‘Hero of the Hudson’ warns that pay cuts by airlines may put safety at risk

Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger, who successfully landed a stricken plane of the US Airways in the Hudson River in New York in January 2009, is sad about the state of the airline industry which he said was “in disarray.”

Chesley B Sullenberger US Airways flight Hudson river landing heroa

Captain Sullenberger, who was hailed as ‘the Hero of the Hudson’ after his heroic feat that saved the lives of all 150 passengers and all 5 crew members aboard the flight, told lawmakers in the United States that he was “deeply troubled” about the future of the airline industry.

While testifying before a House sub-committee along with others involved in the emergency landing of Flight 1549 in the Hudson River, Sullenberger declared that “the single most important piece of safety equipment is an experienced, well-trained pilot.” He called on airlines based in the United States to invest more in recruiting and training pilots.

Captain Sullenberger, 58, told the House sub-committee that his pay had been cut by 40% in recent years.

The website money.cnn.com quoted Sullenberger as telling US lawmakers: “Pay cuts have placed pilots and their families in an untenable financial situation and this is deterring potential recruits.”

“The current experience and skills of our country’s professional airline pilots,” the veteran pilot said, “come from investments made years ago when we were able to attract ambitious, talented people who now frequently seek professional careers elsewhere.”

Airline companies, he added, should “refocus” on the recruitment and retention of well-trained pilots, and this should be “at least equal to their financial bottomlines.”

According to Sullenberger, the airline industry had been encountering acute economic challenges for the last about eight years. “We have been hit by an economic tsunami: September 11th, bankruptcies, fluctuating fuel prices, mergers, loss of pensions and revolving door management teams.”

Sullenberger went to the extent of telling US lawmakers that his decision to stay in the airline industry after his pay was cut and the pension was downgraded had come at “a great financial cost to me and my family.” He revealed that he had started a consulting business “to help make ends meet.”

Patrick Harten, the air-traffic controller who handled Flight 1549, told the House sub-committee: “Landing in the river amounted to a death sentence for all aboard. People don’t survive landings on the Hudson River.”

It was Patrick Harten’s first public description of how he tried to help land the Airbus A320 aircraft that lost power in both jet engines after the plane hit birds after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York.

Jeffrey B Skiles, Captain Sullenberger’s co-pilot, told the Congress sub-committee that experienced pilots were quitting mainly owing to substantial cuts in their pay and benefits.

Unless federal laws are changed in order to improve labour-management relations, Skiles added, “experienced crews in the cockpit will be a thing of the past.”

Apart from Captain Sullenberger, Jeffrey B Skiles and Patrick Harten, flight attendants Sheila Dail, Doreen Welsh and Donna Dent – who helped evacuate the plane – testified before the House sub-committee.

After the Congressional hearing, Representative Jerry Costello (Democrat – Illinois), chairman of the Congress sub-committee, said that “maintaining a focus on safety as the industry adjusts to challenging economic times would be a priority when Congress considers legislation re-authorising the Federal Aviation Administration.”