Didn't see this posted anywhere, mods feel free to delete if it's already out there.

BBC is reporting both flight crew arrested in Glasgow:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-36832625

This is on my patch, in fact I'll be driving past the Paisley Sherrif Court building and GLA in the next half hour. I wonder if this flight left yesterday after all. I didn't see the aircraft parked up as I drove by the airport yesterday.

Further info here: I suspect more accurate as this service is more likely an A310 than A330 although both types do appear.

http://www.milngavieherald.co.uk/news/t ... -1-4180666

Hard to understand how both pilots went "intoxicated". Were they on planned duty ? Did they get alcohol both together or each on their own side ? If it's confirmed that they had alcohol deliberately, their behavior shows a great lack of professionalism and a serious attempt to life of dozens of pax. This is unacceptable.

From the UK Railways & Transport Safety Act 2003...

The pilots were arrested under section 93 of the Act.

It focuses on the limit of any alcohol consumption and says it is an offence to perform or prepare to perform certain aviation-related functions with more than a prescribed level of alcohol in the body.

That limit is set at 20 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood for those activities carried out by aircrew and air traffic controllers. In the case of breath, nine microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres are allowed and in urine the limit is 27 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres.

The blood limit is a quarter of that allowed by the Road Traffic Act 1988 and the Transport and Works Act 1992 for drivers and reflects the speed of reaction needed by aircrew and air traffic controllers to respond to potential emergency situations.

Aviation functions can be defined as acting as a pilot during a flight, acting as navigator of an aircraft or as a flight radio-telephony operator during a flight, as well as acting as a member of the cabin crew.

Anyone convicted of committing an offence under the act can face up to two years in prison or a fine or both.

They've both been remanded in custody, so the Courts are treating it very seriously (as indeed they should).

Both pilots not even 40 years old, way to ruin your career early! If the charges are proven in court then this is really sick and irresponsible behavior, putting the life of hundreds on the line. Thankfully the cabin crew was vigilant and the only harm was to the company's reputation.

How do they fit 350 pax on an A310?
Serious indeed. Wonder who 'grassed' them up- must have been the cabin crew.

by738 wrote:

How do they fit 350 pax on an A310?
Serious indeed. Wonder who 'grassed' them up- must have been the cabin crew.

Not sure about the 350 in a A310, but Transat is one of the few to pack 9 abreast in a A310/A330/A340. Highly uncomfortable but you cant beat their price.

You get what you pay for


http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Air_Tr ... =210&date=

Air Transat:

313 - 244 seats
332 - 345 seats
333 - 375 seats

Where's that old "crowded" smiley when you need it?

Although the picture in the article is of a 313, the reported numbers are exactly consistent with a 332.

were they really 'intoxicated'? i know some blokes that could do a crosswind landing at the old hong kong blowing a .2 no problem. Some peoe have the right stuff. Flying is stressful.

seabosdca wrote:

Where's that old "crowded" smiley when you need it?

If Air Transat had 77Ws, it would probably manage to pack it tighter than Air France's Caribbean slave ships. And 10 abreast on a 777s is bad enough, but nowhere near as bad as 9 abreast on an Airbus. They really do wonders with these planes, I think the only airline that has more seats in the 333 is Philippines with something like 400+ seats. But at least their prices are great and consistently below the competition, so the high-density pain is a bargain, unlike other legacy airlines which also pack their economy class but do it for the shareholder value, not to attract customers with low fares.

PEK777 wrote:

were they really 'intoxicated'? i know some blokes that could do a crosswind landing at the old hong kong blowing a .2 no problem. Some peoe have the right stuff. Flying is stressful.

The local BBC Scotland TV news last night stated that they were reported by the cabin crew and that they had been "seen drinking heavily the night before". Presumably during a layover at a local hotel. Both pilots have been detained at Glasgow's Govan Police Station, a high security cop shop where risky suspects such as terrorists and plotters are taken. They had a private hearing at Paisley Sheriff Court on Tuesday and It's been reported they will be returned to court next week.

