", On Twitter, Long wrote: "[That feeling when] you're trying to go on vacation and then the pilot says the very thing you're working on over the loud speaker and you have to try to get him [sic] comment but then almost get removed from the plane. In addition to the JetBlue and FedEx incidents, anther close call was averted at John F. Kennedy International Airport last monthafter an American Airlines plane crossed a runway while a Delta Airlines' Boeing 737 plane was preparing for takeoff on January 13. Pilots across the country have been subjected to a vaccine mandate from their employers after President Joe Biden demanded that all companies that employ over 100 people, or those that contract with the federal government as so many airlines do, vaccinate their workers. Michael Haak, 60, apologized. Former Southwest Airlines pilot Michael Haak was charged with exposing his genitals mid-flight. The two planes appeared to come within 75 vertical feet of one another, though the NTSB is continuing to investigate the minimum distance that occurred between the planes. Total failure to implement the IMSAFE checklist, clearly the guy is stressed out enough about somethingstolen election, vaccine mandate, Hillary Clinton," stated Kayyem with no proof of anything other than that it's likely the pilot doesn't like the president and was amused by a meme. https://t.co/L7VlZWJ0SU. Who is India's National Security Advisor and why did Putin decide to meet him one on one? Passengers flying to Texas . (AP Photo/Mike Stewart / Getty Images), In a statement to Fox News, Southwest Airlines said it "takes pride in providing a welcoming, comfortable, and respectful environment for the millions of Customers who fly with the airline each year and behavior from any individual that is divisive or offensive will not be tolerated. ", She followed up with "Also in defense of the airline I was asking them to open [the] locked cock pit and probably sounded insane. The Southwest pilots union alleged that the airline violated the Railway Labor Act by changing work and pay rules without negotiating. The viral incident has some calling for him to be . "There was just this fireball going down the runway. Michael Haak exposed his genitals to a first officer and watched porn in the cockpit, prosecutors. This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept, the prosecutor added. But proof I have a sense of humor (in victory), I think Karen Kayyem is pretty funny. "So you have highly qualified applicants who want to work here at the airline and there are airlines passing them over. The flying pilot can feel what the airplane is doing. Context matters; pilots in cockpits have responsibility. The Boeing 767 cargo airplane was several miles from the airport when it was cleared to land, according to the FAA but just before it was about to touch down an air traffic controller also gave the go-ahead for the Southwest Boeing 737 to take off on the exact same stretch of tarmac. "The Southwest pilot who said, 'Let's go Brandon' over the intercom, should be fired. Traffic at the airport, however, was limited at the time. Michael Haak was the pilot in command of the plane during a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando, Florida, according to a one-page filing in federal district court in Maryland. Southwest Airlines issued a video statement online after temporarily suspending the pilot. As it gained steam, the meme has ceased to be a sneaky, under-the-radar way to throw an F-bomb at President Biden and has become a verbal middle finger that is not fooling anyone, hence the gasps from Southwest passengers. Southwest pilot sends reporter, CNN analyst into frenzy after saying 'Let's go, Brandon' over plane intercom Chris Enloe October 31, 2021 Robert Smith/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images Like Blaze News? About 593 employees were set to be fired for refusing to get the COVID vaccine, but United says that number has dropped to 320. . A Southwest Airlines employee helps a passenger to check in at a counter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Oct. 11, 2021 in Arlington, Va. (Alex Wong/Getty Images / Getty Images). The Southwest plane had not yet departed when the FedEx plane was approaching the runway. "As an experiment," Rangappa wrote, "I'd love for an @SouthwestAir pilot to say 'Long Live ISIS' before taking off. You should be using language that's respectful of others in the workplace,\" advises Stevie St. John, LA Gay \u0026 Lesbian Center spokesperson. The backlash on social media has quickly spawned a trending #BoycottSouthwest hashtag and calls for the airline to fire the pilot. Teen girl severely burned while attempting TikTok challeng Canadian teacher with size-Z prosthetic breasts placed on paid leave, Buster Murdaugh got 'very drunk' with dad 2 months after mom, brother murdered: source, I'm a professional cleaner ditch these 4 household products immediately, Tom Sandoval speaks out on Raquel Leviss affair: I deserve your anger, Shoeless Ariana Madix awkwardly tries to avoid cheating Tom Sandoval, Prince Harry was scared to lose Meghan Markle after fight that led to therapy, Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant allegedly flashes gun at a strip club, Tom Sizemore And The Dangerous Burden of Desperation, Inside Scheana Shay, Raquel Leviss' 'heated confrontation' about Tom Sandoval affair. The airline also had its fair share of criticism from conservatives, for allegedly cowering to the left-wing mob.. I never imagined it would turn into this in a thousand years, Haak said during the virtual hearing. Please fire this pilot who felt it was his duty to publicly announce his political affiliation to all passengers on board, said a Twitter user. I would not board a plane with this pilot. "Kos" and "Daily Kos" are registered trademarks of Kos Media, LLC. Southwest Airlines has fired the captain who piloted the Boeing 737 jet that landed so hard at New York City's LaGuardia Airport in July that the airplane's nose gear collapsed, injuring more than a dozen people and jamming air traffic for hours. