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Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
'Not risking my career': United Airlines pilot refuses to fly after passenger smokes weed on plane, fears positive drug test from second-hand marijuana
United Airlines pilot refuses to fly after a passenger was found smoking weed inside the toilet. (Representative image) A United Airlines pilot refused to fly from San Francisco to Cancun, Mexico, after a passenger smoked weed in the front bathroom. The incident led to a four-hour delay, according to a viral Reddit post that triggered a debate on whether the pilot overreacted or whether his fear was rational. The pilot was scared that he would be positive on a drug test from second-hand exposure to marijuana. "I have 30 years left of my career at United. I'm not willing to risk getting drug tested when I get to Houston," the pilot apparently said, according to the Reddit post. The Reddit post was from a flyer who posted from the terminal at SFO, complaining that there was no new crew and the airline gave the passengers a $15 meal voucher for the delay. "First our flight was delayed due to technical issues, then waiting for the paperwork to get completed someone smoked weed in the front bathrooms. They got removed from the flight then sat on the plane for 40 ish min waiting for crew to figure out what to do. Crew was concerned they got exposed so we deplaned and are awaiting new crew," the post read. The Reddit post on the incident of a flight delay because of a passenger smoking weed in toilet. "Currently sitting in the terminal at SFO, no sign of a new crew yet. Original departure 8:50 am, current estimated departure 12:30 pm. Given a $15 meal voucher and they have rolled out a snack cart at the gate," the post added. "Virtually any detectable level of marijuana metabolite in urine is considered a failed test, regardless of reason. However, secondhand cannabis smoke does not cause positive urine tests at DOT thresholds except in the most extreme conditions – think hot-boxed room, hours of exposure, no ventilation," wrote A View From The Wing contributor Gary Leff, adding that the likelihood of testing positive from second-hand marijuana smoke in a well-ventilated aircraft is laghably low.
New York Post
4 days ago
- New York Post
United pilot refuses to fly after passenger smokes pot on plane: ‘Not willing to risk it'
He didn't want to be flying high. A United Airlines pilot refused to fly from San Francisco to Cancun, Mexico on Tuesday after a passenger smoked pot on the plane, resulting in a nearly four-hour delay. In a viral Reddit post, a passenger who was aboard flight UA1679 recalled how the ill-fated trip was initially 'delayed due to technical issues' then again after 'someone smoked weed in the front bathrooms.' 'They got removed from the flight then sat on the plane for 40ish minutes waiting for crew to figure out what to do,' they explained. 'Crew was concerned they got exposed, so we deplaned and are awaiting new crew.' 'The likelihood of testing positive from secondhand marijuana smoke in a well-ventilated aircraft is laughably low,' wrote A View From The Wing contributor Gary Leff. 'Yet I still understand the irrational fear given FAA drug testing regulations and zero-tolerance airline policies that punish even inadvertent exposure if a positive test occurs.' 24K-Production – The flyboy was reportedly afraid that getting exposed to secondhand weed smoke could cause them to fail a random drug test. According to the post, the captain had announced, 'I have 30 years left of my career at United, I'm not willing to risk getting drug tested when I get to Houston.' The passengers' dreams of a smooth travel experience went up in weed smoke. 'Currently sitting in the terminal at SFO, no sign of a new crew yet,' the Redditor wrote. 'Original departure 8:50 am, current estimated departure 12:30 pm. Given a $15 meal voucher and they have rolled out a snack cart at the gate.' The Post reached out to United for comment. The flight was reportedly delayed for nearly four hours due to the incident. gstockstudio – Flight experts deemed the precaution a tad overzealous but totally understandable. 'The likelihood of testing positive from secondhand marijuana smoke in a well-ventilated aircraft is laughably low,' wrote A View From The Wing contributor Gary Leff. 'Yet I still understand the irrational fear given FAA drug testing regulations and zero-tolerance airline policies that punish even inadvertent exposure if a positive test occurs.' He added, 'Virtually any detectable level of marijuana metabolite in urine is considered a failed test, regardless of reason.' Leff warned that a positive test could end a pilot's career after a 'lengthy investigation and loss of certification' and that said flyboy couldn't expect union protection sans evidence of 'passive exposure.' 'The pilot also has a duty to report any impairment concerns – if they even believe they might have some risk of impairment they are required to self-report it,' he explained. Redditors were quick to pile on the puff puff pass-enger with one labelling the high-flyer a 'f–king idiot.' 'I feel if that happens that person needs to be fined for every single passenger's ticket,' said another. 'Should be an automatic lifetime ban across all airlines,' declared a third. 'Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.' Many empathized with the pilot's decision not to risk joining the mile high club. 'As the captain should have!!' one declared. 'I'm not losing my job over y'all stupidity!! So yes your flight will be delayed. Due to your fellow passengers.'
