Passenger Fixes Faulty Airliner (Kind Of)

Hello All BlkAv8tor2003 Checking In!!!

Well here is something you don't here everyday in the airline industry. Passenger fixes the plane? Well not quite, he was not your garden variety passenger. He was an airline engineer (mechanic) if it's the possible UK translation. More times than not these passengers would have had to wait till a engineer could have been flown out to work on the plane and then wait it out. Kudos for another airline employee lending a helping hand!!!

This is a old school move from the airlines of yester-year where union issues didn't stop the employees from helping another airline out of a jam and doing it as a "professional courtesy" (like that exist in any industry anymore) but it does remind me of my favorite movie of all time, "Airport" made in 1970. This is an aviation classic and my favorite because it shows you all the aspects of what the airline industry is all about. Go rent it and see for your self, it's a movie way ahead of it's time! I'll post the movie trailor so you can check it out for yourself! Any true lover of the airlines should have seen this movie and have it in their personal library!!!



I'm sure in the end this engineers superiors will see this as a good opportunity to give one of their own employees some additional praise. I say bravo and I'm sure the crew thanks you for taking there 8 hour delay and turning it into 35 minutes! He obviously was confident in the fix because when the airplane arrived in Glasgow he was on board!!!

Thanks to Keith Lomax of Thomson Airways for helping his flight crew in a tight situation!!!

Nice to see someone step up!

(Read the full story below!!!)

As I always say "Be Proactive Not Reactive" and enjoy your flight!!!

BlkAv8tor2003

The airliner landed at Glasgow only 35 minutes late

Holidaymakers avoided a long delay to their flight home when a passenger fixed a mechanical problem with their plane.

Passengers on Thomas Cook flight TCX9641 from Menorca were told to expect an eight-hour wait while an engineer was flown out from the UK.
One passenger then identified himself as a qualified aircraft engineer and offered to try to remedy the fault.

He was successful, and the plane landed in Glasgow only 35 minutes late.
A spokeswoman for Thomas Cook said the company followed strict procedures to ensure the man was qualified to work on the aircraft, a Boeing 757-200, during the incident on Saturday.
The passenger worked for another airline, Thomson Airways, which has a reciprocal maintenance agreement with Thomas Cook.

It was reassuring to know the person who had fixed it was still on the aeroplane
Keith Lomax
"When they announced there was a technical problem he came forward and said who he was, " she said.
"We checked his licence and verified he was who he said he was, and he was able to fix the problem to avoid the delay.

"We are very grateful that he was on the flight that day."
Holiday maker Keith Lomax, from Stirling, was travelling home from a week's break with his wife when the plane's captain announced the expected delay.

"We were in the plane, ready for take-off, when he announced there was a technical problem and that an engineer might have to be flown out from Manchester to fix it," he said.
"Then a stewardess told us there was an engineer on board and they were checking out to see if he could work on it. He was obviously successful. When he came back onto the plane there was a round of applause from the back of the aircraft.

"It was reassuring to know the person who had fixed it was still on the aeroplane. What are the odds of something like that happening?"
Chris Browne, managing director of Thomson Airways, said she was "delighted" that one of the company's engineers came to the rescue of fellow passengers "even when the flight was that of a competitor".

She added: "This kind of initiative exemplifies Thomson's company philosophy of exceeding customer's expectations and it makes all of the team at Thomson Airways extremely proud.
"Flight delays can be very frustrating for everyone involved so it was gratifying that a qualified Thomson engineer, who has been with the company for 27 years, was in the right place at the right time."