Question:
Working The gate....500 PVD-EWR....It's 25 minutes in the air....during school vacation oversold......30 pax going on cruises.....20 pax with kids going to Disney...10 pax going to St Martin and only 1 flight out of EWR ..All the flights are oversold...Pilot holds up flight because the plastic seal is missing on his fire extinguisher. It appears full...the first officer's extinguisher is fine...local mechanic says it's ok...general maintenance says it's ok...he continues to have a hissy fit..40 minute delay... Question was he being a d__k Head or not?

Answer: The Captain was doing his job, which is to operate the aircraft safely and within the confines of company policy and federal regulations. The airline is responsible for the schedule and the maintenance status of the aircraft. When the crew arrived at the aircraft, they noticed the seal missing from the fire extinguisher during their normal pit safety checks. Normal protocol at this point is for the Captain to make an entry into the aircraft AML (Aircraft Maintenance Log) stating the defect. Example: "Seal missing from pit fire extinguisher." At that point, they call maintenance and the aircraft is in the hands of maintenance until a corrective action balances the discrepancy. Upon maintenance correcting the discrepancy, the Captain then reviews the AML that it has been completed properly and then he accepts the aircraft by affixing his signature to it. Blame the maintenance people for taking 40 minutes to hang a few fire extinguisher in the pit. Commend the crew for doing their job.