Originally Posted by
tacolover
The NY Times has also reported on safety concerns at the airline, noting that pilots will sometimes cover the cockpit windows with newspaper to keep out sunlight; pilots are frequently found smoking in the cockpit; cockpit doors are frequently left unlocked; and captains will leave the cockpit for long stretches of time.
These sound more like unsubstantiated hearsay than anything else. Vague accusations without supporting evidence. There is no proof of how frequent such incidents are.
How does he know if the pilots covered the entire window, or just the portion to avoid the bright sun blinding them? Even drivers have to block the sun with means other than the visors. Would you rather have a pilot blinded by the sun?
Pilots should obey the rules like everyone else, but it's not that big a deal. It's not an AI problem as much as an Indian problem. Indians are fond of taking advantage of their position and that of others they know. "My uncle knows the head honcho. I never have to stand in the line". People break and bend rules in every sphere of their lives to get something special, however minor it might be.
Leaving a cockpit door unlocked is dangerous, but only if there is a terrorist on board intent on pulling of 9/11 type of an incident. A hijacker can hijack a plane plane without entering the cockpit. I am not saying leaving the cockpit unlocked is good, but that many Americans are paranoid about terrorism and have gone to ridiculous lengths to "pretend" that they making air travel safe, while the reality is absurd requirements and rules.
Again, this is not good, but I have seen this happen on AA, QA and KLM too. A pilot belongs in the cockpit and should stay there. But I have seen pilots coming out and jabbing away with an FA (maybe discussing business

or, sometimes, with a passenger on other airlines too. Do AI pilots come out for longer periods of time, we don't know.