Airline Pilot Asks Christian Passengers to Spread the Word
NewsMax.com Wires
Monday, Feb. 9, 2004
NEW YORK An American Airlines pilot asked Christians on
his flight to identify themselves and suggested the non-Christians
discuss the faith with them, the airline said.
The case was handed over to the airline's personnel department
for an investigation, spokesman Tim Wagner said Sunday.
"It falls along the lines of a personal level of sharing that
may not be appropriate for one of our employees to do while on the
job," he said earlier.
American's Flight 34 was headed from Los Angeles to New York's
John F. Kennedy Airport on Friday when the pilot asked Christians
on board to raise their hands, Wagner said.
The pilot, whose name was not released, told the airline that he
then suggested the other passengers use the flight time to talk to
the Christians about their faith, Wagner said.
'Threat'
Passenger Amanda Nelligan told WCBS-TV of New York that the
pilot called non-Christians "crazy" and that his comments "felt
like a threat." She said she and several others aboard were so
worried they tried to call relatives on their cell phones before
flight attendants assured them that they were safe and that people on
the ground had been notified about the pilot's comments.
The pilot told passengers he would be available for
discussion at the end of the flight. Wagner said the pilot had just
returned to work from a weeklong mission trip to Costa Rica.
Because of privacy issues, there will likely never be any
announcement about what kind of punishment or reprimand the pilot
might face, Wagner said. The pilot was not scheduled to fly during
the weekend, he said.
© 2003 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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