Anything to Steal a Buck

If there's a way to get somebody else's money, a lawyer will figure it out.

The Gol Airlines pilot, trying to alleviate some of the tension in the back seats during some recent lousy weather, made some jokes that weren't funny to everyone aboard. At least, after consultation with their lawyers, some passengers have decided the jokes aren't funny, now.

Instead of just forgetting about them, some passengers have seized on the jokes as yet another way to get money they didn't earn, and some lawyers are happy to help them.

What the pilot reportedly told the PAX, after he was informed of the weather that was closing in at the destination (Vitoria, Brazil), was a "good news, bad news" joke. The "good news" was that he had made a successful takeoff; the "bad news" was that nobody was successful at landing at Vitoria.

The pilot didn't quit. It was a tough house...

He weighed the passengers' options, and explained that the flight was 10,000 feet up, and the temperature was minus 46 degrees Celsius -- so no one should consider leaving without a heavy coat.

The pilot wanted to accommodate the PAX, and shot an approach at Vitoria, anyway, and scratched the attempt at a reported 200 meters. He went on to an alternate at Belo Horizonte, asking the PAX after the attempt if they were 'as dizzy as he was' after all the turning around.

Yeah -- that's probably worth a few million bucks... right.

FMI: www.voegol.com.br/index_ie.htm