Haak accepts responsibility for his conduct and "offers no excuses,” his lawyer said in a court filing. “We are blessed that Southwest has been your home for so many years," Kelly wrote. Haak any benefits he was entitled to receive as a result of his separation from (the airline),” Mainz said.ĭefense attorney Michael Salnick said Haak had a sterling career as a commercial pilot and received numerous accolades and supportive letters from passengers and colleagues, including one from Southwest chairman and CEO Gary Kelly on the day of Haak's retirement.
“Nonetheless, Southwest did investigate the matter and as a result, ceased paying Mr. Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said in a statement that the airline “does not tolerate behavior of this nature and will take prompt action if such conduct is substantiated.” Southwest only learned of Haak's behavior after he voluntarily left the airline, according to Mainz. 31, 2020, three weeks after the incident that led to the criminal charge.
His last flight for the Dallas-based airline was on Aug. Haak, a resident of Longwood, Florida, was a Southwest Airlines pilot for 27 years until his retirement. The judge wasn't bound by that recommendation. He was charged in Maryland because it was one of the states that the aircraft passed over that day.įederal prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of probation without requiring Haak to register as a sex offender. Haak was charged in April with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place, a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum of 90 days in jail. “She had a right not to be subjected to this kind of behavior, regardless of what may have motivated it or prompted it,” the prosecutor said. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” the prosecutor added.Ĭunningham said the first officer “unfortunately suffered some consequences” as a result of the incident that Haak “didn’t have anything to do with,” but he didn’t elaborate. Haak any benefits he was entitled to receive as a result of his separation from ,” Mainz added.Erosion From Last Week's Nor'easter Closes NJ Beaches Southwest spokesperson Chris Mainz said in a statement that the airline “does not tolerate behavior of this nature and will take prompt action if such conduct is substantiated.”
“The embarrassment and resulting publicity of this incident has in and of itself been humbling to Michael Haak and has served as punishment in many ways,” Salnick wrote. The pilot, a resident of Longwood, Florida, retired three weeks after the incident, bringing to a close a 27-year career with the airline.ĭefense attorney Michael Salnick said in a court filing that Haak accepts responsibility for his behavior and “offers no excuses.”īut the lawyer argued that his client’s “lifetime of hard work and kindness” made him deserving of a lenient sentence. He pleaded guilty to the charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 90 days in jail. Haak was charged in April with intentionally committing a lewd, indecent or obscene act in a public place. “This is not the kind of aberrant behavior that anyone should accept,” the prosecutor added. Haak “had a duty to comport himself in a much more responsible manner,” Assistant U.S. The judge said the defendant’s actions had traumatized the co-pilot and risked the safety of passengers and other crew members. The first officer submitted a statement to the court, but did not speak during the hearing. “As the plane continued its flight, Haak further engaged in inappropriate conduct in the cockpit, as the first officer continued to perform her duties as an assigned aircrew member,” federal prosecutors said in a statement.
Haak had never met the first officer before the Orlando-bound flight on August 10, 2020, when the incident took place, according to federal prosecutors.Īfter the plane reached cruising altitude, Haak got out of the pilot’s seat, “disrobed” and began watching pornographic material on a laptop computer in the cockpit, prosecutors said. I never imagined it would turn into this in a thousand years,” Haak said during the virtual hearing. “It started as a consensual prank between me and the other pilot. Mark Coulson ordered him on Friday to serve one year of unsupervised probation and pay a $5,000 fine. Michael Haak, 60, apologized and expressed remorse for his actions before US Magistrate Judge J. A Southwest Airlines pilot has been sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to watching porn and exposing his genitals to a female first officer during a flight from Philadelphia to Florida.
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