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‘Unprofessional’ EasyJet pilots caught playing games on Snapchat at 30,000ft with a plane full of passengers
EasyJet assured passenger safety was not breached but the pilots involved will be spoken to
AN easyJet co-pilot is filmed dancing by his captain as they mess around on a Snapchat game while flying a plane full of passengers at 30,000ft.
Neither man is looking at the controls or out through the cockpit windscreen as the flier gyrates with a cartoon character created by the daft app.
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The antics were filmed during a Paris to Madrid flight on Wednesday and posted on captain Michel Castellucci’s social media account pilot_flyingnut.
In another photo, Mr Castellucci posed with a cuddly bear image superimposed on his face. Angry passengers called the high jinks “irresponsible”.
The high jinks were branded dangerous and unprofessional on Thursday night.
Mr Castellucci, who is regularly in charge of jets to and from London, shared the film on social media, adding the caption: “Dancing first officer in cruise doing paperwork.”
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'Selfies' Take Off
THE captain was using a Snapchat feature added last year to enhance selfies.
Bitmoji cartoon avatars, which users create for themselves, are overlaid on real-world video or pictures taken with the phone’s camera.
As of this year, the avatars can be customised with 40 skin tones and 50 hair colours for added realism. Facebook and Instagram also have versions. Experts say
3D virtual reality avatars are on their way.
In another video shared by the captain from their Paris to Madrid flight, a virtual owl dances beside the co-pilot, who turns and smirks inanely at the end of the footage.
EasyJet was investigating the videos — while Mr Castellucci and his dancing junior colleague faced a stern ticking off.
The footage was captured as scores of passengers sat oblivious to the schoolboy antics behind the cockpit door.
Mr Castellucci posted the film on his Instagram and Facebook accounts — adding emoticons of a plane and a laughing face plus hashtags including #easyjet, #a320, and #pilotlife.
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But one outraged passenger messaged The Sun, saying: “EasyJet pilot dancing during the flight. Irresponsible.”
Another worried viewer said: “The cockpit duo were not focused on the controls, just on having a good time. It only takes seconds for something catastrophic to go wrong, even in cruise control.
“It’s dangerous, unprofessional, and sends out the wrong image. High jinks in the cockpit at 30,000ft is never a good look.”
Luxembourg-based Mr Castellucci regularly uploads wacky selfies and pics of colleagues at work and on stopovers between flights.
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His cockpit dance video had been viewed 6,325 times last night, just hours after it was posted.
Comments were mixed, with one viewer stating: “So this is what pilots do when they’re bored.”
In response to another caption reading “Dancing in the cockpit” a viewer responded: “Too much fun in the cockpit.”
Snapchat users can superimpose their chosen avatar on to any environment seen via the app’s camera.
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Dad-of-one Mr Castellucci earlier added a shark to a video of his unnamed co-pilot awaiting take-off.
One aviation insider said yesterday: “It might be wise to save cartoons and dancing for the ground.
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“No passenger wants to think their captain is focused on entertaining his online followers rather than ensuring safety.”
An easyJet spokesman said: “Whilst at no point was the safety of the passengers compromised, this falls short of the high standards easyJet expects of its pilots.
“We will speak to the pilots involved.”
Cap'n Crude
CAPTAIN Castellucci cracked a crude sexist “joke” on social media last year when he outlined what he required from his junior colleagues.
The pilot, a prolific and controversial figure on social media — added his quip alongside a photograph of two pilots in a cockpit.
He said in his caption: “The only things co-pilots need to say — ‘Nice landing Sir, I buy the first round, I’ll take the fat chick’.”