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Man falls asleep on flight making connection in Houston; wakes up in dark, empty plane

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A man was flying from Louisiana and had a layover in Houston when he says he fell asleep on the plane and was locked inside. (abclocal.go.com) Más...

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sparkie624
sparkie624 19
A long time ago (not going to mention the airline) I was working RON maintenance, we had a 737 come in. One elderly lady fell asleep and what makes this a little more interesting is that her cloths actually matched the seats. The flight crew missed her sitting there, Ops Missed it, at about 10PM (after the plane had been shut down for 3 hours) the mechanics brought the a/c to the hangar, parked in the tail dock and we went to work on the a/c. By this time everyone in OPs had gone home. A cleaner working the interior called out from the forward service door and I still remember the quote. "Hey.... We got an old lady sleeping up here". The supervisor woke her up and her first words were, "How long before we land".
JetChaser
JetChaser 2
Awesome!
TXCAVU
Love it! Must have been a greased landing.
sparkie624
sparkie624 4
LOL, and to sleep through the taxi with a Hot Shot mechanic at the wheel and then pushing it backwards into the tail doc across the thresh hold she could have slept through Dec 7, 1941 in Pearl harbor sitting on the deck of the Arizona.
Doobs
Dee Lowry 0
I want some of whatever she took! :)))) lol Sparkie
alneal
Albert Neal -1
They should have said "We're not going to land ma'am. You are now part of the Twilight Zone.....doomed to fly the skies forever! There are no free meals...or free drinks...or free movies....so I hope that you have a credit card.
cconfa
Charles Conerity 14
Even more mind-boggling is this: the flight # was given and if you look it up, he was on a ERJ 135. How do you miss someone on a plane that only seats 37 people?
mmcconn375
Michael McConn 4
simple..the crew was in a hurry and didn't notice him. the FA must not have done the trash or crossed seat belts..maybe because the morning rampers would do it during the daily security check? Clearly they just shut down and walked off the plane. Maybe the man head was out of view when looking from the forward galley?
TXCAVU
But there is still that walk from the back of the AC forward to confirm nothing was left behind (ie. laptops, Ipads, cell phones, jackets). I bet they were tired.
TXCAVU
Correct! And he is no little guy either.
flying4aliving
Susan Davison 2
The FA's missed it because they were walking and looking, down at their phone, trying to make sure all was ok at home. Because we only have 10 minutes between flights before a gate agent is barking at us to board. Because they just did 4-5 flights and have may other things on their mind. Cause they aren't trained to look for a sleeping customer. Or they were just posting on FB how much they hate their job. :)
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
That's pret-ty sad. Most people lose their jobs when they don't do them. Instead of "hating their jobs" it's too bad they don't see how grateful they should be to have one. Not you personally Susan, but posts such as this reveal a major part of what's gone wrong in America. People feel so entitled.
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
It has occurred to me in reading threads like this that more workload is being piled onto fewer people without due regard to limitations. You have a good point about the entitlement gene becoming dominant in society today. But on the other hand, adding workload until something fails is another way of saying 'testing to destruction'. "Oh, you can juggle that many balls? Here's another, and another, and..." Just seems like that sometimes.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
I meant to add about your comment, "this more workload being piled onto fewer people" that you mentioned isn't such a new event, it's just slightly different. Don't know if you've heard of it but waaaaay back in time, something known as "The Peter Principle" was happening everywhere. Someone would do a good job, so they'd be promoted. Then, once again in the new job, same thing - and they'd be promoted. Until - one day - that individual got promoted beyond their capabilities and got promoted right out of a job. "Employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence." The Peter Principle. They had more and more responsibility piled on. Only difference was back then it was a promotion. Same thing but different.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
When the book came out, we named names in our management team. Found a corollary- if a person near incompetence level is transferred to a job well beyond competence level, they never hit a ceiling and continue to rise. Worked around some of both types in civil service until rat race became a spectator sport.
check you PM box in discussions, I sent you something this am.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
I agree completely, Joel. But the particular job at issue here isn't a new job, it's always been a part of the job description. At least as far back as I can remember. Companies being forced to cut back and spread out the tasks in order to remain profitable is another problem altogether.
dral6503
Ed Berling 8
A flight from Louisiana to Houston? That guy has got to fall asleep quickly.
rhettlaf
Rhett LaFleur 5
I've taken that flight many times. Wheels up to touchdown is about 35 minutes. I only wish I could fall asleep that fast.
DerekCooks
Derek Thomas 2
After a week of doing a trade shows, entertaining clients at night, etc. - I remember more than a few times having the FAs wake me up for push-back, wake me up for take off, and most certainly for "seat-backs up". Never heard an announcement, never felt a flaps or gear down. No drugs involved, just exhaustion....
devsfan
ken young 2
On an aircraft? I can...On a flight from CLT to ATL I was with a friend. We were on our way to NY connecting thru ATL...He had to wake me up on taxi back to the gate at ATL....That flight is about 40 mins wheels up to down.
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 2
Must have washed his Dramamine down with a couple shots of Jack.