New York Post
17-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Las Vegas hotel slammed after guest stuck with outrageous bill for a bottle of water
It's not just slot machines that are fleecing people. A Las Vegas hotel is being lambasted mercilessly online after charging nearly $30 for a bottle of water from room minibars. The apparent H20 highway robberies came to light via photos and a fan submission shared by the travel blog A View From the Wing. The unidentified guest had reportedly been staying at the Aria Resort & Casino — one of over 30 MGM resorts — where room rates start at $280 per night. Advertisement According to the post, an employee had been restocking and cleaning out their room's minibar, which the visitor noted had 'food crammed in the fridge from two guests ago.' 4 One Facebook user noted that the other seemingly fancier minibar items weren't nearly as expensive. tarapatta – The worker informed the visitor that water costs $26, but only told them after the guest had consumed a full bottle, the poster wrote. That constituted more than 10% of the person's total bill of $259, according to a screenshot of their invoice. Advertisement To make matters worse, the same water reportedly costs just $7.45 at a Starbucks downstairs. While hotel minibars are known for their extortionate markups, some Aria guests noted that the other items in the fridge were not nearly as steep. 4 The Aria Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. SvetlanaSF – In April, Facebook user Lasvegasbloggerandi, shared a photo of a hotel minibar menu showing a Coca-Cola Deluxe that cost $13.75, nearly half as much as the Fiji Water, which set guests back a whopping $24.75. Advertisement 'Do you think it's fair to pay for the convenience, or this is price gouging?' the traveler spluttered in the caption. Commenters were similarly perplexed over the price tags, with one writing, 'Was just there. I was floored.' 4 A bottle of Fiji water was nearly twice as expensive as some other beverages in a hotel room refrigerator, according to another poster. Facebook / Lasvegasbloggerandi 4 'This is the perfect example of the kind of out of sample cost that makes people feel cheated on a Las Vegas trip, leaving customers with a bad taste in their mouth,' said A View From The Wing writer Gary Leff. Mangostar – Advertisement 'Vegas is dying so they have to charge a buttload to survive,' declared another, referencing declining tourist numbers at the gambling mecca. 'They depend on the drunk visitors that don't care about their prices at 2 a.m. when they get back to their room,' said a third. A View From the Wing contributor Gary Leff accused Aria of flouting the 'diamonds-water paradox' floated by 'The Wealth of Nations' author Adam Smith, who wrote that water is necessary but cheap, while diamonds are useless for survival but expensive due to their scarcity. 'Aria in Las Vegas proves there really was no paradox after all,' Leff quipped. 'Water in the desert is crucial to survival and incredibly expensive for guests staying there!' He declared that Sin City had 'clearly given up on any idea of hospitality.' 'I would think, though, that a $36.28 per night resort fee (inclusive of tax) might be high enough to offer a single bottle of water as one of its inclusions. I guess not!' Leff griped. Advertisement 'This is the perfect example of the kind of out of sample cost that makes people feel cheated on a Las Vegas trip, leaving customers with a bad taste in their mouth. And that is dangerous heading into a Las Vegas downturn.'
New York Post
05-06-2025
- Business
- New York Post
British Airways bans crew members from taking selfies during layovers: ‘Bit of an overkill'
A layover could lead to a layoff in a flash. While airlines often restrict crewmember social media use on the job, British Airways has taken the crackdown to the next level — by limiting what members post during their personal time as well. The carrier now prohibits airline employees — including pilots and flight attendants — from documenting where they stay during crew layovers on social media, One Mile At A Time reported. This means that ever-popular 'get ready with me' TikToks — in which flight attendants film themselves donning their outfits for the day — no longer fly. The airline's security team claims that bad actors can use AI-powered location tools to pinpoint crew member locations, thereby compromising their safety. Getty Images And don't think about snapping a pool or lobby selfie– the policy applies everywhere inside the crewmember hotel, outside the hotel and even the parking lot, A View From The Wing reported. Even a quick room-view shot showing nothing but sky and curtains is verboten under the ban. According to the new guidelines, crew members are also required to go over their feeds with a fine-toothed comb and delete every trace of prior layover hotel-related content — even the stuff set to 'private' — or risk getting canned. British Airways isn't imposing this digital clampdown to kill crewmember fun or torpedo fledgling influencer careers, but rather to mitigate any potential safety risks. Flight expert Gary Leff at A View From The Wing found BA's social media crackdown overzealous given that crew resorts aren't exactly a secret. NurPhoto via Getty Images The airline's security team claims that bad actors can use AI-powered location tools to pinpoint crewmembers' locations, the Mirror reported. This sophisticated software can analyze subtle background cues — including parking lot signs, pool tiles and even window geometry — to identify flight attendant accommodations, which could put flight staff in jeopardy. One Mile At A Time described the policy as 'strict', writing that it 'seems like a bit of an overkill, since it's not that hard to figure out where airline crews stay.' The move follows a BA policy rolled out in 2023 that banned crew members from posting while on duty, including snapping cockpit selfies or sitting in an engine. The crackdown comes as an increased number flight attendants are taking up side hustles as influencers, often providing travel tips and other inside info to their sometimes million-plus followers. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the content takes place inside hotels with topics ranging from hotel cleanliness to the best ways to tell if an intruder is lurking under the bed. Flight expert Gary Leff at A View From The Wing found BA's social media crackdown overzealous given that crew resorts aren't exactly a secret. 'Crews arrive in uniform to the same contracted hotels in each city. Local drivers, aviation enthusiasts and would-be stalkers already know where they're staying,' he wrote. 'They go out into the city and tell people where they're staying. So while it's possible to extract location clues from photos, it's entirely unnecessary to do so.' He found the measure particularly ludicrous as there's been no actual incident of a hotel safety issue and that it's all 'hypothetical.' In April, a BA crew member was found dead in his San Francisco hotel room during a stopover between flights — although there was no evidence of foul play. Leff added that this clampdown could put a damper on crew member recruitment as a lot of this outreach is done peer-to-peer via social media so 'cracking down on crew behavior makes those same jobs less attractive' to applicants.