100% A310 - Just normal "lazy" journalism

do we know how much they actually blew? I know the regs in regards to ´the night before´, just wonder what Level they really had?

I'm assuming that the crew in question had a layover of at least two nights.

They were arrested on Monday, as they were preparing to take TS725 (dep. 13:00) back to YYZ. There are no TS flights inbound to GLA on summer Sundays, so their layover was at least two days, if they brought TS524 in on Saturday morning.

Drinking heavily the night before is not a good thing of course, but then you do a breathalyzer in the morning and if past the limit come up with some sickness and that's it, ruining your life over this is really stupid.

At my skydiving association there is a no drinking (and no drugs) policy, even one drink the night before jumping. The only exception is if bad weather is forecast several days in a row, then a sortie to a bar is allowed. And we're only risking our own lives, and there is a system that will open the reserve chute automatically if we're distracted.

PEK777 wrote:

were they really 'intoxicated'? i know some blokes that could do a crosswind landing at the old hong kong blowing a .2 no problem. Some peoe have the right stuff. Flying is stressful.

And you're back, just writing anything provocative that you don't believe, for attention.

the headline in The Sun (classy Uk newspaper) was "drunk pilots arrested on US bound flight" - then clicking on the article lead to this

jamsco99 wrote:

the headline in The Sun (classy Uk newspaper) was "drunk pilots arrested on US bound flight" - then clicking on the article lead to this

This was The Scottish Sun front page and article yesterday...

by738 wrote:

How do they fit 350 pax on an A310?
Serious indeed. Wonder who 'grassed' them up- must have been the cabin crew.

They probably were on a layover in GLA and just beginning their duty day. No f/a would serve alcohol to a working pilot when they are going to be on the airplane themselves! Common sense check here, please. I seriously doubt the cabin crew were suicidal.

As you can see it was the cabin crew that REPORTED them. You owe them a sincere apology.

jamesontheroad wrote:

I'm assuming that the crew in question had a layover of at least two nights.

They were arrested on Monday, as they were preparing to take TS725 (dep. 13:00) back to YYZ. There are no TS flights inbound to GLA on summer Sundays, so their layover was at least two days, if they brought TS524 in on Saturday morning.

They did not necessarily arrive via the Sat flight, the might have came in on the Sun via Manchester or Gatwick.

Further anecdotal evidence coming to light locally, suggesting they have been refused bail and also charged with abusive and threatening behaviour. They will re-appear at Paisley Sheriff Court next week...

Air Transat says the pilots involved have been suspended pending results of the investigation.
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-gla ... t-36865833

DTWPurserBoy wrote:

by738 wrote:

How do they fit 350 pax on an A310?
Serious indeed. Wonder who 'grassed' them up- must have been the cabin crew.

They probably were on a layover in GLA and just beginning their duty day. No f/a would serve alcohol to a working pilot when they are going to be on the airplane themselves! Common sense check here, please. I seriously doubt the cabin crew were suicidal.

As you can see it was the cabin crew that REPORTED them. You owe them a sincere apology.

To "grass up" means to report to the authorities.

One late observation on this event.

This BBC News article from 19 July shows a letter handed to all passengers from Air Transat offering CAD$200 in travel credit "as a gesture of goodwill."



Under EU Air Passenger Rights, all passengers are in fact entitled to a full refund of the flight plus €600 compensation for a delay of more than 3 hours on a flight of more than 3,500km.

I hope all the passengers involved are aware of this.

Have their alcohol levels been published?

jamesontheroad wrote:

One late observation on this event.

This BBC News article from 19 July shows a letter handed to all passengers from Air Transat offering CAD$200 in travel credit "as a gesture of goodwill."



Under EU Air Passenger Rights, all passengers are in fact entitled to a full refund of the flight plus €600 compensation for a delay of more than 3 hours on a flight of more than 3,500km.

