Haak accepts responsibility for his conduct and “offers no excuses,” his lawyer said in a court filing. “We are blessed that Southwest has been your home for so many years,” Kelly wrote. Haak any benefits he was entitled to receive as a result of his separation from (the airline),” Mainz said.ĭefense attorney Michael Salnick said Haak had a sterling career as a commercial pilot and received numerous accolades and supportive letters from passengers and colleagues, including one from Southwest chairman and CEO Gary Kelly on the day of Haak’s retirement. “Nonetheless, Southwest did investigate the matter and as a result, ceased paying Mr. 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.” Southwest only learned of Haak’s behavior after he voluntarily left the airline, according to Mainz. 31, 2020, three weeks after the incident that led to the criminal charge. C (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) She also alleges that the Southwest Airlines Pilots Association conspired with the airline and refused to support her. His last flight for the Dallas-based airline was on Aug. A Southwest Airlines pilot is suing the company, her union and a former colleague who pleaded guilty last year to stripping naked in front of her during a flight, Wednesday, Oct. Haak, a resident of Longwood, Florida, was a Southwest Airlines pilot for 27 years until his retirement. The judge wasn’t bound by that recommendation. He was charged in Maryland because it was one of the states that the aircraft passed over that day.įederal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of probation without requiring Haak to register as a sex offender. Michael Haak, Southwest Airlines pilot, charged with indecent exposure during flight Advertisement Most Popular Weaponization of the legal system reaches a new level Mike Pence defends Trump. Haak was charged in April with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place, a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 90 days in jail. “She had a right not to be subjected to this kind of behavior, regardless of what may have motivated it or prompted it,” the prosecutor said. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” the prosecutor added.Ĭunningham said the first officer “unfortunately suffered some consequences” as a result of the incident that Haak “didn’t have anything to do with,” but he didn’t elaborate. Haak “had a duty to comport himself in a much more responsible manner,” Assistant U.S. The judge told Haak that his actions had a traumatic effect on the co-pilot and could have impacted the safety of passengers and other co-workers.
The first officer submitted a statement to the court but didn’t speak during Friday’s hearing. Pilot caught watching pornography on a laptop during flight Credit: Scott Olson /Getty Images “As the plane continued its flight, Haak further engaged in inappropriate conduct in the cockpit, as the first officer continued to perform her duties as an assigned aircrew member,” the statement says. Southwest said it supported Janning and that it will. After the plane reached its cruising altitude, Haak got out of the pilot’s seat, “disrobed” and began watching pornographic material on a laptop computer in the cockpit, prosecutors said. Haaks attorney, Michael Salnick, said Wednesday that his client disrobed only after Janning encouraged him to and never did anything else.
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Southwest Airlines further made clear they take “all matters related to workplace conduct very seriously” and have implemented “a well-defined policy and reporting process for harassment, sexual harassment, discrimination” and accusations of inappropriate conduct.Watch the latest News on Channel 7 or stream for free on 7plus >įederal prosecutors said in a news release that Haak had never met the first officer before that flight bound for Orlando on August 10, 2020. Neither federal sources nor Southwest provided information on how the incident first came to the attention of investigators. “The event was recently brought to our attention, and we've cooperated with the appropriate outside agencies as they investigate.”
“The pilot in question is no longer employed by Southwest Airlines and departed the company last year prior to us becoming aware of the matter,” the spokesperson said. Southwest Airlines issued a statement noting Haak is no longer allegedly exposing his genitals in their cockpits as he left the company before the incident came to light. It was unclear who witnessed the exposure, how long or short was the duration of the event, and the reason Haak allegedly exposed himself in the first place
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