Being an airline pilot apparently isn’t as glamorous a profession as it used to be. One British Airways pilot decided to take matters into his own hands to show off his job to family members when he chose to fly with the cockpit door open during a London-to-New York flight earlier this month. It’s safe to say that the door being unlocked and wide open caught the attention of passengers and other crew members. The pilot was quickly suspended once the plane touched down in the Big Apple, and the return flight to Heathrow was canceled.
The incident happened on August 6 from Heathrow Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport, arguably the most prestigious airline route in the world. According to Simple Flying, the Boeing 777’s cockpit door was open for a significant amount of time during the flight. Despite the regulations requiring the door to be locked, one of the pilots made an active decision to keep the door open so his family, who were onboard as passengers, could see him at the controls.
British Airways rescinded the pilot’s suspension
The pilot’s immediate suspension had a tangible impact on British Airways passengers trying to get to London. The next day’s return flight to Heathrow was canceled. The airline stated that most of the passengers arrived at Heathrow on different flights within four hours of their original arrival time. A British Airways spokesperson said, “Safety and security is our top priority and allegations of this nature are always fully investigated.” Despite the comments from the British flag carrier, the airline lifted the pilot’s suspension after its investigation found no security risk. The incident shouldn’t be taken lightly just because nothing went wrong.
In the grand scheme of British Airways pilots misbehaving, someone violating post-9/11 safety protocol isn’t that bad. Another pilot was fired in 2023 for a wild night out in Johannesburg, South Africa before a flight to Heathrow. The married man bragged to a flight attendant about snorting cocaine off a topless woman’s chest. The flight attendant understandably told their superiors, who canceled the flight and suspended the pilot. The suspension became a termination after the pilot was flown back to Heathrow and tested positive for cocaine. It might not sound sexy, but the passengers in the back don’t want their pilot doing coke before clocking in.