Airlines Push for One Pilot Flights to Cut Costs Despite Safety Fears

[speak easy]

Airlines Push for Lone Pilot Flights to Cut Costs Despite Safety Fears

(Bloomberg) -- Airlines and regulators are pushing to have just one pilot in the cockpit of passenger jets instead of two. It would lower costs and ease pressure from crew shortages, but placing such responsibility on a single person at the controls is unsettling for some.

Over 40 countries including Germany, the UK and New Zealand have asked the United Nations body that sets aviation standards to help make single-pilot flights a safe reality. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has also been working with planemakers to determine how solo flights would operate and preparing rules to oversee them. EASA said such services could start in 2027.

The plan doesn’t sit well with pilots. It’s a hard sell for passengers, too.

Tony Lucas, an Airbus SE A330 captain for Qantas Airways Ltd. and president of the Australian & International Pilots Association, is concerned that a lone pilot might be overwhelmed by an emergency before anyone else has time to reach the cockpit to help.

https://news.yahoo.com/airlines-push-lone-pilot-flights-220000445.html

Greed.

[crickets]

1. That's a hard no.

There are two pilots in the cockpit for very good reasons.

[EndlessWire]

2. Oh, hell no!

In this day and age, when they are planning to try for nongas engines, new innovations, and other sundries, the airlines want to cut their costs. That's all this is, reducing safety factors to make even more money.

Short on crew? Train some, you damned fools.

[Initech]

5. It's all about greed and profit.

What's a few lives if it means a few billion more in our annual adjusted gross income? Some executives need some private jets and mansions that require their own zip code!

[crickets]

6. Train them and PAY them properly. nt

[bahboo]

3. um...nope...

[Initech]

4. What could possibly go wrong?

[roamer65]

14. ...

[Initech]

15. You can tell me, I'm a doctor.

[roamer65]

17. ..

[Initech]

21. It's OK the Captain is flying the plane. No need to panic.

[roamer65]

24. ...

[crickets]

31. ...

[beaglelover]

7. What a terrible idea. They need to watch some episodes of Air Disasters! STAT!

[XanaDUer2]

11. I watch that show all the time nt

[Deuce]

12. Agree, seen enough of the episodes to realize this is a horrible idea!

[roamer65]

19. ...

[Initech]

23. When Kramer hears about this, the shit's gonna hit the fan!

[roamer65]

28. ...

[Disaffected]

26. Or TheFlightChannel

Watch some of that and you will be thankful there are two pilots as well as a flight engineer on some flights.

And WTF happens if a single pilot becomes incapacitated? Hope a passenger with pilot experience is on board??

[Sneederbunk]

8. I have long suspected that they have only one luggage handler.

[Kennah]

9. Railroads have been pushing for automated trains with no humans driving them, so why not?

[XanaDUer2]

10. I don't like this

No. NO

[Just A Box Of Rain]

16. A better idea is to change the mandatory retirement age for pilots

during this time when we have a serious pilot shortage.

That would actually be helpful.

[DFW]

18. I would want it mandatory for airlines to disclose far in advance which flights have only one pilot

Mainly, so I can avoid them!!

[ProfessorGAC]

20. Information I'd Like To Have, Too

I'll assume, perhaps wrongly, that this would apply only to 2 hour flights or shorter.
Either way, I think it's a rotten idea.

[roamer65]

22. Just don't eat the fish.

[DFW]

25. Over, Oveur.

Roger!

Huh?

[roamer65]

27. ...

[DFW]

29. "We have to get these people to a hospital!" "Hospital? Why? What is it?"

"It's a place where people go when they're sick. But that's not important now."

That film had more good lines than Trump had bad ones.

[liberal_mama]

30. With all the reports of people just suddenly dropping dead lately?

That sounds safe. I haven't flown since May of 2001 and I will likely never fly again. My daughter works for the airlines so I can fly free, but no thanks. They'd have to pay me (like a million dollars) to get on a plane now with Covid, understaffed crew, and crazy fellow passengers.

[newdayneeded]

32. Gosh, what a great idea!

I think they should also drop to a single engine, ya sure some people will die......but think of the profit margins!!!111!1

of course sarcasm!

[Lucid Dreamer]

33. One pilot in heavy turbojet commercial air travel? It will never happen.

One pilot in heavy turbojet commercial air travel? It will never happen.

That would be as stupid as letting cars on highways with zero drivers.