Please remember that is only the flight hours. Due to the geography of my current domicile (Guam) I will typically be on duty 10.5 hours for 8 hours pay. Trust me, this 1.3 duty to flight time ratio is EXTREMELY efficent scheduling. Your typical domestic pilot will have a ration closer to 2 to 1. In other words, a domestic pilot might be on duty 200 hours to earn the 100 flight hours of pay. A 9 to 5 employee averages 173 work hours a month.

(Written on 01-03-2014)(Permalink)