sparkie624
sparkie624 1
That would certainly help someone sleep :)
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 5
Quality people do quality jobs regardless of pay. Somebody messed up here. Maybe they mess up all the time or maybe they had a bad day. Who knows?
skyfly12
shawn white 3
Locked in a plane that has 4+ doors that open from the inside. Scary!

[This poster has been suspended.]

TXCAVU
Or this was their last flight or they had to race to their next flight. And how did the cleaning crew miss him as well?
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
This definately an "oooops" moment. Have a feeling the cleaning crew bailed on this clean up and dealt another hand!
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
Or...they were taking inventory from the last bird that blew in!

[This poster has been suspended.]

mmcconn375
Michael McConn 7
right...because high pay ensures no errors...no landing on taxiways or wrong airports, no sleeping while flying, no hard landings collapse nose gears....

[This poster has been suspended.]

bishops90
Brian Bishop 4
Seriously Phil? You think another $10 an hour for a FA would make a difference here? That's just ridiculous. To leave a little trash or not be miss personality becasue you're underpaid is one thing, but to lock a guy on the plane!? C'mon. That level of slackness has no pricetag.

[This poster has been suspended.]

THRUSTT
THRUSTT 3
My pay is less than what I should be making, but the job I do isn't subpar!!!
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 1
Bravo! Their are subpar pilots. They don't magically get better with a pay raise. They don't even try harder cause they think they're great--- just got a raise. Lol. Most are under paid: agreed.
xtoler
Larry Toler 2
When I was an f/a on EMB145's, I always did a final walk through. Doesn't take a lot of time. I usually had the cabin mostly cleaned up before we landed and after I got the pax off the a/c I still did a walk, even if we had to do a tail swap. My pay wasn't really all that bad and I enjoyed my job. It's pretty hard to let things like that slip on an aircraft that small.
bishops90
Brian Bishop 2
Taking pride is a far stretch from leaving a sleeping dude on the plane. Sorry, ain't buyin' it.

[This poster has been suspended.]

sparkie624
sparkie624 5
The amount a person is paid should not hinder a person from doing their job. They accepted the job because they wanted it not because when they were born some bureaucrat "We need a Flight Attendant when you grow, so you are going to do it". It was a carrier that they choose on their own and they elected to take the pay they were given.

When I receive an offer for a new job, I do not have to take it if it does not meet my requirements and if I do, I do that job to the best of my ability regardless of how much I am being paid.

[This poster has been suspended.]

sparkie624
sparkie624 1
You are probably correct and the same for Mechanics. Keep in mind that when you bring your plane in and write up a non-deferable item that a confident and competent mechanic is there to fix your problem, or one that doesn't leave a screw drive in one of your primary flight controls before sending on down the road.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 3
Salary doesn't equate to ethics. Either you have pride in your work and you do it well, or you're you. A pay raise simply doesn't change your basic morals. And if it does - shame on you.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 0
If you feel underpaid, find another job and stop whining.

[This comment has been downvoted. Show anyway.]

sparkie624
sparkie624 1
Voted Down... We do need this.
glenhorton
Glen Horton 1
That's just uncalled for. Grow up.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 0
In spite of the negative reactions to your post, your premise is accurate.
TXCAVU
Whew! That's why aviation is only for those who have it in their blood. Have to because you put up with so much petty "stuff".
mmcconn375
Michael McConn 3
while that is true, what does it have to do with this? you think bone head mistakes don't happen at higher paying airlines?

