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ANA apologizes for flight delays due to pilot's drinking

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So no apology would have been given if the guy was just sick? I'm not understanding what ANA is apologising for here

3 ( +4 / -1 )

And not mentioned in the article, but noted on the local news down here in Okinawa, he was fired!

10 ( +11 / -1 )

ANA said it will ensure its staff are properly educated about alcohol in order to prevent similar situations in the future

Properly educated? Would this include mandatory membership to AA?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

you have to wonder how many don't, and turn up for work still half-stonkered from the night before.

Which reminds me of this incident: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSGBAs412Lw

I'll never understand why ANA has such a stellar reputation.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

I live in Narita....and the amount of pilots and crew inebriated throughout each day/night/weekend....there must be more to this story than he had a hangover....

7 ( +7 / -0 )

The real question is...

How many pilots drink till drunk, pass out and have a bad nights sleep, wake up on the snooze and run to work (hitting the red bulls) to fly 100-200 people?

He or she still has alcohol in his or her system, but isnt breath checked.

Repeat infinium

6 ( +6 / -0 )

At least he didn't try to fly the plane whilst drunk. He should have said he had a fever or something, then he wouldn't have been fired.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

He did the right thing, he told them I can't fly today. Should be given points for admitting he was in no state to fly. Breath tested for six months. Not fired for being responsible after being irresponsible. Pilots are hard to find and now as an example has been set, who would admit to not being upto it now. He understood the gravity of his actions and admitted it...that's what we all want from those around us isn't it?

9 ( +9 / -0 )

Has he done it so many times that his co-workers can’t cover for him any more ?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

there are strict bottle to the throttle rules

most likely he was drinking past 10pm and he would not have been able to claim 0 BAC when he got into the aircraft, so he called in sick.

pilots need to just stop drinking, all long haul pilots have long periods of off time due to laws, drinking should be done then. don't understand why some people are willing to throw out a career just for some drinks.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Has he done it so many times that his co-workers can’t cover for him any more ?

At least 5 times, and it was always from the Ishigaki AP. They, ANA, investigated it and found he was always drinking prior to scheduled flights and calling in sick.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Retract my previous comment the story did not include the fact it's the 5th time he has done this. Once I get it but not 5 times that's a problem.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

How about a big no-no to alcohol for flight crew (especially pilot & co-pilot) the day before they have an early job? Give warning for 1st & 2nd offence(s), after that deduct their salary & up to a certain limit dismiss them already

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Funny, years ago we had an ANA story coming from the US, LA?, where the plain was delayed many hours because of a drunk pilot. ANA? All airlines? No testing as they get ready to take their seat as pilots or in the cockpit? Scary!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

He called in sick. He didn’t fly. He was right. Always Japanese have to go to work with influenza or whatever. He did the right thing.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

This is a pretty simplified story. You can't get canned just for calling in sick, and I doubt he just up and said, "Yeah, I drank way too much last night, against contract. Sorry!". As others have pointed out, it was not the first time, and it was investigated why he might be sick.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Must have hit the old Awamori a bit too hard. But better that he called in sick that tried to fly.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

than tried to fly (sorry)

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I don't understand why ANA had to be this honest about it. A pilot got sick, couldn't make his flight so the flight was delayed. Why bother going into such details?

BTW, ANA is in my opinion is top notch. Best airline!

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I fly ANA since over 35 years, my first flight with them was in the early 80's when they were still mainly a domestic airline. I have to, I work for the travel industry. ANA was a top notch airline until Shinichiro Ito entered the top management around 2003. as CEO. He's responsible, in case you don't know, for banking all of ANA's fortune on an untested plane, the 787, aka Dreamliner. Which resulted in massive flight cancellations due to battery troubles and engine defects - birthing problems of a new plane. Not ANA's fault, but still a debacle and a very bad decision. If you really want to get into the nitty gritty and look at the safety record of ANA, I invite you to check out this website and compare ANA to other "top notch" carriers: https://www.aeroinside.com/incidents/airline/ana.

I prefer JAL these days. And for international flights, Singapore Airlines. a real top notch airline.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I fly ANA almost every month for work and although the airline is good enough and generally on time, it is hardly my favourite (for quite a few reasons).

I was on a Singapore Airlines flight a couple of months ago which was cancelled due to a drunk pilot. With the lives of so many people in their hands, and given that commercial pilots only fly one or two flights a day would it be so difficult to arrange a quick breath-test before they fly? It only takes a few seconds to blow into the machine and it seems that drinking pilots is more of a problem than people would like to think. Thank goodness this one called in sick!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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