Originally Posted by formeraa
While I am not a big fan of Mesa Airlines, I applaud the pilots who help out with luggage WHEN NECESSARY. One time, we were running late in a CRJ-900 and there was a lot of carry on luggage stored underneath. The pilot went out and helped unload the luggage to help ensure a speedy turnaround. I personally thanked him as we de-planed. It was a nice gesture as the ground crew was struggling with two flights at non-adjacent gates and a third plane with a maintenance problem.
:-:
IMHO...
I think another post replied to the obvious problems here. If a pilot throws bags and breaks a toe or hurts his back is Mesa and JO going to take care of him? IMHO, I think not. I think the pilots throw bags because if they are expected to. Throwing bags in itself is great but as the exception not the rule. If JO can get his pilots to throw bags, that is another body he doesn't have to pay for. When I flew for a "commuter" I did many things to help out the operation. But my employer didn't expect it and sometimes discouraged it for the reasons above. I hope that Mesa pilots do it because they want to and not that Big Bro JO is watching. As pilots we're all in this together and people like JO is truely the low of the low, told to me from one of his EX pilots.