Collection of quotes:
The package was found lying loose in the baggage hold of the airliner on Monday on flight DJ-747 from Maroochydore to Sydney.
VIRGIN Blue had not trained its workers to cope with an emergency like the discovery of an explosive device on a flight, an airport union said today.
Transport Workers Union (TWU) airport organiser Glenn Nightingale said Virgin Blue had not trained its workers in security procedures.
Mr Nightingale said that after an incident last month in which white powder was found on board a Virgin Blue flight he had met with Virgin's management and asked for security and evacuation training.
"That has not occurred," he said.
Mr Nightingale said the union had met two weeks ago with Prime Minister John Howard to ask for the government and federal police to take control of security training for 10,000 airport workers at the airport.
He rejected suggestions that the union or a union member had deliberately planted the device as a warning.
"That's nonsense, absolutely nonsense," he said.
Are we supposed to think that some thickhead put this in the baggage hold for a joke? If not what was their intention?
A rather interesting and provocative way to make one’s point?
Methinks some disgruntled baggage loader in Maroochydore or Sydney is in for a lot of strife…
Edited to include the following:
It turns out to be a homemade firecracker belonging to a 13-year-old boy in checked baggage.
My humble apologies to the baggage handlers and union for my insinuations.