Delta CEO: "Clear violation" involved in wayward flight

ATLANTA - The chief executive of Delta Air Lines Inc said on Thursday that the pilots of a Northwest Airlines flight who overflew their destination would be dealt with by the carrier, as the use of laptops in the cockpit was a clear violation of company rules.

Earlier this week, U.S. regulators revoked the licenses of the two Northwest pilots, who said they lost their bearings during an October 21 flight while discussing company policy and using their laptops.

The pilots of Northwest Flight 188 from San Diego to Minneapolis lost contact with air controllers for more than an hour and overshot the Minneapolis-St Paul Airport by 150 miles, aviation officials said.

"The best way that I can describe the incident to you is we don't operate our airplanes that way," Delta Chief Executive Richard Anderson said in a recorded message to employees on Thursday. "We operate professionally, we follow our standard operating procedures ..."

Anderson added that it was a "clear violation of our rules to have laptops open in a cockpit," and said the incident was an "anomaly."

The pilots told the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) that they "lost track of time" during a conversation on new crew schedules. They were also using their personal laptop computers as part of that discussion, officials said.

Delta earlier this week said it has suspended the pilots, identified as Timothy Cheney and Richard Cole, pending the outcome of the NTSB investigation and an internal company probe.

"This is really a basic in flying an airplane, that you pay attention and that you act professionally," Anderson added in his message. "That crew did not and we'll deal with it accordingly."

Delta became the world's largest airline when it acquired Northwest a year ago.

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