In this YouTube call‑in segment, host Dennis Prager speaks with an anonymous commercial airline pilot who identifies as unvaccinated and hired outside of DEI programs. The pilot explains that his airline eventually approved vaccine exemptions after pilots collectively resisted mandates, and that the airline is a large U.S. carrier. He describes a recent surge in airline hiring driven by DEI goals, noting that while about 95% of new hires perform adequately, the remaining 5% lack competence, requiring extra training and ultimately being let go. Prager and the pilot discuss the safety implications of allowing a non‑competent minority of pilots, referencing United Airlines’ recent statement that merit will not be the sole hiring criterion. The conversation critiques vaccine mandates, DEI‑driven hiring practices, and the potential erosion of safety standards in aviation.
Chapters
Indiana and Jerry, hello.
Hey, Dennis, thank you for letting me in. I'm an unvaccinated merit non-DEI hired commercial airline pilot.
How did you get away? Wait, wait. How did you get away with not getting vaccinated?
Our company finally folded and allowed all the exemptions to go through.
Would you be, would you be willing to say which company?
I, I'm sorry, I can't.
But is it, is it, is it a big, is it a big company?
Yes.
So one of the biggest airline airlines in the United States folded and did, and did not demand that its pilots be vaccinated at a certain point. Is that what you're telling me?
At a certain point, that is correct, because the, uh, the pilot group held out, held out held out, all these threats coming in, and nobody would meet the deadlines to get your vax. Besides, it's not a vax, it's a shot. You know, why do they call it a flu shot and, and not a flu vaccine? Anyway, um, so the, uh, so then we, we put in the exemptions to satisfy the feds. They, they, um, they approved 100%. They, they said, we don't care what you worship, just go ahead and send an exemption in, and we, we got, we got you covered. So there you go.
All right, so you called though to tell me about the, the, the new affirmative action issue, correct?
Yes, yes. Okay, so I'm going to tell you, tell you right off, okay? I'm a very— I got a couple of years left before I have to retire because of my age. So I've been around for about 35 years, and I was a primary flight instructor in the Air Force. I served 20 years there. The, over the last 6 months to a year, they've been, there's been a huge surge of hiring at the airlines and they're taking in whatever they can. And they, that coupled with this DEI business, they're trying to meet a certain metric. Okay. Well, I will tell you, 95% of the new hires that I've been experiencing are doing pretty good. They, they, um, but you got the 5%ers that you might be like, how did this person get through the training? and I had, I had one of those experiences, and I felt like I had to teach the guy how to fly basic airline airplane skills. And he finally— the company finally decided to spend more money to train this guy, but in the end, he could not cut it, and they let him go. But it took a lot of money and a lot of training, a lot of effort to get this person through because they wanted that DEI Higher.
And that was, that was your company?
Yes.
Okay, well, that's what, that's what they're saying. Look, I'm happy it's 95%. The problem is 5% is not a small sum. I mean, obviously we don't have a scientific study on this, but if 5% of the future pilots are not competent That's a very dangerous thing. You want 100% of your pilots competent. We haven't had a major airline crash, what, in how many years? I mean, it's really been remarkable.
Hmm.
But United has announced that merit will not be its only criterion. Race and gender, a completely neutered word by the left.
