Pilot Dies of Heart Attack on Continental Flight
Last Thursday, during Continental flight 61 from Brussels to Newark, NJ, the pilot had a heart attack and died. The co-pilot and a backup pilot who was part of the crew landed the plane uneventfully in Newark.
Although flight attendants asked if a doctor was on board, the passengers were not informed of the pilot’s death since there was a concern they might panic.
However, it was definitely information known elsewhere and on the Internet.
Given that airlines are beginning to set up Internet access for passengers, if that flight had Internet service folks might have found out – and not from the in-flight announcements.
What should be the procedure once there is in-flight Internet service and a condition arises that passengers currently are not told about? Would you want to find out via a news feed? Probably not.