I hope all the passengers involved are aware of this.

It's since been reported that Air Transat will also award each affected passenger £500 GBP in compensation. Which I think is roughly (do the math) in line with EU limits.

b747400erf wrote:

Have their alcohol levels been published?

Not anywhere I'm aware of. No doubt further information will come out this week after the second court appearance and verdict.

The 2nd court appearance at Paisley Sherriff Court is due to begin around 2pm BST today. In around 45 minutes time, as I write.

Both pilots bailed upon surrender of passports...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-36895584

JannEejit wrote:

Both pilots bailed upon surrender of passports...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-36895584

Thank you for the update, JannEejit.

I suppose the pilots aren't Scottish, so I presume this means that they're stuck in a place far away from home...yes?

Western727 wrote:

JannEejit wrote:

Both pilots bailed upon surrender of passports...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-36895584

Thank you for the update, JannEejit.

I suppose the pilots aren't Scottish, so I presume this means that they're stuck in a place far away from home...yes?

Imran Zafar Syed, 37, of Toronto, Canada, and Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, of Ontario, were arrested before a Toronto-bound flight as it was due to depart Glasgow International Airport on Monday last week.

They are both reported as being Canadian nationals, from the Toronto/Ontario area and have been up until now been remanded in police custody. Where exactly they are now, post bail remains unknown. Presumably still in the Glasgow area, perhaps in a hotel or other lodgings ?

JannEejit wrote:

Western727 wrote:

JannEejit wrote:

Both pilots bailed upon surrender of passports...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-g ... t-36895584

Thank you for the update, JannEejit.

I suppose the pilots aren't Scottish, so I presume this means that they're stuck in a place far away from home...yes?

Imran Zafar Syed, 37, of Toronto, Canada, and Jean-Francois Perreault, 39, of Ontario, were arrested before a Toronto-bound flight as it was due to depart Glasgow International Airport on Monday last week.

They are both reported as being Canadian nationals, from the Toronto/Ontario area and have been up until now been remanded in police custody. Where exactly they are now, post bail remains unknown. Presumably still in the Glasgow area, perhaps in a hotel or other lodgings ?

Note to self...READ the darned article more carefully!

Both pilots appeared briefly in court today to deny the charges and trial has been set for April. This follows a second United FO being sentenced to 10 months prison today at the same court house.

Does that mean they've been in the UK for 8 months?

JannEejit wrote:

Both pilots appeared briefly in court today to deny the charges and trial has been set for April. This follows a second United FO being sentenced to 10 months prison today at the same court house.

Which pilots -- the Air Transat or United ones?

IPFreely wrote:

JannEejit wrote:

Both pilots appeared briefly in court today to deny the charges and trial has been set for April. This follows a second United FO being sentenced to 10 months prison today at the same court house.

Which pilots -- the Air Transat or United ones?

Both Air Transat pilots to deny the charges and one United FO for sentencing (10 months). The other United FO received a 10 month sentence a week or so ago. See the United thread for a news report from BBC.

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1341609&p=19430053#p19430053

UltimoTiger777 wrote:

Does that mean they've been in the UK for 8 months?

I assume so, they received bail upon surrender of passports. I can't find any further information in that respect though. I also wonder if any of that time here will be offset against the jail sentence.

JannEejit wrote:

Both Air Transat pilots to deny the charges and one United FO for sentencing (10 months). The other United FO received a 10 month sentence a week or so ago.

Good to hear. It sounded like the court should throw the book at all of them. But it was posted in this thread that the Air Transat pilots were exonerated:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1341609&hilit=glasgow#p19053415

Were there two cases of drunk Air Transat pilots in Scotland? Or was this fake news about the charges being dropped?

There have been no reports of exoneration in the local media here, I live less than a mile from the courthouse and GLA itself and know a couple of the journalists involved too. I read the 'exoneration' thing more as expectation than fact.