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American Morning

Interview with Christopher Von Schweinitz

Aired July 17, 2002 - 07:15   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Ever since September 11, there has been tension in the air. A passenger aboard a flight from Chicago to New York last night reported that some people were passing notes and changing seats. The American Trans Air jet was then escorted to La Guardia Airport by two military jets. Seven passengers were questioned and released. They were apparently part of a traveling entertainment group.

And there are other examples of a nation still on edge. Just last week, a woman was removed from a plane for merely making a joke about the pilot's sobriety.

And in a similar story, Christopher Von Schweinitz learned how loose lips can sink your vacation plans. He and his family were told to leave an America West flight when his father asked if the pilots had taken a sobriety test. It is the second time the airline has removed passengers since two America West pilots were accused earlier this month of preparing to fly a passenger plane while drunk.

And Chris joins us now from Austin, Texas -- good morning. Thanks for being with us, Chris.

CHRIS VON SCHWEINITZ, FORMER AMERICA WEST PASSENGER: You're welcome, Paula.

ZAHN: What started your father's problems on this plane?

VON SCHWEINITZ: Pardon me?

ZAHN: Tell us what started this whole mess for your father on the plane.

VON SCHWEINITZ: Sure. We had gotten our tickets before what happened to the pilots in Florida, and so when we were flying off to our fishing trip, my father, when we had stepped onto the plane, had asked one of the flight attendants, "Has the crew taken a breath test?" It wasn't meant as an accusatory question or as a joke either. It was a serious question considering the events that had happened in Florida.

ZAHN: And what happened after that?

VON SCHWEINITZ: The attendant didn't respond. Myself and also I had my 9-year-old son with me and my father, we sat down in the back of the plane. After a few minutes, the plane seemed to be delayed. An attendant came back to us and said that, "I hope you are happy, the pilots are now going to go take a Breathalyzer test." And then they came on to the P.A. system and said that a passenger had asked and that they were going to take that seriously, and the pilots were now going to take a test.

ZAHN: I heard it described in a slightly different tone that your father felt like the -- he was being belittled by this intercom announcement.

VON SCHWEINITZ: Well, actually there were several announcements over a two-and-a-half hour period. The attendants at several times had come back and had asked if my father was the one that had asked the question. They said that it would only be a few minutes. Then the breath test wasn't available at the airport, so, you know, they were going to have to bring in a third party.

So the ordeal, every time they came on to the P.A. system, there was more and more delays. And understandably, you know, people around us were very upset. They were missing flights. Some of them had children. The air conditioning wasn't working, you know, this was Phoenix, it's hot. It was uncomfortable. And so the passengers were getting more and more irate about the delays and what was happening. Some of that I felt was directed towards us, which was beginning to concern me.

ZAHN: And is it true the passengers cheered and jeered when you were finally taken off the flight?

VON SCHWEINITZ: Yes, what happened at that point, you know, after about 2 hours and 15 minutes or so, the pilot came on to the intercom and said that, you know, that a passenger had asked the question. They had taken a Breathalyzer test now. It came back 0.0. And then he launched into this speech on how that our parents should teach their children that there are consequences of asking questions, and that he has now asked that the passenger that asked the question be removed from the plane.

That's when, you know, the passengers, at least some of them, you know, cheered at that point. We had a security guard right next to us at that point. He asked my father that -- you know, get up, he needs to leave the plane now. My father made the point that he had three generations of his family with him, and the security guy said, "OK, all three of you, let's go. Hurry up, otherwise we are going to call the police."

And he then -- you know, we were in the back of the plane, you know, he took us all the way to the front of the plane and off the airline. Some...

ZAHN: Let me just ask you this. How do you think this should have been handled? I mean, was it your father's intention to actually get someone to go out to get a Breathalyzer test for these pilots to take? Or did he just want assurance that he was going to be OK?

VON SCHWEINITZ: He wanted just assurance that things were going to be OK. We don't know if it had become standard procedure now that pilots get tested. So you know, it was a legitimate question.

The concern that I have is that, you know, from what the pilot was saying, I was brought up a little differently, that if you ask -- you know, it's important to ask questions. And that way, you can maybe prevent things from happening. And...

ZAHN: Before we let you go, I just wanted to quickly read the statement that America West now has issued about what happened to your family. They said: "Consistent with our commitment to safety, we must take these comments seriously. Most have been handled professionally, however, unfortunately in a few cases, we may have overreacted. We have clarified our policies and procedures to deal with these situations more appropriately. We have communicated with all pilots, flight attendants and ground personnel to make certain they understand these policies, and we'll counsel employees that have been involved."

Does that statement satisfy you, or are you asking for more?

VON SCHWEINITZ: No. First of all, we don't want to file a lawsuit. We don't want to go through any legal action. What we would like to do is we would like to sit down with America West, discuss what happened, and discuss on how it can be prevented in the future the way that they reacted.

ZAHN: So the bottom line is your family, more than anything else, felt humiliated by the way they were dealt with by the airline.

VON SCHWEINITZ: Yes. I think they could have certainly done a better job.

ZAHN: All right. Well, good of you to join us and share your story with us this morning. Christopher Von Schweinitz, thank you again for your time.

VON SCHWEINITZ: You're welcome.

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