Can you picture it? Flight attendants and pilots sitting around a hotel bar after a long duty day. The conversation turns to masks. It also turns ugly. One feels strongly masks are the ineffective facial diapers of the weak while the other is adamant that they work and that mask guidelines should be respected. The result? The police are called and a pilot faces potential assault charges.
Southwest Pilots Accused Of Assault After Heated Debate Over Masks With Flight Attendant In A California Hotel Bar
Dawn Gilbertson put the pieces of the puzzle together, as Southwest Airlines and the unions representing pilots and flight attendants have declined to even offer background information on what happened beyond confirming a “crew disagreement during an overnight trip” took place.
But we do know that an incident occurred at a hotel bar in San Jose, California on Monday, October 18th. The San Jose Police Department was called, a report filed, and the matter has been referred to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office for further action.
That same week, Southwest issued a memo to employees, including all pilots and flight attendants, about civility. It warned:
“Crossing the line in a heated conversation can be a violation of our guidelines for employees and can even end in loss of job.”
The memo, written by Bob Waltz, Southwest’s Vice President of Flight Operations and Sonya Lacore, Vice President of Inflight Operations, emphasized that in a very divisive time, the opinions of others must be respected:
“We realize there has been a steady drumbeat over the last 19 months about civility and respectful discourse – and that is for good reason. Many of our people have been faced with an uncomfortable situation where their beliefs are not shared by someone else, resulting in a confrontation of some kind.
And for every situation we hear about, there are dozens more for which we don’t. It is vital that we treat everyone with respect and honor our differences without pushing our ideals on someone else.”
In perhaps a further clue as to how the disagreement started, the memo stated that employees must wear masks, including during pre-flight safety briefings.
The heart of the memo, however, was a plea for employees to abide by the Golden Rule:
“And when the day is done and we retire for the day/evening, it is especially important that we measure our discussions when they veer toward sensitive topics that elicit emotional responses. Being off-duty is never an excuse to ignore the Golden Rule. Everyone has a different story before coming to work, and many times the best support we have is one another.”
The Golden Rule is important, but great discernment is even more important, and to me (for better or for worse) that means not debating masks (or vaccines, or the 2020 election) with anyone. Minds are made up and I’ve long given up trying to argue my point. So I just keep my mouth shut. Silence is golden.
CONCLUSION
A Southwest Airlines pilot faces potential charges for assault in an incident involving masks with a flight attendant. Whatever your views on masks, I find it best to keep them to yourselves.
image: Southwest Airlines
Seems to be a growing culture within WN pilot ranks. The hot mic pilot in San Jose this summer, the “Let’s Go Brandon” pilot last week. And now this. Clearly the company needs to start sensitivity training and better explaining to them that these actions are not going to end well for anyone.
Texas cowboys…they don’t think any national rule applies to them these days
Let’s go Brandon!!! Keep us wearing diapers in our faces even if we are vaccinated and on international flights even if the entire plane has to be tested negative for Covid. Keep us hiding behind a mask!!!
Coward….why don’t you just say it? What a weak, weak person….whatever you are.
And you pick wearing a mask as your ‘issue’? Really? That’s what makes you so upset? You and others like yourself look and sound like little girls…. and I know little girls who have more backbone than people like you. Of all the issues to whine and cry about and you pick wearing a mask? Grow up….
Let’s go Brandon!!!
F*** off, you nazi scumbag.
Let’s please watch the language.
Let’s go Dick Bupkiss!!!!
Let’s go Brandon
Sounds like a snowflake flight attendant got butthurt and called the big bad racist police.
Southwest Airlines, Matthew’s punching bag.
Yep. It’s blatantly obvious at this point.
The pilots over at WN sound like some fun guys to hang out with.
I fly WN a lot and love them but the more I learn about their Pilot culture I don’t want to fly with them anymore. I’m a liberal and I have doubts that the flight deck crew would help me in the event of an emergency. What if that Pilot saw my Hyundai keys?
Also Matt sounds like you are endorsing cancel culture and silencing: ” Whatever your views on masks, I find it best to keep them to yourselves.”
Whatever your view on masks is we should be able to express them freely without fear of violence. Loud and proud this is the USA for goodness sakes.
I guess you didn’t read his second to last paragraph…..
If folks just got vaccinated we’d beat this COVID nightmare and could go back to just hating each other “because”…
Take a look at the latest UK government vaccine surveillance data (pages 16-20). How’s that “pandemic of the unvaccinated?” The so-called vaccines may be preventing death in those infected, but what do you care if unvaccinated deplorables die (after quite likely catching COVID-19 from folx who were vaccinated)?
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1031157/Vaccine-surveillance-report-week-44.pdf
Anti-vaxxer, hope you increasingly enjoy your life on the sidelines! “Folx” like you are quite unhireable and unwanted these days. No more Italy for you either, boo hoo!
Of course, nothing to say regarding the pandemic of the vaccinated. Follow the science! Italy welcomes me with open arms and most of the folx I talk to are uncowed by the Green Pass tyranny. U mad, bro? Stay pumped for your work trip, wage slave! Keep hope alive!
There is no pandemic among the vaccinated, that’s only believed by misinformation-spreading anti-vaxxing aholes such as yourself who are the ones keeping our hospitals busy.
Enjoy your second-class life on the sideline!
UA-CCP either didn’t bother to look at the UK government’s statistics or he refuses to acknowledge what they indicate: COVD-19 cases are more common among the vaccinated (two doses) than the unvaccinated for all age groups of 30 years and older (in many cases over double the rate). Or is the UK government spreading misinformation? Fine, the vaccines may protect folx against the worst outcomes, but if they don’t prevent the spread of the virus, what does our beloved comrade care if the unvaccinated deplorables die after catching the virus from a righteous vaccinated comrade? Don’t they deserve it? Or does UA-CCP actually care about the lives of the deplorables? He has wished death upon me on multiple occasions in the comments section of this blog. I remain unvaccinated and able to enjoy the pleasures of life. Perhaps some white truffles in Alba next week? U mad, bro?
We can never regret words that we don’t say.
So – there’s video out there of the incident. If you’d bother to follow up – the pilot was sitting EATING & DRINKING (with his meal) – when FA approaches him. FA Starts yelling & pointing a finger at his face – pilot curses at him tells him to f-k off. FA leaves…FA COMES BACK picks up his tirade & after several more minutes pilot gets up at hits him to get FA away from him. Yes the FA was going off about masks but the pilot hit him because the FA was harassing him and wouldn’t go the f-k away. So maybe people shouldn’t be jerks and leave a man to eat in peace.
If you share the video, I’ll post it.