Passengers suing airline over captain’s bizarre behavior
Ten passengers have filed a controversial lawsuit against JetBlue Airways, claiming the carrier was "grossly negligent" in allowing a pilot to run through the cabin screaming about Jesus and al-Qaida during a New York-to-Vegas flight.
Travel commentators say this may be only the first lawsuit of many from the bizarre incident, though some commentators were critical of whether lawsuits were a justifiable response to the incident.
Capt. Clayton Osbon, 49, was suspended from his duties and charged with interfering with flight crew instructions after he was locked out of the cockpit by his co-pilot and had to be restrained until the plane could make an emergency landing in Amarillo, Texas.
Passengers said the incident left them feeling less secure while flying."But you always look to the airline crew and say, ‘OK, this is a group I can turn to and say we’re safer,’" said one plaintiff, Michael Bedziner. "Now the very people that we’re supposed to turn to for that assurance are the ones we’re frightened of. And the pilot, no less."
The group suing JetBlue said they were offended by the airline’s offering them only credit for the disrupted flight and nothing more.
By David Wilkening
David
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