A disgruntled (and clearly sexist) male customer was miffed that a woman was running the workplace. But he couldn’t just leave, well, unless he had a parachute!
When a passenger on a WestJet plane from Calgary to British Columbia found out the pilot was female, he wasn’t happy. But rather than complain to the female flight attendants, he wrote a note on his cocktail napkin (now that has credibility!).
According to CTVNews, he wrote that “a cockpit is no place for a woman” and that “I wish Westjet could tell me a fair lady is at the helm so I can book another flight.”
He went on to say that women should aspire to the title of “mother” and not “captain.” This shocked the captain, Carey Steacy, a mother of two, who has over 17 years of experience as an aviator. “It made me feel sad. It was just surprising,” Steacy told CTV Vancouver. “I can’t believe that there are people that still think that way.”
She went on Facebook to respond to the note and tell the passenger, David, to get with the times– the “cockpit” is now called a “flight deck.” Since she has had no similar reaction to being a female captain, Steacy suspects the note may have been in jest.
Ironically, or laughably, the napkin note was signed “Respectfully, David.”
Like the pilot, this makes me feel sad. And annoyed.