Qantas’ cockpit confusion

 A Qantas navigations officer, dressed partly in a pilot’s uniform, has been accused of riding in the cockpit of a return flight between Sydney and Dubai.

The Australian and International Pilots Association were unimpressed by the woman’s actions and have prepared a letter of complaint for Qantas, the Herald Sun reported.

“It was stupid. She was sitting in the cockpit for a large percentage of the flight,” Australian and International Pilots Association vice president Richard Woodward said.

“It takes a lot of work to become a professional pilot... she came on dressed as a pilot.”

The woman, whose role primary role is based on navigation, was booked on the flight and instead of being given a seat, she was provided a high-level access card with access to the cockpit.

The complaint letter claims had there been an emergency onboard, the woman may have been called upon to assist the pilots during the flight.

“There was a risk of confusion,” Mr Woodward said.

Qantas said the staff member had adequate security clearance and did not behave improperly.

“We're examining precisely why this happened, however it's clear that the staff member was on the flight deck for operational reasons and was not in any way trying to deceive the flight crew, who knew the staff member wasn't a pilot,” Qantas spokesman Andrew McGinnes said.

Sourced: etravelblackboardasia