American Airlines says sorry for pilot’s comments

American Airlines has reportedly apologised after one of its pilots made “evangelical” remarks over the intercom system of a domestic flight. As reported by News From Abroad, the pilot asked passengers to raise their hands if they were Christians, going on to tell those who were not that they were “crazy”, urging to spend the rest of the flight “using their time wisely” and discuss their faith with other passengers. Now, according to the online news provider Ananova, the carrier has grounded the pilot, Rodger Findiesen, while investigators look into the incident. The chief executive of American Airlines, Roger Arpey, has reportedly written a letter to the Anti-Defamation League, an organisation concerned with the prevention of Anti-Semitism, offering “apologies to those who were offended by our employee’s remarks”. He added: “Let me assure you that we take this very seriously and are conducting a thorough investigation.” The website reports that American Airlines “promotes an environment of respect for the diversity of all persons, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, disability, gender, age or sexual orientation”. The pilot had recently been attending a Christian mission in Costa Rica when he made the comments. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad