Attendants can refuse to fly if pilot suicidal

OTTAWA — The Federal Court has ruled flight attendants can refuse to fly with a pilot they believe to be suicidally depressed. The decision stems from a court challenge from the union representing four Air Canada flight attendants who were told by the airline they did not have the right to refuse their assignments.

Court heard that on Aug. 24, 2008, Erick Brouillette and three co-workers refused to board a Paris-bound jet after a discussion with Hugh Bouchard, the in-charge flight attendant, who had booked off sick that evening after meeting the pilot.

Bouchard told Brouillette that on a previous flight, the same pilot had threatened to fly a plane into the Atlantic. As a result, four flight attendants refused to work, citing their rights under the Canada Labour Code, which protects employees from workplace danger.

Replacements were found and the plane departed Toronto, landing in Paris without incident.

Transport Canada was advised of the situation on Aug. 24 and a federal health and safety officer was dispatched to investigate the circumstances of the work refusal.

The federal official refused to launch a formal investigation into whether an actual danger existed on the flight and concluded, based on her preliminary inquiry, that the flight crew had no right to refuse work that evening.

She interviewed the flight attendants, the operations manager and others who knew the captain.  Aside from the flight attendants, no one else criticized the pilot. They all stood by his ability to do the job, according to the health and safety officer.

The union representing the attendants appealed the findings to the Federal Court of Canada, which backed the attendants.

Comment:  WSG.  If the pilot is suspected of being suicidally depressed, what the hell are they doing flying for the airline in the first place?


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