rickair7777

There are exceptions to every rule, but I wouldn't plan my career around that.

DUI = bad.

Recent DUI (< ten years) + Majors = very bad.

Bozo the pilot

Did I say to plan on it? This is for guys who have made the mistake and how to deal with it- Thanks for your insight ricky, but we already know that its not a good thing.

anima

For the airlines... would a diversion be treated the same as a conviction?

rickair7777

Assuming an arrest for DUI, yes.

Airlines have two concerns with DUI/Substance issues...

1. The Obvious: They are afraid you might show up for work drunk. You're going to have to convince them you won't, regardless of the final disposition of the case. The only exception might be if the court issued a finding of actual innocence based on evidence that you in fact did nothing wrong and it was all a mistake (this is very rare). "Not Guilty" usually means guilty, but couldn't be proven to the required standard...and everybody knows that. This why DUI arrests are so bad...you pretty much had to have been drinking a significant amount to get arrested, and that's not good judgement even if your BAC is still barely legal.

2. Not So Obvious: In the event of an accident, the pilot's background will be heavily scrutinized by media and plaintiff's attorneys. This sort of background history will not be good for the airline's reputation or prospects in the lawsuits.

They might give you a little leeway in the sense that a diversion might be less likely to come to light to the media, or will not provide as much courtroom ammo as an actual DUI conviction.

I know a guy who had weed possession on his record. One time thing, the airline said they would hire him but he had to get it expunged first (which he did).

jack2117

Biggest problem is if he get's the DUI or even an MIP granted he's 18 so he does have the young dumb kid I learned my lesson but when you have 50 applicants for every 1 open position there's really no reason to take the chance. However one of my ground school instructors was a hiring board member and he loved to get people with records especially DUI's. He liked them because he knew that they would be much more appreciative and work that much harder. If he does get convicted it's not the end but it will be much more difficult.

Cubdriver

My signature was on dozens of aircraft parts at one point as an aircraft engineer and I was aware my job depended on a clean driving record. The company is not worried about someone showing up drunk really, they are worried about the ammo it gives an injury lawyer in a wrongful death lawsuit. If the signature engineer has a DUI or some other misbehavior to hide, it can skew a jury's opinion. Millions are at stake in wrongful death suits and the upshot of it is routine desk workers can't afford a DUI either.

HappyCrew

Is the kids career over?? No, but it will be that much harder for him to advance to a major carrier. Like many members have previously stated, there are several applicants with clean records and decades of experience. He can still have a rewarding career. He just may have to fly boxes for a while. There are various 121 freight outfits that will still hire guys with DUI's. I worked at a few of them. No, I don't have a DUI and at times I almost felt like the odd man out in a 3 man cockpit.

Should he have refused to take the breath test? Maybe he would have been better off in the eyes of the FAA with no BAC to record.

rickair7777

It's getting to the point where a DUI will keep you from getting any decent white collar job. By the time I left corporate America, company insurance policies would typically not cover an employee with a DUI history who was driving on company business. This affects almost all white collar jobs because it's safe to assume that at some point you would have to travel and rent a car on company business.

Agree that it's more about trial lawyers than anything else.

word302

Not really sure how your math adds up. You're talking about guys hired in the last few years, who are working at majors. So they were hired in the last 3-5 years by the major? They would have been hired by regionals 10 to 15 years ago, which agrees more with what everyone else is saying. Or am I missing something?

Which majors have hired in the last 3 to 5 years?

Grumble

SWA, DAL, UAL, CAL, Fedex, JetBlue, UPS, Spirit just to name a few.