Pilot: This Plane is a Deathtrap!

From the Daily Mail:

Quote:

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Terror as pilot tells passengers: this plane's a deathtrap
Last updated at 12:43pm on 22nd September 2006

A jet carrying 180 British tourists was grounded when its pilot announced: "Do not fly with this plane, it is not safe."

The holidaymakers were about to take off back to Bristol Airport from Antalya, Turkey, when a strange sound came from the Airbus A321's engines.

Then the captain announced: "I am resigning from my job. Do not fly with this plane. It is not safe. Do not fly with Onur Air."

The unnamed pilot walked off the aircraft, leaving the passengers in 38C heat without air conditioning.

They were eventually told to leave the aircraft, retrieve their luggage and go back to the terminal, where an alternative flight was arranged. Passenger Jade Barrett, said: "The pilot made his announcement and then walked off the plane. Some people started laughing nervously but others were crying and almost screaming.

"Everyone was terrified and we did not know what was happening but in the end they told us to get off the plane."

Up to 20 of the passengers were so scared they refused to board the replacement and tried to find other flights home.

A spokesman for Goldtrail, the company which chartered last week's flight, said: "The employee in question was serving his notice. There was a problem between him and the airline and he turned it into a bigger problem."

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What is the best caption for this:

"You know you are going to have a bad day when..."

"The best way to quit your job and get back at your employer"

well, knowing Onur Air's reputation, and seen some of their aircraft up close, I'm not surprised.

I have heard the same can be said for Turkish's fleet. My dad flew the 340 from JFK once and well we will just say next time he took British Airways from Hethrow to Istanbul

I've always been amazed that in the UK, tour operators sell alot of package holidays with virtually no disclosure to the customer of who actually operates the flights involved.

As the Brits don't seem to care if the price is good, the flight is often a charter from operators in countries that shall we say don't have the greatest track records when it comes to safety and maintenence. Many of these are small, potentially dodgy companies that most people probably haven't even heard of until they get onboard. They are trusting the tour operator to have picked a safe air carrier, and I am not quite sure what if any standards they have other than maybe lowest bidder with an operating certificate. I am sure in the US it would be unthinkable to have, say, an Egyptian or Bulgarian charter flight to take people on their package holiday from Chicago to Cancun, but in UK this sort of thing seems common.

Anyone know how this is done over there?