Guess you weren't there. The reason Borman wanted everything is because he was running it into the ground and "shrinking , to profitability. Every time EAL pulled a flight, Delta added two!

A senior captain at Eastern told me in '79 or 80 that " we won't be here 10 years". He wasn't far off.

Why in the world would you call the FODM for an aircraft refusal? When has the FODM ever done something for you, you couldn't handle yourself? With the possible exception of getting that denied middle DH seat.

If you feel the plane is not safe to go, refuse it. Now, I am always open to other input and ideas, MX, F/O, dispatcher. Many times, I have been the one advocating to go, with a reasoned response when dispatch has waivered.

Having to fill out an IOR, and or call the FODM to refuse a plane is defacto pressure to accept a substandard plane. An inop ACARS on a domestic VFR day might be trivial to some, but international, to FRA with slippery runways, and required landing performance data, redispatch, ETOPS considerations? It'd be on my required list.

So, to summarize, be a pilot, be proactive. Don't let an inexperienced dispatcher or FODM pressure you into anything. That's why you get the big bucks.

Landing data can be requested from the dispatcher prior to departure and also available in the FM, FYI.

Not sure... Sounds odd, unless it's a new Captain and he/she has never had to pull the trigger on something like that. Maybe just inexperience? Otherwise like you say, it's the Captain's decision at the end of the day, and the Captain may be asked to explain that decision to someone, but most certainly it won't be the FODM.

You- Sir NEED to be a writer. Lorena . . . forgot all about her . . .now that there is one heck of a funny allegory :D

If you consider acars trivial then my reference to the situations preventing me from leaving the gate without it be beyond you.

Why would one refusal warrent a conference call when others would not?

We'll see if he can compete with DAL, but as United employees he has already been a win when you consider what the Boston Consulting folks were proposing discontinuing IAD, DEN and LAX as hubs. He also wants to grow DEN, ORD & IAH. It is our job to just say no on scope relaxation.

The level of bellyaching regarding refusing a jet never ceases to amuse me. Nobody will ever question your decision here. And if they do, so freaking what? You're the Captain, do the right thing.

The IOR requirement and the FODM/Dispatcher briefing is not some management tool to discourage you. If you bow to imaginary outside pressure over safety of flight, you're not earning your Captain's paycheck.

You're flat wrong in the first paragraph. Discourage is such a strong word. I like to think of it in terms of inclusivity in thought when picking low hanging fruit.