Haak was charged in April with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place. He pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail. The pilot, a resident of Longwood, Florida, retired three weeks after the incident, bringing to a close a 27-year career with the airline.ĭefense attorney Michael Salnick said in a court filing that Haak accepts responsibility for his behavior and “offers no excuses.”īut the lawyer argued that his client’s “lifetime of hard work and kindness” made him deserving of a lenient sentence.
Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said in a statement that the airline “does not tolerate behavior of this nature and will take prompt action if such conduct is substantiated.” “The embarrassment and resulting publicity of this incident has in and of itself been humbling to Michael Haak and has served as punishment in many ways,” Salnick wrote. “Nonetheless, Southwest did investigate the matter and as a result, ceased paying Mr. Haak any benefits he was entitled to receive as a result of his separation from ,” Mainz added.But in Haak’s defense, this happened on a Southwest Airlines flight.Īnybody who flies on Southwest knows that the company encourages its flight crews to imagine themselves as airborne comedians. The airline has a culture statement that stresses a “fun-LUVing attitude” for its employees.įlight crews are encouraged to project light-hearted demeanors and to be creative with their public-address announcements to the passengers. They say things like, “In order to enhance the appearance of your flight crew, we will be dimming the cabin lights,” or “Your bags will be available on Carousel 4 in the terminal, or two weeks later on eBay.” Passengers seem to enjoy it, and many pass on through online posts the funny things they hear from the crews on Southwest flights. They tell passengers to be careful removing their bags from the overhead compartments because “shift happens.” 'Fun' at Southwest is part of the cultureĮven the safety announcements are fodder for humor on Southwest. “Should this flight turn into a cruise, your seat cushion can be used as a floatation device,” is a common line. The pilots get in on the fun, too: “Sorry, folks, for that rough landing,” one pilot was reported as saying.
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