Alaska Airlines flight delayed because two pilots just couldn't 'get along'



Passengers on Alaska Airlines flight 1080 from Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., to San Francisco on July 18 had a bumpy ride long before the plane ever took off.

The flight itself had already been delayed an hour and a half due to inclement weather. However, once everyone was on board and the plane headed for the tarmac, it suddenly turned around and headed back to the gate. Not because of a pop-up storm or equipment failure, but because the pilot and co-pilot just couldn't "get along."

According to reports, allegedly from passengers, the pilot took to the intercom as he taxied the plane back to the gate and informed everyone on board that he and his co-pilot had "a failure to get along" and that "in the interest of safety," he was returning them back to the place from whence they came.

Once they had docked safely at the gate, the pilot allegedly hurried off the plane "fuming." One passenger took a video of him with the caption "@AlaskaAir there goes your pro pilot, off into the sunset."

Other passengers seemed just as frustrated by the sudden turn of events:

\u201c@AlaskaAir. First (and last) time flying with you.... After an hour and a half delay, we now return to the terminal due to "a failure of the captain and first officer to get along". \n\nAll I can say is wow....just wow. \n #AS1080. #FAIL #flightdelay \n@AmericanAir -#AA - AA7516\u201d
— Chris Schumm (@Chris Schumm) 1658180879


\u201c@tomcostellonbc this is a first for me. Alaska #1080 from IAD to SFO, already delayed due to weather, comes back to gate. Pilot says he and his first officer can\u2019t get along\u2026 so in the interest of safety..\u201d and then leaves the plane.\u201d
— Al Jackson (@Al Jackson) 1658182277


\u201c#alaska 1080 just returned to gate because the pilot and copilot couldn\u2019t get along. Seriously. Pilot just left plane fuming after returning to gate from the tarmac. This is absolute ridiculous.\u201d
— NicaCounselor (@NicaCounselor) 1658180991

Despite the complaints on social media, the passengers ultimately didn't fare too badly. The spat cost them an additional hour, which, when combined with the weather delay, meant that they arrived at their destination at 9:34 p.m. instead of 7:05 p.m. Alaska Airlines also offered each person on board $175 to help compensate for the inconvenience.

Meanwhile, passengers on a flight from Dulles to Los Angeles were similarly delayed two and a half hours because their pilot was selected to fill in for the absconded pilot on the San Francisco flight, but the L.A. passengers weren't given any kind of compensation, monetary or otherwise, for the inconvenience.

There were also many in the airline industry and on social media who defended the decision to abort takeoff rather than risk the safety of everyone on board because the two pilots weren't able to communicate.

"Hi guys! Although very annoying & inconvenient, as a pilot myself, I think the way things ended up was MUCH better for all you passengers! B/c I sure as hell wouldn’t have wanted to be on that flight knowing the guys up on the flight deck were quarrelling! A recipe for DISASTER!!" tweeted @RobertStuScott1, though it is unclear whether he was on the flight.

A representative from Alaska Airlines also defended the decision in a statement: "While this situation was unfortunate, in the interest of safety, the pilots did the right thing. Both the captain and the first officer was evaluated by management and it was determined they remained fit to fly… We apologized to our guests for the inconvenience this caused."

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Senate Dems seek delay in Amy Coney Barrett hearings citing coronavirus risk



Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) issued a joint statement Friday calling on Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) to hold off on moving forward with hearings on U.S. Supreme Court justice nominee Amy Coney Barrett, citing risks of spreading COVID-19 in light of President Donald Trump and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) testing positive for the virus.

What are the details?

Schumer and Feinstein — who have both been adamantly opposed to President Trump nominating a replacement for recently-deceased Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ahead of the Nov. 3 election — wrote that it is "premature" for Graham "to commit to a hearing schedule when we do not know the full extent of potential exposure stemming from the president's infection and before the White House puts in place a contact tracing plan to prevent further spread of the disease."

The Democrats also stated that the "infection" of Lee, who also sits on the Judiciary Committee, "makes even more clear that health and safety must guide the schedule for all Senate activities, including hearings."

According to Schumer and Feinstein, virtual hearings on Barrett's nomination would not be "an acceptable substitute" given the magnitude of deciding "a lifetime appointment to the federal bench."

They argued that moving forward would turn "this already illegitimate process" into "a dangerous one."

A Republican aide called the Democrats' latest effort to stall Barrett's nomination hearings "a nakedly partisan ploy," telling Fox News, "Everyone is concerned about health right now and that comes first, but the business of the Senate and this Supreme Court confirmation process doesn't stop. That's why we've been at work."

The outlet reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) argued that Senate hearings have already been conducted remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and suggested virtual proceedings would be the appropriate way to handle the process for Barrett.

McConnell told the "Hugh Hewitt Show," on Friday, "They've been careful already. Members, some of them, have done their interview in previous hearing remotely. This sort of underscores, I think, the need to do that. And I think every precaution needs to be taken because we don't anticipate any Democratic support at all, either in committee or in the full Senate, and therefore everybody needs to be in an all-hands-on-deck mindset."

However, the majority leader also signaled that Barrett's confirmation could come after Election Day, telling Fox News' Bret Baier, "This Republican Senate was elected for a term that ends in January of next year. The president was elected for a four-year term that ends Jan. 20 of next year."