Continental Pilot Wins Award in Sex-Bias Case

A federal jury on Thursday ordered Continental Airlines to pay $875,000 to a female pilot who was offended by her male colleagues’ practice of leaving dirty pictures around the cockpit.

The jury of five women and two men ruled that the photos constituted sexual discrimination because they created a hostile work environment.

The jury in Newark, N.J., federal court declined to make the Houston-based airline pay punitive damages and found that Continental had not retaliated or sexually discriminated against Capt. Tammy S. Blakey in pay or assignment.

“I’m not disappointed,” said Blakey, 38, of Arlington, Wash. “The money wasn’t as important as the message.”

The case exposed the long tradition among male airline pilots of leaving surprises in the cockpit for the next crew: lewd pictures slipped into flight manuals, hidden behind equipment panels and pasted in drawers.

“We’re disappointed in the verdict and we’re going to vigorously pursue an appeal,” said Continental’s top labor lawyer, Robin Curtis.

Blakey’s lawyers had presented evidence she has lost about $400,000 in pay since going on unpaid leave in 1993 after filing her lawsuit. They did not ask for a specific amount in punitive damages.

The jury said Blakey should get $495,000 for lost pay, plus $500,000 for emotional distress, pain and suffering. But it deducted $120,000, finding Blakey could have handled things differently.

Blakey said she was ready to return to work but admitted being a bit apprehensive.

She added that Continental has now trained its pilots to halt the practice of passing pornography. “It never would have occurred if I had not filed a lawsuit,” she said.

Less than 3%, or 3,346, of the nation’s 127,486 airline pilots in 1996 were women.

Blakey, who was based at Continental’s Newark hub, testified she repeatedly complained to her supervisors about pornographic pictures in cockpits, as well as other affronts, such as being repeatedly locked out of the Continental computer system.

Among the indignities: Male pilots scrawled her name on graphic photos.

The pictures persisted despite Blakey’s complaints and company bulletins asserting that such images were not allowed.

Continental maintained that Blakey’s complaints began only after her schedule changed in 1991 for reasons of seniority, and after the airline raised concerns about how many days she had missed.

Continental lawyer Robert Bernstein said the airline’s managers and workers never made rude or inappropriate comments to Blakey. He said that other female pilots at the airline had “positive” experiences, and that the lewd photos were hidden in “discreet” places.

Blakey testified that in 1990 she became the first woman at Continental Airlines--and possibly the nation--to attain the rank of captain of an Airbus A300, a wide-body jet that carries up to 272 passengers.