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Ryanair CEO questions the need for the co-pilot - wants to replace them with flight attendants
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary is making the news again. And as usual, the news is controversial and absurd. O'Leary is apparently fed up with paying for two people to fly his planes, and wants to convince safety regulators that one pilot would be more than enough. In a magazine interview, O'Leary had the following to say:
Why does every plane have two pilots? Really, you only need one pilot. Let's take out the second pilot. Let the bloody computer fly it.
When asked what would happen in an emergency, leaving the plane without a pilot, he replied that specially trained flight attendants could assist:
If the pilot has an emergency, he rings the bell, he calls her in. She could take over.
Of course, pilots and their unions are furious, as it tries to paint a picture that planes fly themselves and don't really need anyone at the controls. A spokesman for the British Airline Pilots Association said:
Are there no lengths to which he will not go to get publicity? His suggestion is unwise, unsafe and the public will be horrified.
What do you think? Is this another publicity stunt, or could his airline actually save millions by removing the co-pilot?
| This is all just another Ryanair publicity stunt | |
|---|---|
| Michael O'Leary is certifiably insane | |
| Brilliant idea, anything to make tickets cheaper | |
| Good idea, but I'll never fly on a plane with just one pilot |
[Photo from AFP/Getty]
Filed under: Airlines
Reader Comments (Page 3 of 4)
Bob Sep 7th 2010 12:05PM
This guy just doesn't understand business evidently. Let's suppose he's successful at removing the co-pilot position........& he puts a flight attendant into this role. Do you think that flight attendant is going to work for the same amount of money as their fellow attendants that could not land the plane in an emergency?? This dude is certifiable no question about it. I think he should be working in the high levels of the US government.....say either the White House or Congress!!!
lita Sep 7th 2010 11:43AM
If this isn't an idiotic publicity stunt, then I have a few great ideas, too. How about eliminating passenger restraints and oxygen masks. That would save fuel. Oh, yes. Get rid of the doors on the overhead bins and the cargo tie-downs. And let's not forget all those wheels and tires; surely we could get by with half the number at each landing gear....
amboyaereo Sep 7th 2010 11:43AM
lars--were you a flight instructor at 3N6 back in the 80s? you flew my Beech to windham, connecticut for a job interview.
dave mugro Sep 7th 2010 11:47AM
In a time when we have all heard about pilots drunk or on drugs I don't think this is a good idea
randy Sep 7th 2010 11:51AM
yes in most cases you dont need a copilot,but you dont know when you will need one,and it was started so if it is needed its in place,what people need to do is not fly in his planes,mabe the stockholders will see that you dont need someone like him as ceo
Paul Sep 7th 2010 12:24PM
Of course it won't happen, the industry wouldn't allow it, but this yahoo is getting all the ink and air he needs to keep his crap airline in the forefront of marketing, so in THAT regard, he's a genius. And that is the ONLY regard in which this guy has anything to offer.
Free oral sex during long flights I read? OK, maybe two reasons he's a genius.
Jim Sep 8th 2010 12:32PM
......coffee, tea or death?
Jim
Jet Tech Sep 7th 2010 12:28PM
It is not as far fetched an idea as many people think. Today most comercial aircraft navigate to an airport and land thamselves without pilot interference. The pilot workload has been so reduced that the airlines had to rewrite operating procedures some years ago to force the crews to do a minimum amount of hand flying because of the basic mistakes that they were making when operating the aircraft systems. Most pilots spend their workday just inputing course changes into the computers. Point of interest, if the Delta pilots had been flying instead of just monitoring systems a few months ago they would never have fell asleep. The real reason for the pilot right now is that even though most modern aircraft are being built with the capability of following preset instructions from point A to B, and safety being the number one reason why crew interference is kept to a minimum, most airports and the ENTIRE Air Traffic Control System has not even been upgraded to the previous generations capabilities. A flight attendant who could tell the computer to land the aircraft may not be a crazy idea after all, but would one of the lowest paid and hardest working people in the industry want more responibilities.
bobby Sep 7th 2010 12:35PM
sounds about right hey they flying dromes out of the middle east from cargo cantainers out of cal all any air line pilot is is a airplane bus driver an you don't see too many buses with 2 drivers do youthe 2 pilot concept dates back to before WW-2 when there wasn't too many computers on board no fly by wire all controls were cables an pulleys theses day pilots taxi out do a check list from a computer screen set controls take off set auto pilot sit back why have 2 pilots when in case of a emerengy you can call up your seinor flight attendent who happens to be trained to assist the pilot I see no harm in this if it lowers air fares safely
Mozelle Sep 7th 2010 12:38PM
Sounds to me like this Ryanair CEO has had too much oral sex himself. Someone has apparently sucked this mans brain out through his penis.
bpante Sep 7th 2010 12:44PM
Pretty soon there will be no pilots, it will all be done by computers. I would rather fly in a plane controlled by a computer than a UNION THUG.
william dufva Sep 7th 2010 1:29PM
bpante, may you be the first on a flight that is being flown by a computer, and the computer freezes, and you're over the mid pacific when the plane runs out of fuel.
RD Sep 7th 2010 5:31PM
This is already happening in parallel professions. The insurance industry and medical clinics have alrady replaced many doctors with other "providers" (that's a scary word) -- nurse practitioners and physician assistants. I don't see much difference between trustng your life to a specially trained flight attendant instead of a pilot than trusting your life to a physician asistant rather than a physician. Both ideas are detrimental to our society.
Redrail Sep 7th 2010 1:09PM
This nutcase is a master at grabbing attention. I just hope the CEOs of airlines over here are still asleep. If they wake up and start paying attention who knows where their staff cutting will stop. One half of the ticket agents are gone and just about all of the mechanics are as well. And don't look now, but they are making another try at dumping half the gate agents with another stab at automated boarding pass scanners/turnstile.
Luis Sep 7th 2010 1:01PM
Flight attendants are dumb as doorknobs and would be absoloutely useless in the cockpit.
K Sep 7th 2010 1:11PM
The reason for that second pilot is for times when events like 'The Miracle on the Hudson' happen. The second pilot was running through and trying to get the engines restarted while the pilot was manueveuring the aircraft. Specially trained flight attendants may be able to follow the instructions in a manual but they wouldn't know where all the buttons and switches for everything are, not unless they were just lower paid pilots.
Richard Sep 7th 2010 4:39PM
Military planes fly with one pilot all the time (fighters) that are much more difficult to fly than most airliners. I could see certain short to medium lenth flights in some of the more modern aircraft being flown by one pilot.
el buitre Sep 7th 2010 7:33PM
military pilot is the only one in the aircraft.someone will try to shoot him down.think about the pathetic comparison you have presented.commercial aircraft don't do immelmans at 6+ g's.
Travelman Sep 7th 2010 3:08PM
A bus only has one driver. Would a bus be safer with an extra professional driver maning a separate wheel? The idea of one pilot may seem rediculous today, but my guess is that 20 years from it will be accepted practice. Never say never.
Do you really trust your life to flight attendants? I often sit in the emergency row in economy or the first row of First Class and realize that I'll be responsible for opening the emergency door and helping people evacuate.
The concept of air travel will continue to change over the next several years.
Flagrante Delicto Sep 7th 2010 1:56PM
don't worry folks - insurance underwriters will never approve it.