Okay, so this whole thing sounds fishy. Pilots who start training and building their hours now will be among the most competitive. He just makes bad decisions. Good luck, Although I agree with the testing asking for a person and it was the wrong person should have been noted somewhere in the testing company notes all the things that happened to cthis pilot was an avoidable situation Im happy he took it to court and the ones who blessed up are held liable, I wouldve thought the pilot wouldve stay there and try and find out who this David was or if it was him with a typo mistake. I've duked it out with their lawyers. 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. Its SAD how $ dictates MOST weak minded ppl! The new conservative group letter helps American Airlines because if there's one thing that will burnish a company's reputation for diversity it's being attacked by opponents for trying to hard to achieve diversity. Being a Dimwit in a cockpit doesn't make passengers feel safer. He will be well compensated for both mistakes SHAME SHAME SHAME on you AA, Monica: "What kind of loves are pilots living". January 19, 2021 - U.S. ultra low-cost carrier Frontier Airlines, which is owned by private equity firm Indigo Partners, is planning to resume new pilot hiring this year, a Frontier spokeswoman said on Tuesday. The 2 most addictive substance is still not regulated anywhere. Two American Airlines-owned regional carriers will hike pilot pay by 50% through the end of August 2024, the latest sign airlines are willing to pay up in hopes of ending a pilot shortage that has left some travelers with fewer flight options. Exhausted his 401K and sold cars and shares to survive ? He previously worked as a business journalist for the Orlando Sentinel, Tulsa World and The Monitor in McAllen. Starting today, July 28, 2021, Envoy now offers new hire pilots a $15,000 sign-on bonus, paid out over the first year. American Airlines Pilot Fired Over Botched Drug Test, American pilot didnt take drug test intended for someone else, American Airlines Rolls Out New Safety Video. It seems big,RICH corporations like to save $ by firing ppl illegally so they dont have to pay them their pension! I received a warning for this incident, even though I was clearly not on opiods! Opinions expressed here are the authors alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. First off, his savings and how quickly he blew through it, not for me to comment. He was combative with other crew, passengers and airline staff and ultimately failed the drug test and was fired by the airline. A supply shortage might also mean higher pilot salaries. DeWitt Ingram, a 21-year American pilot, wants his life back. And, yes, of course the contractor should have asked for "Firstname LASTNAME" for clarity, but a few little steps on both sides would've prevented this nightmare. June 2021 - American Airlines Group Inc. dropped about 1% % of its scheduled daily flights for July after a faster-than-expected surge in summer travel led to crew shortages. In recent months, pilots have said that the airline was ill-equipped to put so many flights on schedules this summer, even though demand from passengers was heavy. The board vote was 17 to 2, with one person abstaining. If this were reddit, it'd be an ETA from me. Divorced, picked a wrong person. In fact, Envoy Airlines, one of American Airlines' wholly owned regional carriers, offers as much as $175,000 in bonusesalbeit with many fine-print clausesto attract and retain pilots. How is it that the contract employee stated the wrong name, ("David"), but was able to report the correct name as having refused the drug test? They are staff people with no background whatsoever. Moonman was a prolific, but mostly harmless youtuber at a different AA wholly owned then this guy. I tested positive for opioids one time because I ate an Everything Spice Bagel the day before my test. Well be a big hirer again, CEO Ted Christie told CNBC. DeWitt Ingram, I stand in solidarity with you. I was reading and kept wondering ok wheres are his Union reps. Parker said this week that Americans operational issues were rough at the beginning of summer, but that the company had made improvements. "I'm looking for David. See more about our ethics policies here. April 2021 - Were looking for highly qualified, motivated pilots who want to work for an airline that respects its employees, offers fantastic opportunities and is dedicated to making a difference. Monica, 33% of people making $250,000 a year live paycheck-to-paycheck. He could have asked the Contractor for the full name on the requisition for the drug test. Take the damn rest and then use your union to investigate. It's like the Army, it's called SNAFU, it's the norm. Easier to break someone financially than to be right in the first place. What do you make of this American Airlines drug test story? American Airlines pilots want customers to know how bad things have gotten Business travel is slowly returning. Endeavor pilots are leading the way with the best hourly pilot pay and enjoy a family-like culture where your team supports you every step of the way. June 2022 - Piedmont and Envoy pilots will get 50% pay premiums through August 2024. Now corporate America and hedge funds that control Wall Street cut jobs and demand the rest to do two or three peoples jobs. Careful next time you jot down a subscription, Dr. He was terminated without cause. United and American CEOs say they face a regional airline pilot crunch. Delta has told its pilots it plans to have them all back to flying status by October to get ready for a return to more normal operations. The airline transport pilot license is required to operate as captain on a "large commercial multi-crew aircraft," according to the Johannesburg School of Flying. Receive the latest airlines news, delivered straight to your inbox. Desperate Russian Forces Are Adding 80-Year-Old Naval Guns To 70-Year-Old Armored