JetBlue CEO: Pilot now in ‘medical care’

>> dave barger is the ceo and president of jetblue . he is with us this morning exclusively. mr. barger, thank you for being here.

>> pleasure.

>> how could it have happened?

>> well, it's a tough event to say the least as it was unfolding yesterday, matt. but i think that that situation as it played out, what really, the training that took place with the co-pilot who became the pilot in command and the entire cabin crew and then working with the customers, i think that's the follow-up to this story. training, and then action.

>> this pilot, clayton osbon, you think this was a medical problem? an emotional problem? was this a psychotic event? how are you describing it?

>> we're describing it as a medical situation. obviously the captain is now in the hands of medical care . obviously under the custody of the fbi.

>> have you had a chance, anybody at the airline had toy chance to talk to him since this happened?

>> i don't believe so. i've known the captain personally for a long period of time. there's been no indication of this at all in the past.

>> you know this man personally?

>> oh, very well.

>> what's your experience with him? what's in his background? any other complaints against him?

>> consummate professional, matt. so i think yesterday that individual action, really the follow-up of the crew and then the customers, as tony and laurie mentioned, that was a true team effort at 35,000 feet yesterday.

>> nothing in your experience with this guy, or any other employee's experience with mr. osbon that would give you any reason to think he was a risk on a flight?

>> not that we know at this point in time, that's correct.

>> you have a blog called blue tales, customers with weigh in on things. i want to read you one that was posted tuesday after you called this a medical situation. chris wrote i support jetblue but this response is nonsensical. best not to sanitize what sounds like a serious situation. a pilot having a bout of food poisoning midflight is a medical situation. an on duty pilot having a psychotic episode in his flight is a different category altogether.

>> really what happened at altitude and the call into the faa is that we had a medical situation and that's how we responded. clearly, especially in today's media is realtime now, so we know that, it also became a security situation. i think as we know less than 24 hours later, it started medical , but clearly wasn't medical .

>> are you happy with all screening procedures that are currently in place for pilots? might there be any review of those procedures?

>> we always take a look at procedures, matt, but i'm very confident about our procedures, the industry's procedures. yesterday's actions by the rest of the crew and the customers, that's really, that's the example of the rest of jetblue 's 14,000 crew members in the industry. that's what takes flights day in and day out. it's not so much one individual action.

>> when tony was asked what he might ask you in that interview, one of the things he brought up was the restraints that are supplied on the plane, he said they were flimsy and they failed. will you conduct a review of that?

>> oh, absolutely. not just that, but also the entire event, matt. within jetblue and also the industry. to tony, laurie, and those who really came to the support of the crew, a sincere thank you. that was a tough situation at altitude. the customers, the crew, just did a great job.

>> dave barger, president and ceo of jetblue . thank you for your time.

>> nice to be in the studio.