Airline CEO: Nix co-pilot, save money

[47of74]

Source: CNN

(CNN) -- He's already suggested installing coin-operated lavatories and selling standing room on flights, so it may not be surprising that the latest idea from the colorful CEO of Ryanair is once again pushing air travelers' buttons.

It's not necessary to have two pilots on every flight, Michael O'Leary said in a recent interview.

"Let's take out the second pilot. Let the bloody computer fly it," O'Leary told Bloomberg Businessweek, adding that a flight attendant on each flight could be trained to help land a plane if something goes wrong.

"If the pilot has an emergency, he rings the bell, he calls her in," O'Leary told the magazine. "She could take over."

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/09/06/ryanair.ceo.comments/index.html?hpt=T2

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Oh my God. This sick f--k is not only a danger to the people on his own planes, but every other plane that shares the skies with his planes.

[Downwinder]

1. If on final approach the pilot has a heart attack (it has happened)

that flight attendant better be able to do 100 meters in world record time, without arriving winded.

[rocktivity]

2. Rocktivity: Nix Airline CEO

give money saved to employees.

x(
rocktivity

[tavalon]

4. Best answer ever

[Make7]

6. Couldn't Ryanair just train a flight attendant to perform the CEO's duties? ( n/t )

[marasinghe]

29. o/\o

next time o'leary's in surgery, he should be satisfied with one doctor to handle his surgery, anesthesia & any other surgical tasks. hell; the doc can always whistle to have the nurse come running, if any more than two hands are needed to handle any shit that comes down the pipe.

on another note - since when did having the IQ of a single-celled parasite, become the sole requisite for being appointed a corporate ceo, or head of government for that matter?

[DJ13]

3. Quick, blow up the copilot!

[47of74]

7. LOL

[liberal N proud]

14. Perfect

[ecstatic]

5. wtf? nt

[SoapBox]

8. No...No...No. Time for a real look at how this clown is running that company, before people die.

[JDPriestly]

17. This is why we have to have government regulation.

[superconnected]

33. +1000

[AngryAmish]

9. Soon enough there will be 0 pilots on the plane

We have to learn not to be afraid of robots.

[zogofzorkon]

12. My thoughts are it will be like the self check out at the grocer

fly the freakin plane yourself or some other passenger will. Seating will go next. They are probably getting ready to release area teleport or transporter technology soon, no need for aircraft.

[pattmarty]

10. And, this company he heads turns a profit? These shitbags have...........

...........no fucking shame. You goddamn know he flies in a private jet WITH A CO PILOT.

[MindPilot]

11. fortunately the FAA not the CEO get to make that decision n/t

[nilram]

13. That's cute: "He calls her in." Pilots are male, flight attendants are female.

I don't travel his routes, but there are so many reasons to stay off this bastard's airline.

Editing to add: I would relish paying twice their fares in order to avoid them.

[Bozita]

15. Some folks are sayin' the MSM is on holiday and The Onion is filling in.

[awoke_in_2003]

18. truth can be stranger than fiction. nt

[christx30]

28. This just in:

American Airlines is considering charging fees to non-passengers.

Keep a suitcase in your attic? That's a $25 fee
Flying on another airline? That's $25
Decide to just stay home for the holidays? $30 fee

That story was reported by The Onion a year ago. Seems pretty close to the new reality.

[JDPriestly]

16. Remind me not to fly on Ryanair -- ever -- under any circumstances.

Please. This is a vital life or death matter.

[awoke_in_2003]

19. I wonder how many pilots...

he uses on his corporate jet?

[jmowreader]

24. Unless the "corporate jet" is a turboprop, two

There are a couple really, really small jets that single pilot operation has been proposed (but the CEO of a garbage company wouldn't be caught dead in one, much less the CEO of an airline), but for all intents and purposes if it is a jet it must have a copilot per FAA regulations.

[awoke_in_2003]

25. I know, it was asked rhetorically...

I maintain full flight corporate jet simulators

[txlibdem]

20. The solution to the airlines' problems: High Speed Rail

How ridiculous is it that the airlines keep sobbing about not making enough money when they've squeezed pilots' pay down to nothing, fired anyone with seniority to keep wage costs low, fuel costs are lower than they've been since 2007, and regularly fail to keep up with required maintenance just to save a buck.

