JetBlue pilot pulled from cockpit after failing Breathalyzer moments before flight, NFTA says
By Aaron Besecker, The Buffalo News
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Updated:
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Police removed a JetBlue pilot from the cockpit of a plane about to depart Buffalo Niagara International Airport on Wednesday morning who had a blood-alcohol level more than four times the legal limit for pilots, a Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority spokesperson said.
The pilot was “removed from his duties,” the airline said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
James Clifton, 52, of Orlando, was passing through security when Transportation Security Administration agents noticed he may have been impaired, the NFTA spokesperson said.
NFTA police were contacted and removed Clifton from the cockpit of the plane headed for Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Police administered a Breathalyzer test and Clifton registered a blood-alcohol level of 0.17%.
According to Federal Aviation Administration brochure called “Alcohol and Flying: A Deadly Combination,” a pilot or other airline employee “who performs a safety-sensitive function” would be removed from performing their duties if they have a blood or breath alcohol concentration of 0.04 or more. That is half the legal limit for driving in the United States. Pilots also are not allowed to drink any alcohol within eight hours of acting or attempting to act as a crew member.
Clifton was taken into police custody. Federal authorities were notified and Clifton was released to JetBlue security.
He may face federal charges, the NFTA said.
Derek Dombrowski, manager of corporate communications for JetBlue Airways, emailed a statement following the disclosure of the incident:
“The safety of JetBlue’s customers and crewmembers is our first priority. We adhere to all DOT rules and requirements concerning alcohol at all times and have a very strict zero tolerance internal alcohol policy. We are aware of the incident that occurred this morning in Buffalo and are cooperating fully with law enforcement. We are also conducting our own internal investigation. The crewmember involved has been removed from his duties.
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The biggest thing travelers can do to save themselves some money on flights is to be flexible and use tools such as Google Flights to let prices influence where and even when they fly. "If you’ve picked out your destination, picked out your dates, and don’t have flexibility, 95% of what you can do to bring down the cost of airfare is already out the window," states Keyes.
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Keyes recommends flight search websites like Google Flights as well as Priceline and Momondo to browse discounted airfares and reminds travelers that low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines doesn’t show up on search engines or online travel agencies, so it's always wise to check its website directly. Travelers can also use Google Flights and other websites like Kayak to set fare alerts if they have their destination and travel dates locked in so that they'll be notified when prices drop.
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Typically, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday are the cheapest days of the week to fly while Friday and Sunday are usually the most expensive. If you can't get free until the weekend, you're likely better off flying out early Saturday morning rather than the Friday before.
Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune/TNS
Travelers can avoid sky-high airfares by traveling outside of peak seasons and, of course, the holidays. This means steering clear of the busy summer period from mid-June to mid-August and the big holidays, including Christmas and New Year's Eve. You can travel during these periods without breaking the bank, but you'll want to book well in advance.
The experts at Scott's Cheap Flights point out that there is no one time when travelers are guaranteed to find great deals, instead highlighting "Goldilocks Windows," periods when cheap flights are most likely to emerge. "For domestic flights, the best time to book is normally 1 to 3 months before your travel dates. For international trips, it’s 2 to 8 months prior," states Keyes. "If your trip is during a peak travel period (Christmas, summer, St. Patrick’s Day in Dublin) add a couple of months to those windows. If you’re traveling during low season it’s more likely cheap fares will pop up closer to departure date, but prices tend to jump in the last month or two before departure, so you don’t want to cut it too close."
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Travelers looking to fly as a group will want to book one ticket at a time due to a pricing anomaly explained by Keyes. "Whenever you’re booking multiple tickets, airlines want to put your entire group into a single fare bucket," which indicates the cabin and privileges. Here's how it works: "In the above example, Alaska Airlines almost certainly only had one ticket left in the cheapest fare bucket priced at $199. So if you searched for two tickets, the airline would skip over the single $199 ticket and instead only show you fares with at least two seats available, $299 in this case. But by booking one ticket at a time, you can get the first one for $199 and the second one for $299, paying $498 total rather than the original $598."
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In its third annual State of Cheap Flights report released last month, Scott's Cheap Flights stated that we remain in the golden age of cheap flights as economy prices are still among the lowest they've ever been. Therefore, travelers will have numerous chances to score great deals in 2022.
