San Francisco International might be one of the world's most breathtaking airports to land at, but a recent incident at the Northern California travel hub left passengers and crew fuming over an ugly departure. During a flight delay, a passenger on United Airlines flight UA1679 hit the restroom while the plane was still on the tarmac. But it wasn't exactly nature calling. Instead, the traveler made the incredibly poor decision to hole up and smoke marijuana in the lavatory. Once the passenger was removed,
the captain reportedly announced to the passengers on board that he refused to fly. The result? A delayed flight for all passengers and vouchers to make up for it.
The Federal Aviation Administration has a zero-tolerance policy on substance abuse among pilots and cabin crews. Drug tests are administered at random, and employees who fail are immediately removed from duty, evaluated, and subject to possible disciplinary action. The stakes for being caught with even trace amounts of an illicit substance are high, which is why the captain chose not to jeopardize his career if he was in any way exposed to secondhand smoke. According to a viral Reddit post made by a passenger on the smoky flight, the captain made his motives for grounding the flight crystal clear: "I have 30 years left of my career at United, I'm not willing to risk getting drug tested when I get to Houston."
Eventually, the passengers bound for sunbathing, swimming, and dolphin-spotting along the Caribbean coast in Cancun disembarked while United scrambled to find a new crew. The airline ferried a snack cart to the gate and compensated passengers with $15 meal vouchers. The Mexico-bound flight finally took off at 12:30 p.m., about four hours after its initial departure time.
Read more: The Four Unspoken Rules For The Airplane's Empty Middle Seats
Pilots Must Refuse To Fly When The Safety Of Their Crew And Passengers Is At Stake
The United pilot didn't just fear his own exposure to secondhand marijuana smoke. He may have also been concerned that his crew might have been exposed and could be subjected to random drug testing, although the chances were slim. Travel writer Jerry Leff wrote on his website View From the Wing: "The likelihood of testing positive from secondhand marijuana smoke in a well-ventilated aircraft is laughably low."
Still, for the pilot, flying wasn't worth the risk because he bears ultimate responsibility for the safety of everyone on the plane. In fact, pilots have a legal obligation to avert and report all threatening safety incidents. The Code of Federal Regulations lays out that a pilot is in full command of their aircraft and can refuse to fly any plane for any reason they deem unsafe. In the past, pilots have chosen to ground flights for reasons including concerns over broken equipment, compromised landing gear, and gas leaks. However, this appears to be the first time a stoned passenger inspired a pilot's refusal to fly -- at least publicly.
On the viral Reddit thread, a majority of commenters supported the pilot's decision while heaping plenty of ire on the passenger. "Should be an automatic lifetime ban across all airlines," seethes one angry user. "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes." Perhaps the entire incident could have been avoided if the passenger had been made aware of these tips from flight attendants on how to be the best passenger.
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Read the original article on Islands.