Tractors, More Ex-British Challenger 2 Tanks Are Bound For Ukraine As London Doubles Its Pledge, United Pilots Are Not Close On Contract, But Talks Will Ramp Up. I agree about the Union. To be clear, The people hired to make check marks or spelled names barely speak English, and there they're pronunciation and/or or there Capacity to check the correct boxes Can be in question definitely. The question is why him? Pilot shortage forces American Airlines to cancel 303 flights over weekend: 3,000 MORE could be axed in July after pilots were fired at the start of pandemic and not enough have been rehired Pilot Retention Bonus Program, up to $150,000. When huge airlines are partnering with incompetent ground service teams like Eulen AND even worse the FAAthese thighs are bound to happen. Within a hundred years, among their descendants, there were roughly forty variations of the family name because of the census workers' incorrect spelling. Several others offered their input. A memo from Chief of Operations John Laughter says details will be unveiled March 5 and COVID-19-idled pilots can expect a busy summer of training and refreshers. The law states that we can store cookies on your device if they are strictly necessary for the operation of this site. 1981, when President Reagan fired over 11,000 air traffic controllers for participating in a strike in violation of a return-to-work order. 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.. We understand these concerns and encourage everyone to consult with a medical professional and seek out facts from reputable sources, William Flynn, Amtraks chief executive officer, wrote in the memo. But I experienced the worst racial harassment in my 40 +years in the aviation industry there. He had just landed in Miami after working a flight. As for 'Sticking around' to 'Clarify' anything is a joke. I agree that they both screwed up. He needs to be well compensated. Other airlines are planning the same type of walkouts. Hes now getting some justice in court. Now this is Miami, and I can tell you for most of the Eulen workers English is not their primary language. I was a flight attendant but things were not so bad then. I got it back, but it took a few years, and in the end the FAA had to give me my retirement time lost and seniority back. But i wonder if these calls happened immediately or within 15-20 minutes of this refusal situation. The grievance and the civil suit will establish whether there is liability for American and Eulen America, the ground services company that employed the woman who mistakenly notified him that he should be tested. I definitely agree. Completely a big and desastrous mistake done by the Airline and the people in charge of taking the Drug text.I certainly hope this pilot win his case in court and be compensated for time loss, his reputatin and good name be clarify.My best wishes and luck to him ! March 2, 2021 - We're ready, are you?! New book: Kenny Riley & Black Union Labor Power in Port of Charleston. Anyone who voted for Dementia Joe deserves what they got. April 8, 2021 - Before the Covid pandemic hit, airlines were preparing for a wave of pilot retirements, which are federally mandated when pilots reach age 65. If you are not the person they are asking for & notified them as so, then continued on your way. Southwest Airlines Opens Pilot Hiring Window for 2022 First Officer Positions. One person can do this to a pilot whether it's true or not. You can't tell me that someone who had lived 62 years with the name "DeWitt" wasn't used to people mispronouncing it. However I found being a member better for me, in certain times, than not being a member. It's mostly seemed like talk to me, though. It's been a long year, but we're excited to announce that the Pilot application window at GoJet Airlines is NOW OPEN! However, with a judge having now ruled on the case, it seems pretty clear that this is roughly what happened. So the union's hands were tied. Well a PhD like you should know, the problem lies at who determines what is considered "drugs". An airline pilot that burned thru an alleged 401k in 2 yrs & had to sell off stock & autos to "survive"? Unvaxxed American Airlines Pilots to be fired Nov 24 the union requirements for all employees to be vaccinated, Baton Rouge invites criminals to get vaxxed & possibly get records expunged, CNN says Sen Sinema wont answer Bidens phone calls. As a pilot he is well aware of the requirements of his license. I always waited at least two weeks before my test to consume an Everything Spice Bagel. Using names, let alone on first names, is fraught with the potential mistakes. 2016 www.independentsentinel.com. In the military the ID is always check and signature. I've duked it out with their lawyers. As for the pilot's situation, if not employed in ground services, most of these barely educated individuals would be flipping burgers at a Scottish restaurant. The steps required to become a commercial pilot, ATP laid the foundation for success in my aviation career from zero experience to my dream major airline in just 5 years.. Ive exhausted my 401K and sold stock and two cars to survive. 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. 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. All airlines getting worse. (Photo: Al Drago) O n a Friday-morning flight from Houston to Albuquerque, a Southwest Airlines pilot . My FAA incident was long before I went there. Seems as though the management of this process is very disorganized and that AA instead of canning the pilot should have launched an investigation of how this occurred. I doubt a veteran pilot with all that time in went through his savings and his investments in that short a time. Not sure they state the rank of the person on the testing order. So AA told FAA to take away his license and the FAA was wrong here. They have no CBA with the FAA, government, Eulen or airport. name. The fault lies with both parties. Im not saying he is guilty of anything but not being Diligent. They have no CBA with the FAA, government, Eulen or airport. As several U.S. airlines announcerequirements for all employees to be vaccinated, Amtrak has announced a similar policy. 