The female pilot of a WestJet flight from Calgary to Victoria got the last laugh after a male passenger left her a sexist note on an airline napkin.
On Sunday, WestJet Airlines Captain Carey Smith Steacy received a hand-written letter from a passenger who only identified himself as “David.”
“The cockpit of an airline is no place for a woman,” the scrawled note read. “A woman being a mother is the most honor, not as ‘captain.’ Proverbs 31. Sorry not PC. PS I wish WestJet could tell me a fair lady is at the helm so I can book another flight!”
Steacy responded by posting the note to Facebook, along with her own reply.
“To David in 12E on my flight #463 from Calgary to Victoria today. It was my pleasure flying you safely to your destination. Thank you for the note you discreetly left me on your seat. I respectfully disagree with your opinion that the ‘cockpit,’ (we now call it the flight deck as no cocks are required), is no place for a lady. In fact, there are no places that are not for ladies anymore.
You made sure to ask the flight attendants before we left if I had enough hours to be the Captain so safety is important to you, too. I have heard many comments from people throughout my 17-year career as a pilot. Most of them positive. Your note is, without a doubt, the funniest. It was a joke, right? RIGHT?? I thought, not.
You were more than welcome to deplane when you heard I was a ‘fair lady’. You have that right. Funny, we all, us humans, have the same rights in this great free country of ours. Now, back to my most important role, being a mother.“
WestJet responded to the note by stating that it has 58 female pilots on staff, including its subsidiary Encore. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are about 8,175 female pilots working for commercial airlines today, making up just 5 percent of the industry.
“We take enormous pride in the professionalism, skills and expertise of our pilots and this note is very disappointing,” WestJet spokesperson Robert Palmer gave in statement to Metro News.
Leave a Reply