Onward, Christian passengers

An American Airlines pilot has been criticized after he allegedly asked passengers on his flight to raise their hands if they were Christians – and telling those who were not, that they were “crazy”. The incident reportedly happened on Friday, on board a flight from New York to Los Angeles. According to The Times, the pilot announced: “If you are Christian, raise your hand. If you are not, you’re crazy.” The pilot, who has just returned fom a week in Costa Rica on a Christian mission, then reportedly went on to tell passengers that they could sit back and watch the movie, or “use their time wisely”. American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner is quoted as saying that the pilot “demonstrated a personal level of sharing that may not be appropriate”. He reportedly added: “It is fair to say that we carry people of various backgrounds and we want to make sure that they all feel comfortable when they fly with us. American Airlines apologises to anyone who was made to feel uncomfortable.” Many passengers reportedly tried to call relatives using their mobile phones, before the pilot apologised – to his crew, for the “flak” they had faced from passengers. Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad