Posted on 01/30/2024 5:11:27 AM PST by george76
2021, United Airlines released the following statement:
"Our flight deck should reflect the diverse group of people on board our planes every day. That's why we plan for 50% of the 5,000 pilots we train in the next decade to be women or people of color."
In the past few weeks, a 2021 interview with United CEO Scott Kirby, in which he promoted United's pilot-training policies, went viral.
The bottom line is clear: It will no longer be merit alone that determines who half of United's pilots-in-training will be; it will be race and sex (or "gender," as the Left prefers to call it). Despite the New York Times and the rest of the Left defending United, there is no other honest conclusion to draw.
As one who flies about 100 times a year, often on United, this worries me. Until now, I rarely worried about safety issues. I have certainly never feared flying.
But this is troubling enough that, although I will probably have flown a million miles on United by the end of 2024 and I am at the second-highest level available to United Airlines flyers (Premier Platinum), I will now do my best to avoid flying United. I am also giving up my United Visa card.
And I am asking all Americans who have a choice in airlines and a choice in credit cards to do the same. If you don't fight this battle, you have no right to complain about the demise of our society, let alone of United or any other airline adopting similar policies. You have an opportunity to make a difference. United may be willing to compromise about safety, but it isn't willing to compromise about its bottom line.
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United is a particularly woke company. As one left-wing observer of the airline industry and defender of United, Gary Leff, writing on viewfromthewing.com, put it: "United was out way ahead of the Biden administration with vaccine mandates. This angered many pilots."
It is important for me to note that until now I could not care less if my pilot was black, white, male or female. I have flown on planes with black pilots and female pilots, and I slept equally well on board. Those of us who oppose United's affirmative action do not do so for race- or sex-based reasons. To cite a medical example, people of every color sought Dr. Ben Carson if they needed one of the country's best neurosurgeons for their child. But if people know that a hospital was hiring surgeons using affirmative action criteria, they might well think twice before undergoing surgery with a minority surgeon.
Here's a good test of whether opposition to United's affirmative action for pilots is racist or not: Ask a black friend or colleague if he or she would prefer a pilot (or surgeon) who was chosen on merit alone or by also using affirmative action criteria.
We already know that colleges engaged in affirmative action have not helped black students succeed. Why should it work in the cockpit? Would anyone respect the decision of an NBA team to diversify its players by using affirmative action to hire more white players?
The woke DEI notion of companies, physicians and cockpits having to "look like" the rest of the population is as absurd as it is dangerous. In fact, I can think of no area of life where this matters to anyone who is not on the Left.
How, exactly, have all the black mayors, congressmen, and even a black president, helped blacks in any way? Has the virtual absence of Indian American, Taiwanese American, Filipino American or Pakistani American mayors, congressmen -- or pilots, for that matter -- hurt any members of these groups in any way? Those four groups are the top-earning ethnic groups in America (Census Bureau, 2021).
The notion that the cockpit or the mayor's office has to look like the rest of the population is just foolish -- as foolish as the idea that professional athletes have to look like the rest of the population. It is an idea, like most stupid ideas, that appeals primarily to college graduates.
I have miles with AA, but haven’t used any since Covid. When I fly again, it definitely wont be during peak travel periods. There is still a shortage of pilots and flight attendants..
Okay, so maybe you’ll die before you reach your destination, but at least there’ll be Bud Light on the beverage cart.
Speaking of bud lite, I see they have gone out to rebrand and now have Manning as a prop.
“I promise you the plane will land.”
Yes, it will end up on the ground. “Landing” is a bit more finessed.
I’m going to California (from Texas) in May for my grandson’s high school graduation. I’ve already decided to take a bus. See America from the ground instead of the air for a change.
The only thing now based on merit alone in universities is award of an athletic scholarship.
That's why the former Boeing Engineer refuses to fly on a 737 max plane.
Other planes are fine. But 737 max is just a bad plane.
They need to change their name to Flying Dildo Airlines.
I can attest to the fact that many, MANY, Air Force veterans are leaving the armed forces and getting jobs flying for the airlines. I worked with them, and because of the pay they get working for companies like Delta, United, FedEx, etc, many more are leaving for the money. It’s good for the airlines because they get quality personnel (for the most part, LOL) but bad for the military because now they are low on pilots will start hiring via DEI standards.
My philosophy almost exactly. At takeoff the plane is at its maximum weight, minimum speed and most of the lift is ground effect. Nothing says that it will successfully transit out of ground effect to actual flight, and nothing says the cargo and passengers weight isn't off center or won't slam to the back when the nose is raised. Having full fuel tanks in a crash is an added bonus.
Once in the air, I stop worrying. The flight WILL end on earth...
+1!
You did an excellent job of explaining the M/F pairing. This is a very important concept.
The Chinese have it right. It is such an important concept because it's not just about our relationships.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING is the UNIVERSE is based on this coupling..
You, I, the Internet, Commercial Airliners, the computers we use.... None of that would exist if not for the pairing concept.
The best way I can help others see what I mean (I know you already get it) is the SINE WAVE.
ANOTHER FACTOR:
UNITED CEO LIKES TO DRESS UP IN DRAG
NOT SUPPORTING MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE BOARD ROOM—EVER
I fly United 60 times per year and would prefer they not discriminate and hire the most qualified people for the tasks required.
YOU WIN POST OF THE DAY
The mistake ideologues (almost entirely on the Left) make is thinking that declaring Equality for men and women means that a person’s position in the bell curve changes.
There are not enough qualified “women and people of ‘color’” to fill those jobs. They will do as all companies are doing — hire UNQUALIFIED people.
I too believe that is true...it is the very nature of the sine wave, is it not?
Over the next decade, United will train 5,000 pilots who will be guaranteed a job with United after they complete the requirements of the Aviate program – and our plan is for half of them to be women or people of color.”
—United CEO Scott Kirby
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