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. Stevie St. John from LA's Gay and Lesbian center says the case highlights the need for companies to create a culture of acceptance. Like many airlines, Southwest was forced to cancel 20,000 flights planned for this summer, saying it would help them keep the remaining schedule. Criticizing a political leader is not terrorism. Juliette Kayyem, a CNN National Security Analyst and former Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security under former President Barack Obama, wrote that: "Southwest pilot saying Let's go Brandon demonstrated the poorest of judgements best case and a MAGA death wish worst case and then the rest of the flight crew let him remain in the cabin operating a commercial aircraft," Kayyem wrote, as though the pilot's dislike of the sitting president precludes him from doing his job. Some people are calling for the pilot to be fired as a result or for there to be an investigation. But Southwest pilots are part of a union. The airlines seemingly feeble response to the incident had many calling for the pilot to be publicly identified and fired, while others called for boycotts of the airline as a whole. But the reporter interviewing Brown reported that the crowd was chanting "Let's go Brandon.". Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said that the airline does not tolerate behavior of this nature and will take prompt action if such conduct is substantiated.. An NBC reporter, covering the winner of the race after his final lap, allegedly misunderstood the crowd's explicit chant of "F*ck Joe Biden" as "Let's go Brandon," and so a meme was born. (Reuters) - Southwest Airlines said on Wednesday it fired the pilot of a plane that crashed at New York's LaGuardia Airport in July after it touched down on its front landing gear. Long apparently isn't amused by the "Let's go Brandon" meme, which her short article tracked back to an Oct. 2 NASCAR event where it all began. There are 304 days left in the year. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee / AP Images). Since then, Sen. Ted Cruz, and countless others, have taken up the chant. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Now stop with the sexism and racism?". The Boeing . According to Haak's plea agreement, he had never met the female officer prior to the flight. South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan shared a photo of himselfin a Lets Go Brandon face mask to his Facebook feed claiming, The American people are furious. U.S. A full 24 hours later, @SouthwestAir has responded with the most possible words to really say nothing. The FedEx plane landed safely soon after. 06:56 GMT 03 Mar 2023 I write about travel trends and news you can use. "Until and unless @SouthwestAir fires its #LetsGoBrandon pilot I will never fly on that airline," wrote actor/filmmaker Andy Ostroy. The pilot of a Southwest Airlines flight that landed nose first at LaGuardia Airport this summer, injuring 16 passengers, has been fired. (Photo: Al Drago), On a Friday-morning flight from Houston to Albuquerque, a Southwest Airlines pilot signed off an in-cabin announcement with the anti-Joe Biden meme, Lets Go, Brandon!, On that flight happened to be Associated Press journalist Colleen Long, who included the incident inan article she wrote about the chant, noting that she heard audible gasps from passengers. Daily Kos moves in solidarity with the Black community. A pilot for Southwest Airlines is currently under internal investigation for saying " Let's go, Brandon " over the plane's loudspeaker. Citing an ongoing investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board, the airline did not release the name of the pilot, and said it had also ordered the first officer on the flight to undergo more training. The pilots association for Southwest filed suit against the company over the mandate, one day before the airline had to cancel thousands of flights due to "weather" and "absenteeism. Oct 3, 2013, 6:28 AM. It goes back to October 2, when stock car driver Brandon Brown won his first NASCAR Xfinity Series race. \"Companies really have to send a message to all their employees that this is not acceptable. (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication. Read more about the dramatic hard-landing at NBCNewYork.com. Will Bunch, an opinion columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, mocked Southwest in a tweet: YouTube personality Jim Heath claimed that Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly "has officially made @SouthwestAir the Trumpy airline. ", Emma Jo Morris of the New York Post commented that "the ruling class will not be mocked. That anger is not just one-sided, however, and people took issue with the pilot's message. REUTERS. . What's more, this Southwest pilot, who is now facing getting suspended or fired, or worse, subjected to the treatment that the Left reserves for dissenters, may not even have said "Let's Go. In a post-race interview with Brown, NBC reporter Kelli Stavast said that the crowd could be heard yelling, Lets go, Brandon, when, actually, the crowd was yelling F- you, Biden. Some on the right found Stavasts mischaracterization hilarious. Southwest Airlines has issued a formal apology, and is opening an internal investigation, after one of its pilots finished off a flight on Friday by saying "Let's go Brandon" over the. Have fun with that. Some noted that the same people now calling for the pilot to be fired spent the last four years tweeting nothing but F*** Trump.. IE 11 is not supported. Haak, who retired shortly after the incident, was charged in April with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place. Yesterday there was a story who used an open mike to denigrate the Bay area as he was departing. Philadelphia won the game, 169-147. Thats a legitimate question the FAA should be looking at. Social media users took to their keyboards Saturday to react to a newly surfaced video that purportedly shows a Southwest Airlines pilot concluding an announcement to passengers by saying "Let's go Brandon" over the plane's intercom system. Those who dont follow politics or NASCAR could be forgiven for being unaware of the latest Trumpian meme. Since this reporting, the pilot has come under fire from leftists and Democrats who see his statement as somehow problematic. 