Are airline pilot blackball lists real?
 

Reading these boards I see quite a few claims that airlines are known to maintain and share secret lists of information about pilots among themselves, dirty facts that are excluded from PRIA and the usual background checks associated with pilot applications. This type of list is commonly called a "blackball list" and it would be filled with alleged facts that are illegal to possess by federal law, but still desired for making hiring decisions. As illegal information such lists would have to be kept secret and their deniability would be maintained. But do they exist? How do we know they exist?

Who says they have any facts? If blackball lists existed, they would be just a list of names.

I would hazard a guess that there is entirely too much liability associated with creating, maintaining and using a list like that in the hiring process for any airline to participate. The risk most likely greatly outweighs any potential reward. How do I know? I don't know. Companies and organizations are so liability averse these days its not a tough conclusion to reach.

I would imagine one chief pilot might tell another chief pilot, "Don't hire this guy because of X Y and Z," but I doubt there's an actual list.

What I'm curious about are these fabled scab lists. Are they really around and how does one acquire them? Are they for individual airlines or is there a master list for the industry?

Yeah the scab lists exist. Simple google search will pull them up instantly.

Most of whom are retired or dead....Striking is virtually impossible these days so the term scab has taken on a new definition in the recent past.

When I was at RAH several years ago it was pretty much common knowledge that certain check airmen were blackballed at Southwest because a guy they deliberately screwed on a check ride(I believe it involved him losing his 4 stripes) ended up being involved in hiring at SWA. Of course that type of activity is par for the course at RAH.

Are you serious?

As a Moderator, I would think you'd be keenly aware that Airline Pilot Central Forums are viewable by everyone .



Have you stopped beating your wife?







.

I know factually of one instance where a system CP talked to his counterpart at another airline about a pilot. In this case it was on behalf of said pilot, which airline A had to fire (due to unusual circumstances involving FAA HQ and the USSS). Airline A CP told airline B CP that he was a good guy who had a bit of bad luck, and airline B hired him.

As far as formal blacklists, I seriously doubt it.

Good advice, Tony.

This topic is valid for public discussion and is one that affects a lot of people. Care should be exercised as to the public nature of the Boards. Real names must be avoided, and if your user identity is known to your colleagues (I would advise assuming it is), then be careful about saying anything that can adversely affect you.