After Patti DeLuna, Flight Attendant on American Airlines flight 1612, took over for her sick co-pilot she said “On the airplane, we work as a team. Nobody’s a star, not even the captain. It’s all teamwork. That’s our training. That’s how we’re trained.”
The pilot, Jim Hunter, the co-pilot, the purser, flight attendant DeLuna and the assistant flight attendant all worked as a high performing team in this high stakes flight from San Francisco, California to Chicago’s busy O’Hare Airport. Though the burser also had a pilot’s license, they agreed that DeLuna should take the co-pilot’s seat since she had a commercial pilot’s license and more experience as a pilot. Then the pilot briefed DeLuna on her responsibilities and the co-pilot backed her up during the time he was able to be in the cockpit. The assistant flight attendant backed up DeLuna in the first class cabin. Passengers were safe and well served because of the excellent teamwork on the part of the crew of flight 1612.
Elements of teamwork demonstrated by the crew of flight 1612 include nine of the ten ebb associates characteristics of successful teams*:
• Clear goals
• Defined roles
• Open and clear communication
• Effective decision making
• Balanced participation
• Valued diversity
• Positive atmosphere
• Cooperative relationships
• Participative leadership
* (there is no evidence of a conflict that had to be managed, which would have been the tenth characteristic listed Model for Building Teamwork in The Pfeiffer Book of Successful Team-Building Tools, Elaine Biech, Editor)
American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner said “The entire incident was handled very well on all accounts.” American Airlines’ investment in training, and the teamwork of the crew, paid off for the passengers of flight 1612, and for American Airlines as a company.