06:57 GMT 03 Mar 2023. The pilot, who took the controls from the first officer when the Boeing 737 was just 400 feet from the ground, had flown with Southwest for 13 years, but had only landed at LaGuardia once before, Bloomberg reported. By Former FBI special agent Asha Rangappa wrote that a pilot saying "Let's go Brandon" in mockery of a sitting president that is disrupting the airline industry was similar to pledging public allegiance to a known global terror organization. Southwest Airlines needs to make the Maga pilot #FIRED How dare he be so unprofessional. The pilot's identity is still unclear as of Friday morning, but on Thursday, March 25, SFGate confirmed via Live ATC a site that tracks and records air traffic control audio transmissions . "Upon completion of our internal review of the Flight 345 accident, last week the captain was terminated and the first officer is being required to undergo additional training," Southwest spokeswoman Whitney . You may opt-out by. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Rep. Duncan may be right about the fury, but wrong if implying the anger only went in one direction. Now stop with the sexism and racism? This, she said, would force Southwest to "investigate or defend him. The act is said to have occured in August 2020 on a flight from Philadelphia to Orlando.. Sophie Mann For Dailymail.Com FAQ - New Privacy Policy. Southwest Airlines has launched an internal probe after one of its pilots signed off with a viral phrase used to insult President Joe Biden, but Twitter warriors are calling for harsh measures to prevent such heresy in the future. "They should in fact all be fired and lose their certificates," the prominent national security pundit wrote. CNN Analyst Juliette Kayyem is . We've received your submission. ctually, the crowd was yelling F- you, Biden. Some on the right found Stavasts mischaracterization hilarious. "I've always loved flying Southwest. My guess is that 1) the plane would be immediately grounded; 2) the pilot fired; and 3) a statement issued by the airline within a matter of hours. "A portion of the U.S. was already angry well before the Brandon moment," Long wrote, "But anger has now moved beyond die-hard Trump supporters, said Stanley Renshon, a political scientists and psychoanalyst at the City University of New York.". It happened Friday morning on a Southwest flight from Houston to Albuquerque, according to an Associated Press journalist who said she was on the flight. The hard landing on the tarmac, which forced an evacuation via the plane's emergency chutes, shut down parts of the airport overnight as crews worked to remove the aircraft. ", The person saying the meme over the speaker isn't the unhinged one here. Oct 31, 2021 Media, activists call for Southwest pilot to be fired because he said 'Let's go Brandon' on plane An AP reporter was aboard a Southwest flight when the pilot said, "Let's go Brandon," over the intercom. "The question is why the captain took control," Bill Waldock, who teaches accident investigation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., told Bloomberg. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. ), Ways to get involved in the 2022 Election. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas tweeted a photo of himself at the World Series, beaming from ear to ear beside a Houston Astros fan with Lets Go Brandon emblazoned in large letters across a poster. Mark Coulson ordered him on Friday to serve probation and pay a $5,000 fine. Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images, FILE. When the plane reached cruising altitude, Haak got out of the pilots seat and disrobed and began watching pornographic material on a laptop computer in the cockpit, prosecutors said. This story has been shared 133,320 times. The craft landed on its nose gear, which then collapsed. ", "Its pilots now giving the 'f*ck you Biden' or 'let's go Brandon' GOP line during the flight," Heath added. So far the incidents have caused no injuries, but the close calls have drawn raised eyebrows on Capitol Hill and promptedthe acting head of the Federal Aviation Administration issued a memo in February guiding the industry toward a renewed focus on safety, according to the Washington Post. The incident is one of a growing handful of recent close calls at airports that the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. Not mine. Former FBI special agent believes that the majority of Americans are actually terrorists, because they oppose Dear Leader Joe. The Dallas-based airline has not publicly identified the pilots. There was debris kind of rolling off to the sides.". The judge said that requiring Southwest employees to be. Site content may be used for any purpose without explicit permission unless otherwise specified. If you've ever dreamed of a career at 35,000 feet, set your course for 225. In a commercial crew, they're supposed to apply such test to each other. Filmmaker Andy Ostroy wrote: "You better . The pilot has come under fire from leftists who see this as akin to terrorism. 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