MAGA Podcaster Argues Airline Weather Delays Are Caused By Diversity Hiring

The problem with the Port Authority of New York New Jersey isn’t corruption, and an inability to build gates a result of the National Environmental Policy Act. New York JFK airport would have more Delta gates except for.. diversity hiring? That’s the theory apparently, according to MAGA personality and podcaster Joey Mannarino that he’s laying out for his half million social media followers.

He says that diversity hiring – rather than significant weather events this week – are the cause of flight delays. He also believes that Donald Trump’s re-election will mean the end of diversity hiring at “air control” and therefore the firing of “pilot and stewardesses” as though they’re the ones causing delays?

Such an odd take considering that,

  • most of the “pilot and stewardesses” he’s encountering on routes like Miami to New York JFK were hired prior to the Biden administration
  • most commercial airline pilots are white
  • they aren’t the ones causing flight delays
  • President Trump did not end diversity hiring at the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization during his first term, why believe it would end at private businesses?

This may, by the way, be the first time I’ve seen the claim that Donald Trump will fix the weather, bringing an end to air traffic delays – which reminds me of a scene from Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom” where Will McAvoy says he’s a registered Republican – he only seems liberal because he doesn’t believe hurricanes are caused by same sex marriage.

Unfortunately the clip gets the science of hurricanes wrong as well, since hurricanes are caused by low barometric pressure. This low pressure at the surface attracts surrounding high-pressure air, which rushes in towards the center of the system. As this air moves inwards, it warms and rises, creating a cycle that can lead to the formation of a hurricane.


De-icing at Washington National Airport

Meanwhile United Airlines is pushing back on Elon Musk’s claims that their focus on diversity is compromising safety.

United is proud to maintain the highest standards in our pilot hiring, training, and safety practices. Every aviator who joins our ranks must meet them. No exceptions.

In fact there aren’t enough pilots, and pilot unions have made it costly to become one so seeking out people that aren’t already investing six figures and years of their life to become a pilot makes sense, and working to make them feel welcome in an environment that’s nearly all white and all male makes sense from a business standpoint – while not compromising skills or safety (the truth is that pilot skills are rarely an issue that will come up during most passenger lifetimes, as well – passengers are safer today with less-skilled pilots than they were with the most skilled pilots 50 years ago).

However where the FAA has focused on diversity hiring in air traffic control, the binding constraint is training academy slots not candidates. The agency does a poor job allowing transfers or paying controllers enough of a differential to live in the Northeast. They need to solve those issues and then go out and search for more candidates.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Why does anyone listen to
    evil fools like this who are just trying to stir up trouble?
    Myself, when I see this nuttery, I just laugh…..

  2. Well…at least now I know who to smack if I see him at the airport!

    This clown must be a seasoned traveler as we ALL know that if the plane is waiting for a gate it is CLEARLY the FA’s fault. (BTW…did you notice this little pr*ck called them Stewardesses?)

    Lastly, this has been a problem at JFK at times. I first encountered it in 2017. Then twice in 2018. Once in 2019. Then after the pandemic, once in 2022. Guess who was president in 2017, 2018, & 2019?

  3. It makes sense to hire the most qualified people. Stop. End of sentence. At the very least, safety dictates that it makes sense to have one standard and hire to that standard. If there is a pilot shortage, it implies that everyone qualified is getting getting an offer. Is that true? Or are some people applying, are completely qualified, and are still turned down? Which people? Why? If qualified people are turned down, there is no pilot shortage. If there aren’t enough qualified applicants, the surest way to get more is to increase the pay or improve the working conditions. The one thing you don’t due is lower the standards to allow for more “qualified” people.

    Making people feel welcome is a completely separate issue from hiring qualified people. One should not exclude the other. One should not be tied to the other. If it is, for any reason, that’s a problem.

    Either you are qualifed or you are not. Same standard for everybody. If there are more qualified applicants than slots, either hire the most qualified or pick the names out of a hat. Anything else is an injustice, both to customers and those applying to be pilots. And may be illegal.

    But the real bottom line is, by the time some questionable decisions hit the fan, those who made those decisions will be long gone and have cashed their chips in.

  4. I would absolutely love a MAGA boycott of UA because of their “woke culture” and “DEI policy”. This way, I don’t have to sit next to the drooling idiots and my upgrades will clear more often. The one sure thing that will trigger it is if they replace Michelob Ultra with Bud Light on board.

  5. C_M that’s a *lot* of “if” in your rant. None of them are real but jeez life must be scary thinking that way all the time.

  6. “ which reminds me of a scene from Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom” where Will McAvoy says he’s a registered Republican – he only seems liberal because he doesn’t believe hurricanes are caused by same sex marriage.”

    In fairness, we should all worry about Hurricane Blake and Hurricane Chad one day meeting up for a fun filled fluid mixing weekend in the Gulf of Mexico only to go attack Joel Osteen’s unsuspecting parishioners at Lakewood Church…

    🙂

  7. @Anameofaguy – One standard for everyone is a lot simpler than having to remember the currect order of the Hierarchy of Oppression.

    “Do Asexual Transgender Black Furries go above or below Parapalegic Lesbian Asian Little People and should I send myself to reeducation camp for not knowing this?”

  8. 1) X, in recognition of losing customers and advertisers, announced that “creators” will be paid more for active “impressions” and qualify for ad revenue sharing.

    2) to get “impressions” on social media, it takes a wild assed story/ comment that targets an active customer base.

    3) MAGA, fueled by years of stories targeted to ensure continued emotional engagement (Fox, Limbaugh, etc) is an easy target.

    4) Pick a hot button topic, copy that group, watch emotional response piling on.

    5) profit.

    Lies make money. Lies engage. Lies kill.

  9. Lack of pilots is caused by the Pentagon investing in drones instead of manned aircraft. Airlines used to get free pilot training from the military, now they need someone else to fund the training. /s

  10. He asks the “stewardess” (haven’t heard that term since the Carter Administration) for the status of his connecting flight? What, is he stuck in a time warp in 1972? Since he’s sitting on the ground did he think about using the airlines app?

  11. Nutcase who gathers attention with information filled with inaccurate information that some bozo’s will treat as gospel. However, as a Vietnam Era Veteran, do not lump those of us who want the United States to be the best in the world or to seriously make America great again as crazies. Most of us are not!

  12. I’m not wasting my time on the video, I waste enough time here. However, I suspect the reference of “inability to build gates” really means the inability to manage gates. MAGA does have some followers that are less than conservative just as the Liberal Democrat party is chocked full of delusional special interest groups.
    Win Whitmire, thank you for your service. I’m Phouc Vinh Class of 67-68

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