captain: "Can i play it safe on the way back?"
boss: "Yes, authorized."
NTSB: "What do you mean authorized? It's not your decision. Did the captain ask you if he could go the safe way on the way out?"
boss: "Yes, authorized."
NTSB: "What do you mean authorized? It's not your decision. Did the captain ask you if he could go the safe way on the way out?"
>Question I would like to transit the Old Bahama Channel on our return northbound leg
He was clearly asking, not informing.
The problem with the response is that it has clearly been treated as a request ("diversion request heads up through Old Bahama Channel understood and authorized") that could have been denied.
It's obviously not an admission of guilt, but a red flag that's worth investigating.
Saying "authorized" was a big mistake. I work somewhere now where I have to be careful using that word because it implies you're taking on the responsibility, and if something goes wrong through no fault of your own, the blame now lies on you where as it wouldn't have if you just simply acknowledged receipt of the question/statement.
Stupid, but that's the world we live in.
Right, that's the problem. It implies the captain was not free to make the decision himself (as he should have been).