A United Airlines pilot is in hot water after making a flippant statement about the unresolved flight attendant contract on a public social media page.

United Airlines Pilot Under Fire For Mocking Flight Attendants In Public Post

Earlier this week, United flight attendants voted down a new contract by a lopsided margin, reasoning that it did not go far enough in providing workplace safeguards like sick pay, leaving them open to exploitation by the company. United Captain John Randolph, posting on a Facebook Aero Crew News page, a public forum for flight crews, mocked flight attendants:

“Love it, now they will get nothing. They all want pilot pay!!! Kirby should go to a local University where they are all a dime a dozen!!!!”

Angry flight attendants have started a change.org petition urging for his ouster:

This statement is explicitly derogatory toward Flight Attendants, reducing their value and professionalism to being “a dime a dozen,” while mocking their advocacy for fair compensation. The tone and language are not only dismissive and degrading, but they also foster a hostile work environment and contribute to a culture of division and disrespect within the flight crew community.

Such behavior is in direct violation of our company’s Flying Together guidelines, which require all employees to treat one another with dignity, act with professionalism in public and online, and refrain from harassment, bullying, or disparaging remarks—especially in public forums that reflect on our brand and culture.

This incident has already drawn significant backlash from other aviation professionals, as seen in the responses from multiple individuals challenging the remark and highlighting the damaging impact of his words. The post compromises not only internal trust among crew members but also our external reputation as an airline that values all of its employees.

United has not yet publicly commented on this issue. The airline’s social media policy is vague, but it not inconceivable that this statement runs afoul of company policy.

Should The Pilot Be Fired?

No, I don’t think the pilot should be fired. Heck, View From The Wing points out that United wouldn’t even take action against vile Captain Ibrahim Mossallam, a pilot who celebrated the Hamas massacre against Israel on Facebook.

But, he’s lost his credibility with the flight crews he must work with. It goes beyond just no longer being able to eat or drink the food onboard without wondering if it has been spit in or finding flight attendants are too “busy” to give him a bathroom break. There’s such a hostility that it is fair to wonder whether he can safely work with flight attendants in case of an emergency.

CONCLUSION

It’s important to guard our words carefully, for once uttered, they cannot be taken back…at least not fully. Randolph has deleted the post and will doubtlessly apologize, but his words are forever etched into the world wide web and are now going viral amongst United flight attendants.

Let this be a warning to other pilots: I’m sure many are thinking the same thing…but it’s just not the sort of thing you say out loud and not a smart way to undermine solidarity with your unionized brethren (to borrow that old term).

This a self-inflicted wound.