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. Looking ahead, were preparing to potentially build back to 2019 levels of flying by summer 2023, he wrote. Im a retired Bus driver who also got drug tested. I've been exactly there. That night was the end of all pay and benefits, Ingram said. Their heads are thick as a brick. Worse yet AAL managers sanctioned it wholeheartedly and aggressively. Hard to believe this actually happened at the time they asked for David, couldnt he just say, Im Dewitt, is that the name your looking for? And for Mike Bolton, you botched the history of Hostess. Unfortunately even with a judge ruling in favor of Ingram, hell never be able to fly for an airline again. 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. August 2021 - Our pilots share a passion for safety, customer service and caring for their crews. At least that seems like a good way to cover your rear. On the other hand, the pilot should not have cavalierly said "No David here!" The two companies were seeking a dismissal. Airlines are hiring at faster rates than ever before. March 28, 2021 - CommuteAir visiting ATP training centers the week of March 28. ATP students can earn $11,000 in tuition reimbursement. Some cookies are placed by third party services that appear on our pages. Hundreds of thousands of Americans are stranded as the airlines and most media lie as to the reason. Following a brief recess, the chief administrative law judge returned to the courtroom and rendered a decision from the bench granting the motion in its entirety, Sicher said. Cookies are small text files that can be used by websites to make a user's experience more efficient. Before promoting Lakshman Amaranayaka as Vice President of Philadelphia, there . January 2022 - American Airlines: Were Staffing Up for the Holidays. Given that he was upset by this misunderstanding, he scheduled tests, including a blood test, which showed he had no drugs or alcohol in his system. There are only 2 pilots ..9 sometimes 11 flight attendants. The COVID-19 pandemic decimated travel worldwide when cities and . Specifically, first officer Libertad Salmeron was fired by Volaris for not following the sterile cockpit procedure, whereby pilots are only supposed to be performing essential tasks while at below 10,000 feet. Delta Air Lines is flying a different route. He needs to get his job back and then some. Im very very disappointed in American Airline since thats my airline. Him running out of money 2 years from retirement, that is bad decision making. That girl didn't deserve to get raped but what was she doing being alone at a party. But then you probably believe everything on the internet is true and super PAC ads are news. I believe he should be granted, by the judge and jury, three times what his retirement should have been. What about shareholders? I Still think a wolf can start her?!$%@. Typical American Airlines , a company badly managed, poor communication and a work force that receives no respect from its management. Had I spent a dime on this matter would have played into this narcissistic individual vindictiveness. A new contract between Delta and its pilots increases their pay by 34%. As for 'Sticking around' to 'Clarify' anything is a joke. Either he is really victimizing himself or he took terrible financial decisions in his life. 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. But I experienced the worst racial harassment in my 40 +years in the aviation industry there. As Ingram explains: That night was the end of all pay and benefits. Clearly the testing company (through their employee) bears some degree of fault for reporting this as a "refusal" rather than a paperwork mix-up. I wish him luck. You can become an airline pilot. 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? He needed to keep a level head even though he was obviously affronted this demand. 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. Pilots training and building their hours now will be among the most competitive. This has been in court for over two years. Getting fired. How do you know the Eulen employee lied? He should have kept his cool about what seemed to be a mistake. I can see where they would get confused and ask for David. 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! Unfortunately this incident has completely changed his life. It's hard enough to get a private pilot's license and for one person to place this fabricated, lie and get away with it, Just isn't fair and forever in a day this will follow me. His life finances have nothing to do with him being fired. How do you know he wasn't recently divorced, and lost everything? May 2021 - Allegiant is hiring and plans to increase pilot workforce by 19% this summer. The decision of AA and FAA is against the principle of natural justice. The pilot will be the one in the left seat with 4 stripes on his uniform. The main problem with the testing is You are presumed Guilty, until You provide the urine to prove Your innocence! As a student pilot my ground school instructor wouldn't have endorsed my flight log book nor would my CFI risk his safety or license had he suspected drug use after 50 hours of flight time. March 22, 2021 - CNBCs Jon Fortt discusses the potential for a post-pandemic pilot shortage with Geoff Murray, partner at Oliver Wyman and former commercial airline pilot. I agree that they both screwed up. He should get what hes owed because he shouldnt have been fired, but not a dime more. The union only represents you when you get disciplined by the company. The Federal Aviation Administration's strict rules on pilot mental health cause many to keep depression and anxiety a secret, out of fear of losing their jobs.