[This poster has been suspended.]

jshhmr
josh homer 3
"higher paying airlines" is like saying "christians against christ"

it just dont make sense.
................................

You're right but as a native Texan I see "christians" everyday that support ungodly views. I do agree with the fact you get what you pay for. Management gets bonuses while pilots and f/a's pay gets cut? This is what you get, and deserve.
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
I think it is much more than that... The FA's responsible is making sure that everyone is off the plane, and before closing the door, the person closing the door should make sure that there are no stragglers left behind. I do agree that they are not paid enough, but the responsibility goes much further than that.
joelwiley
joel wiley 4
I had the impression that, back in the last millennium, there was a person with the responsibility for the activities of the flight crew. Did that also fall by the wayside?
Is this a case of the old "anybody could do it, somebody had to do it, everybody knew it needed to be done, but at the end, nobody was the one who did it"
PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 2
Ha! Ha!

Probably the best technical description if what happened.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
A personal note of interest: I sent you a brief msg a week or so ago and it never moved from the "out box". Tried it a second time with the same result - or lack of result. So I wrote to FA and initially they were stymied but ended up "solving" it by telling me you aren't a member of FA. They asked for a screen shot, I sent it to them, which should have made it pretty darn clear you're a member here, but never received a response to that. And the messages remain in the outbox.
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
And a personal note to you- I really shouldn't respond to your post. But..to lower your blood pressure... I am a member. Whatever you encountered...not my problem!
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
I never thought I'd write this to you but here goes: you're right!

You shouldn't have responded to my post because it wasn't written to you, but rather to PhotoFinish. Your name isn't anywhere even close that post.

Follow your gut instincts next time and don't respond.

PS-Your concern for my BP is touching.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
At that time the crew was to make a final check to make sure that nothing was left behind. Normally I think that is meant for items like Laptops, tablets, CD Players and etc that got accidentally left behind... I would have assumed that they would be looking for people who failed to get off the plane for one reason or another.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
It's really pretty simple. And Phil - it hasn't a thing to do with salary. Someone was responsible for that final walk-through and they simply didn't do it - for whatever reason. He / she didn't do their job. Whether tired, lazy, late for a date - doesn't matter. They failed to perform their job.
devsfan
ken young 1
That is utter nonsense. The Flight crew took their jobs knowing full well the agreement they made with the employer.
Or are you the forum chain puller here?
glenhorton
Glen Horton 1
Looks like forum troll to me.
HGreen
Herb Green 4
I understand the airline may have given him $250 for some type of compensation. But probably wants more. I don't see that he deserves any compensation because he should have been awake for the landing, and he's not a baby. People need to grow up.
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 1
2 people screwed up at a minimum. Mutt met Jeff. Lol
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 5
After receiving a call from the mans girlfriend it took half an hour for someone to stroll out there and look in the plane. Then they tried to keep the situation on the down low. So much for security. Now that terrorist know this trick to take over an aircraft the TSA will issue cattle prods to keep everyone awake on board.
WALLACE24
WALLACE24 2
He must have been comatose!
dtw757
mike SUT 2
This is clearly a byproduct of the computer age which I hold wholly responsible. When I started with the airlines in 1985, and the pilots were usually the last ones off the planes because they "cruised the cabin" looking for free newspapers and magazines. With the advent of the ePeriodical it stopped happening. There was a "Fallback" or last chance so to speak which would be the flight attendants going back to the galleys to get food that wasn't given out. That was due to the poor wages they receive. That also came to a halt domestically when the companies got more control of inventory and cost planning through the use of computers. Now, there is very little excess food left over, in some cases, none at all. Therefore, it is obviously not the crews fault by any means...it is the consumers. they should have set and alarm on their smart phone for arrival time and woken themselves up. :-)
sparkie624
sparkie624 3
I think you have a great point... I remember the days in maintenance when we would get an over night plane... More than once I had a steak or chicken dinner that had never been touched and there were always plenty of stuff to read from newspapers to magazines. As matter of fact it is rare that even see anyone with a book or magazine, most of that has been replaced with E-Readers. There is the Skymall and the company magazine, but they do not get much traffic from where I have seen.
Labigmike
Michael Healey 2
Would be someone from Louisiana. Surprised it wasn't someone from Monroe/West Monroe. LOL!
skylloyd
skylloyd 3
Probably Si!
devsfan
ken young 1
The cabin crew of this flight need to be disciplined and then sent back to training. Taken out of service until the retraining is completed.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
Right on. To those who don't believe it's the crew's responsibility to wake a sleeping pax up at flight's end, try looking at it from a slightly different viewpoint. A schoolbus driver is taking the kids home after school, pulls into the schoolbus company lot, closes up and goes home. A few hours later a child wakes up all alone in the bus - uh oh - no one walked through or swept the bus out and found that child. Is it the wee one's fault for sleeping well? I think not!!!
TXCAVU
Wonder what #1 FA has to say about this...got some 'splanin to do.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Not the pilot, I assume....
davidwatson
david watson 1
In a not to distant past.....I have have a brother that 'would sleep through' his connections in order avoid going back to boarding school. Still remember the calls from Florida airports when they realised they had a pax that was supposed to get off in SAT. He became a expert at extra legs... My dad finally said you let him stay on board.... you get him back to where he belongs...

