An article based on a Facebook post as the only source, just saying…
The source is not Facebook.
The source is the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka.
A post on Facebook nevertheless!
The statement made by the Guild is clearly wrong, as the captain didn’t deny boarding, he refused to downgrade one passenger in order to upgrade another one. Anyone having a basic knowledge of airline operations should know a captain is, normally, not involved in the boarding process and is only called to the scene when a problem arises which can’t be handled by cabin crew and ground staff.
"Truth", "accuracy", and "objectivity" are cornerstones of journalism ethics, I have big doubts about all three of these in the Facebook contribution.
An article based on a Facebook post as the only source, just saying…
The source is not Facebook.
The source is the Airline Pilots Guild of Sri Lanka.
A post on Facebook nevertheless!
The statement made by the Guild is clearly wrong, as the captain didn’t deny boarding, he refused to downgrade one passenger in order to upgrade another one. Anyone having a basic knowledge of airline operations should know a captain is, normally, not involved in the boarding process and is only called to the scene when a problem arises which can’t be handled by cabin crew and ground staff.
"Truth", "accuracy", and "objectivity" are cornerstones of journalism ethics, I have big doubts about all three of these in the Facebook contribution.
Of course fcw. All professionals will understand what happened there and this is just one more show of how low quality media do their work. Just drop it, some people will never be willing to get it anyway.
Their article came first though. They had their own sources to develop the story. But the initial news of an incident without its possible abuse was confirmed to us.
fcw wrote: ↑19 May 2024, 19:09
The statement made by the Guild is clearly wrong, as the captain didn’t deny boarding, he refused to downgrade one passenger in order to upgrade another one. Anyone having a basic knowledge of airline operations should know a captain is, normally, not involved in the boarding process and is only called to the scene when a problem arises which can’t be handled by cabin crew and ground staff.
It is not inconceivable for an airline employee to displace a fare-paying passenger by policy. So the pilot who could not be upgraded may have considered he was denied boarding because he was denied a seat he was entitled to. It's also likely that a pilot on an ACMI contract would not understand all the nuances of the airline they operate for, and misunderstanding could result.
You are right though that this should be sorted out at the gate with ground staff.
And none of this requires racial intent on anyone's part.