Air India’s new psychometric tests criticized by would-be pilots
Neelam Mathews June 4 2015 Psychologist: “How will you handle a pax if he is unruly inflight?’ Trainee Pilot: “I will follow all Standard Operating Procedures.” Psy: “What if the airline has no SOPs?” TP: “I’ll then ask the lead crew to be assertive.” Psy: “What if the unruly pax is a VIP?” TP: “I will warn him and ask male crew to help me isolate him in the cabin. Psy: “Suppose if there is no male crew…?” And the psychologist went on to ask the trainee not only the rules regarding the alcohol limit for passengers, but under what section/page it appears in the regulator’s rule book. Frankly, if an airline has no SOPs to handle unruly passengers , it has no business being in business. But that’s beside the point. The conversation above is a snippet from a recent 10-20 minute “psychometric test” carried out for the first time by national carrier Air India and an Indian Air Force psychologist on young aspirant pilots applying for jobs at t...