A.I. inflatable pilots to replace the vaccine resistant
Satire by Geoff Olson
After suspending more than 800 employees without pay for not being fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Air Canada promises any vacant captains’ seats will be filled with Artificial Intelligence-driven inflatable pilots.
“We’ve had this project on the drawing board for a while now,” said Air Canada CEO Frank Peanutpack in a panel discussion at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. “The AI pilots will be fully equal in skill sets to the personnel we have summarily dismissed.”
“We don’t enjoy having to let go hundreds of airline employees, but an unvaccinated pilot or flight attendant is a menace to themselves and everything else in the air… yes, birds too.”
The panelists nodded sagely while the CEO described the seriousness of the situation.
Almost all the airline’s 27,000 pilots, flight attendants and other employees have had both shots, he said. “Air Canada employees have done their bit, and now over 96 per cent have been fully vaccinated. We believe we can handle the minor losses without sacrificing quality service. That said, our inflatable, AI-driven pilots are arriving at a fortuitous time.”
Peanutpack expects to see the first autonomous, inflatable pilots galumphing across the tarmac by late January.
A number of American airline executives and pilots gathered at the event (“COVID, Robotics and the Future of Flight”) expressed skepticism that the public is ready for advanced windbags to pilot them through the skies, safely or otherwise.
“Surely you can’t be serious,” said Roger Wilco, a former Delta airlines flight trainer.
“I am serious,” replied Peanutpack. “And don’t call me Shirley.”
Challenged by a NPR reporter about an October test flight in Labrador that ended with an AI inflatable roughly landing a DC-9, Peanutpack countered, “It wasn’t the AI’s fault. It wasn’t the programmer’s fault. It was the asphalt.” He added that development in airplane engineering is typically slow because “everyone is afraid to make a ground breaking design.”
Air Canada employees, already reeling from the company’s vaccine mandates, will undoubtably be relieved to hear the AI pilots, which have a valve in the groin area, will not require oral servicing to inflate. “We have onboard mechanical fellators for that,” said Peanutpack. “But airline personnel will need to carry puncture kits while in flight. The AI pilots, unlike their human counterparts, must not be pricked.”
In spite of Peanutpack’s efforts to limit the discussion to technology, the panelists insisted on returning to the topic of vaccines, testing the CEO’s patience. “Look, I’ve heard talk of myocardia, tachycardia, La Guardia, and frankly I’m tired of these unsupported rumours of vaccine-related deaths and injuries. If any of this was true or newsworthy, our Covidian Broadcasting Corporation would be on top of it.”
Peanutpack added that his wife is actually a flight engineer and was “responsibly” vaccinated seven times. “Doreen’s a trooper. She’s been a damn pin cushion for Big Pharma, but mRNA technology hasn’t made her grow a tail or turned her into a vegetable, I assure you. She’s felt a little unwell recently, but that’s all.”
“It’s unfortunate that a tiny fraction of the Air Canada community fell prey to inflated concerns about their health, and refused to exchange their bodily autonomy for a paycheck. Well, perhaps the experience of working in cramped spaces filled with hungry, immobilized strangers will serve them well in their future internment camps.”
He added that given the resurgence of Delta, all fully vaccinated Air Canada employees will have to submit to nasal shwabs, anal shwabs, and World Economic Forum cofounder Karl Schwab.
After much jab-related discussion, the CEO welcomed questions from the audience about Air Canada’s plans for advanced flight systems. When asked about persistent rumours that the airline is working in conjunction with the Canadian government on invisible passenger planes, he replied, “I just can’t see it.”
The panel ended rather suddenly with Peanutpack taking a tense call on his iPhone. “I’m sorry, but there’s been an emergency with Doreen. I must leave for the hospital.”
“Hospital? What is it?” asked a concerned panelist, as the Air Canada CEO quickly gathered up his notes.
“It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now,” Peanutpack curtly replied.
geoffolson.substack.com
There you go, Geoff and Joseph. Three out of four of your wacky readers can’t tell that Geoff is joking. Doesn’t that tell you something about who has been listening to you for the past couple years? I know the newspaper business lately has been tough for every journalist, but I hope you can both let go of this crusade. The danger has passed.
If I had thought you had some much better plan for how to confront this problem, I might have paid more attention. We’d all like to get on with our lives now and I’m pretty sure we soon can.
Thanks for your diligence in pointing out a potential loss of “freedom.” Though I don’t agree with your analysis and see your reactions as basically knee-jerk, I do know where you’re coming from and respect your right to an opinion. However, please come back to more critical thinking. There are much bigger fish to fry.
As stated clearly above this “Satire by Geoff Olson” is not a real news item, but it does indicate the general mentality of the moment.
Woah! So one takeaway is that having an AI pilot is somehow seen as safer than a jab free, healthy human pilot ♀️ At one point they mention an AI pilot recently making a bumpy landing, and blamed the state of the pavement. It would stand to reason that a live human pilot would have a better chance of navigating less than optimal terrain and unforeseen obstacles or surprises.
Jumpin’ catfish!
What an article.. im floored at Air Canada s response… very communistic
The spokesperson for Air Canada sounds like he missed his calling as a standup comedian. Peanutbag should keep the jokes for the hospital as I’m sure Doreen would love to hear him joke about the emergency. I would not fly on an airline where the CEO did not take this situation seriously.