There's An App For That, You Know

And we have yet another drunk pilot endangering lives. We're not talking
the "one stiff drink" over the limit, we're talking intoxicated to the
point of being wobbly.

The thing is, there's an easy fix for that. A little commitment from the
airlines would allow for an alcohol screening before allowing the pilot to
board, and apparently an increase in the random drug testing wouldn't hurt.
I am a firm believer in screening when heavy equipment and lives are at
stake, and it's hard to find a better example than a commercial airline
pilot. Heck, even smart phones can be fitted with a breathalyzer add-on to
ensure sobriety.

Frontier Airlines had "reasonable suspicion" that the pilot was impaired,
yet didn't arrest him. Despite the fact that they surely could have had
him tested, they instead delayed the flight for two hours and set another
pilot in charge. They refer to their zero tolerance policy, but when you
don't get in trouble, I'm not sure where the zero tolerance comes in. When
a pilot is so hammered the shuttle guy is suspicious, you've got a problem
on your hands. It would surely make me think twice before flying Frontier.
While this problem has been across the board, we now know at least one
airline where you are just detained until you can pass a breathalyzer and
replaced.

Come on folks, paying passengers are all being treated like terrorist
suspects, but that security has to apply to employees, as well. Passengers
should have a reasonable expectation of safety, and this problem is so
widespread it has become a running gag. The only problem is, the punchline
can get people killed.