American Airlines pilot calls on Christian passengers

[codeorama]

American Airlines pilot calls on Christian passengers
Mon Feb 9,12:50 PM ET Add U.S. National - AFP to My Yahoo!



NEW YORK (AFP) - An American Airlines pilot is facing an internal investigation after reportedly asking Christian passengers to identify themselves, and suggesting that non-Christians on his flight were "crazy."


AFP/File Photo



Speaking Monday on CNN's "American Morning," several passengers said the Sunday flight from Los Angeles to New York had not yet taken off, when the pilot chose to address everyone on board.


"He said he'd recently been on a mission trip, and he'd like all the Christians to please raise their hands," said passenger Jen Dorsey.


According to fellow passenger Karla Austin, "He said, 'If you are a Christian, raise your hand.' He said, 'If you are not, you're crazy'."


Austin said no passengers raised their hands.


The pilot also asked passengers to look around at each other and use their flying time wisely.


American Airlines said the pilot, whose name was not revealed, had recently returned from a mission trip to Costa Rica.


In a statement, the airline said his comments amounted to a "personal level of sharing that may not be appropriate for one of our employees to do while on the job."


Passengers said the remarks had made them deeply uneasy and that many on board had reached for their mobile phones, fearing the pilot might take some sort of drastic action.


"Just given the history of what's happened on planes in this country, anything can happen at this point," Austin said. "There was definitely implication there that we felt that something was going to happen."


Complaints were relayed by flight attendants to the cockpit, and 45 minutes into the flight the pilot issued an apology, but one that was directed at his crew for having had to deflect the passenger criticism.

[SkinInsite]

HAHAHAhAHAAH

no passengers raised their hands.

[Funkyalligator]

If I had been on that plane I would have kicked that pilots a**, nobody but nobody should be saying stuff like that....he deserves to be fired with no benefits and he can go back to his little christian commune on Costa Rica....

[BG]

Wow. Scary. Wouldn't have wanted to be on that flight.

Dude must have been crazy to act like that.

[Ancalagon the Black]

I would have gotten off the plane. Immediately.

Who knows? He might decide to meet his Maker that day and take everyone else with him.

[SkinInsite]

Maybe the pilot is just doing a security check.

[Buford]

yeah, the tension on that flight would be heavy.

[Blondie]

I am a Christian.....and have no trouble telling anyone. I am not sure I would have raised my hand either.

However, that is not an appropriate "stage" for him to declare his faith.

Blondie

[Sarge]

I could see where that might cause a little concern. 30,000 ft is not the place to ask that question.

However, I do wonder how many Christians he would have found had he said the planes engines had gone out and they weren't going to make it to the airport.

[Darth Tater]

Sounds like a UL-type story. Besides, most of the time, I can't understand what the pilot said anyway.

[redman]

What Blondie said. What he said is not "wrong" but it is unprofessional and inapprorpriate. Frankly, the terrorism aspect of it didn't occur to me until I read the article for the first time.

[GSF]

He was probably drunk, you know being a pilot and all.

[FROSTY28]

--------------------

What Blondie said. What he said is not "wrong" but it is unprofessional and inapprorpriate. Frankly, the terrorism aspect of it didn't occur to me until I read the article for the first time.

Huh? How can you say calling people who aren't christians crazy isn't wrong?

[OrangeSkin]

I wouldn't think twice about the comments of the pilot, but when no passengers raised their hands, I'd be off that plane faster than you can say "muslim."

And before any of you jump all over me the above statement is a J-O-K-E.

[skinsfanjoe]

Originally posted by Blondie
I am a Christian.....and have no trouble telling anyone. I am not sure I would have raised my hand either.

However, that is not an appropriate "stage" for him to declare his faith.

Blondie

I agree with you 100%