I've got the solution to the airlines' problems. We need to build high speed rail lines that connect all the regional areas and also cross-country high speed rail lines. Take the train and you won't be treated like a sardine with a wallet.

[Terry in Austin]

32. Air travel is *so* twentieth-century!

It's about time that this overblown stunt got grounded and we go for more realistic transportation like rail.

> sardine with a wallet.

LOL - perfect! :7

[txlibdem]

37. Texas high speed rail

I'm still rooting for our own high speed rail here in Texas. Not exactly sure if they've hammered out the exact route.

From an August 16th, 2010 article:

Nationally, the biggest buzz is over high-speed rail. Last year, President Barack Obama announced that $8 billion would be made available for bullet-style trains, and $2.5 billion was added later.

But Texas, which didn't even have a state rail director until December, has received very little of that funding. Instead, much of it is headed to projects in California, Florida and Illinois.

Now, Texas is feeling the pressure to get up to speed on the issue.

Texas has applied for a portion of $50 million made available by the federal government for high-speed rail planning, said Bill Glavin, rail director at the Texas Department of Transportation.

http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/08/16/2407458/texas-takes-first-step-toward.html

You might also be interested in this:

THSRTC represents the collective vision and purpose of cities and counties across Texas to bring high-speed intercity passenger rail to Texas that is capable of moving Texans at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. Furthermore, this vision extends beyond Texas - eventually providing high-speed rail connectivity to major metropolitan centers in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma - resulting in a multi-modal transportation system that is unlike any other in the world.

Working closely with our enthusiastic Legislative and Congressional Caucuses, THSRTC is committed to meeting the mobility needs of Texans with world-class high-speed intercity passenger rail as part of a comprehensive transportation system fit for Texas. We welcome your support, your input, and your enthusiasm as we lead the effort to keep Texans moving in the safest, most efficient, and most environmentally responsible manner available - high-speed rail!

http://www.thsrtc.com/

Here is another view of high speed rail in Texas: http://www.innov8transport.com/

And don't forget TRI:

The mission of Tubular Rail, Inc. ("TRI" or the "Company") is to revolutionize transportation in and between urban areas with a solution that substantially reduces building costs and infrastructure disruption while providing green technology to a marketplace that can no longer bear the sky-rocketing costs, infrastructure problems, and environmental degradation associated with existing technologies.

Keys to Success

The keys to the commercial success of the Tubular Rail Technology are its low cost - up to 60% less than the cost of building a comparative system – and its ability to be built in high density population centers within existing infrastructure with little disruption to existing businesses.

http://www.tubularrail.com/

Tubular Rail is innovative I thought...

[Bluestar]

21. He thinks he's running a bus line n/t

[skoalyman]

22. next stop

[PfcHammer]

23. The forgot the communal bucket passed around the cabin in place

of a proper WC. :eyes:

[Kringle]

26. is there some reason a co-pilot can't learn how to pour drinks? .nt

[Vehl]

27. wow!

seriously???
:puke:

[thereismore]

30. Hello passengers, is there a pilot on board? nt

[Brickbat]

31. Railroads have been pushing this for some time; there is no federal rule against one-person crews.

The BLET and the UTU have been fighting to keep two-person crews around.

[superconnected]

34. Look at the truth - they want to because of their BAD SAFETY RECORD

Ryanair's secret memo over pilot safety

Ryanair is threatening to sack pilots after being criticised by air accident investigators over a series of dangerous approaches to airports. In the latest incident to emerge, an aircraft flew so low over rooftops that it triggered two warnings in the cockpit and sixteen complaints from alarmed residents.

It was the third serious incident in less than a year, and the fourth in two years, involving a Ryanair jet approaching an airport too fast or at the wrong height and being forced to abort landing.

All Ryanair staff are under pressure to meet turnaround times of only 25 minutes, the tightest in the industry, and pilot unions say that this can lead to mistakes.

British Airways and easyJet said that there had been no similar incidents involving their aircraft in the past two years.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article1343517.ece

[slackmaster]

35. Is there someone on board who can fly the plane and didn't have the fish for dinner?

[brendan120678]

36. Hmmm...no co-pilot, but flight attendants who look like this...

Yeah, I'd say it's worth risking my life.