Brother I know you will read this......LOL. We still laugh about it...
xtoler
Larry Toler 1
I was doing a walk through on an in-transit C5 at Mildenhall one night and up on the troop deck found a soldier between the seats crashed out. Scared the hell out of me and him when he woke up. It's pretty easy to miss someone on a large aircraft, but an ERJ? Really?
srichardson2011
We all know how hard it is to sleep on planes , we also have to take responsibility for our actions , we all know when then plane is going to land at it's destination that's why we booked the flight in 1st place Pardon the punt Wake up to yourself mate only person to blame is yourself .
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
Being a Crew Member for over 30 years...we always swept the aircraft. You know, it bothers me when people piss and moan about what they have done and they blame it or want restitution for their
Doobs
Dee Lowry 1
Irresponsible behavior, common sense or just trying to get blood out a turnip! I don't feel this guy deserves any compensation. Own up to your sleeping habit and don't blame the airline personel for your lack of responsibility. Crew members are not on board to hold your hand!
devsfan
ken young 1
WHAT? In your opinion it should be some sort of violation to fall asleep during a flight? Look, when you took the job, you agreed to the conditions of the job. One of those conditions is you are responsible for the safety and well being of the passengers.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
No... But it is your responsibility to get off the plane when it gets to the gate... This guy here would have been in deep you know what if they had crashed landed... He would have slept through the whole thing.
PhotoFinish
PhotoFinish 2
I know a couple of Korean pilots the would've woken him up for sure. This guy unfortunately had a pilot that put the plane down like on butter.

Some pilots are too good and may endanger the lives of sleeping passengers who dont wake up on landing and may forget to get off the plane (in case the airport terminal would were to catch fire overnight or some other ridiculous occurrence).
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
huskyman
Jim Taylor 1
THIS JUST IN. FAA ANNOUNCES SLEEP APNEA TESTING FOR AIRLINE PAX.
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
LOL... I love it.
DerekCooks
Derek Thomas 0
Seems like a better job for TSA - test EVERYONE to make sure they aren't faking it for nefarious purposes...
huskyman
Jim Taylor 0
THIS JUST IN. FAA ANNOUNCES SLEEP APNEA TESTING FOR AIRLINE PAX.
Abinet
Wainam massai 0
That shows how careless the Industry is !
r2rob
Rob Clark 0
That's all he got?? $250 voucher and a hotel stay. I would demand more. But he has a hell of a story to tell.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
It's a heck of a way to punch up your petty cash till, isn't it. If you're so irresponsible you can't set an alarm, I don't understand being rewarded for it. I grant you someone should have discovered him, but I can't see justification for paying the guy for being a sound sleeper. That's just ludicrous. And just as an aside I do believe if the pax in the seat next to me was sleeping while everyone was lined up to deplane, I honestly think I'd give him a 'HEY WAKE UP MAN" in his ear.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
especially if he was blocking your (or my for that matter) timely egress.
sparkie624
sparkie624 2
I don't see where he deserved that much... that was pretty gracious.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
At least his 15 minutes of fame is non-taxable.
ciencolones
robert pratz 0
(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

Get me off this plane

Man locked in dark cabin in worst layover ever. 'Get me off this plane'

http://www.today.com/travel/get-me-plane-man-locked-dark-cabin-worst-layover-ever-2D11708456

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