wheelbarrow:
Your attitude amazes me. Are you seriously suggesting that it's OK for the Thomas Cook organisation to organise happy get-togethers and illegal formation practices in the middle of the North Atlantic tracks?
The recalcitrants obviously figured that they could get away with this stunt at 35W whilst still outside radar cover (they would never have attempted it anywhere else).
Certainly, had I received an RA on a climbing aircraft at 35W I would have been on the horn very, very pronto to Gander on the HF (with NY, Shanwick, Santa Maria et al listening).
I would certainly not have waited to see who was coming up underneath me before taking action. Who in their right mind would ignore an RA and then say "Ah! It's OK. Fritz from the German Department has just come up to wave at our passengers"?
I'm afraid that this episode was probably heard by 80% of the traffic on the Atlantic at the time and expecting it to be swept under the carpet and be kept quiet is, at best, naive.
As to the professionalism issue; I have probably intercepted more aircraft than you have had hot dinners. To intercept the wrong aircraft in CAVOK conditions when the real target is 100 nms away is just laughable.
Didn't they even listen to and plot the position reports of their target? Even an imbecile would have realised that they simply could not catch up with someone 100 nms ahead on NATs!
All in all it was a childish idea carried out very badly and they really don't deserve to be called professionals.
If you want to have fun, leave the 300 punters behind and do it, after a very good briefing, in free air space.
PS. As an afterthought; I wonder if the the other Captain (who was on his last trip) was party to this plan? If he was not then I feel really sorry for him. I am not long from retiring and if some imbecile had done this on MY last flight then I would have got VERY, VERY, VERY upset!
If he WAS, then I hope he will enjoy his retirement with the thought that he has helped ruin the career of at least two pilots.