The captain announced police would meet them in Glasgow and all passengers would have to stay on board until the smoker was found.
Damn' right if I'd been on that flight, not smoking or otherwise misbehaving, and heard that announcement I would have been more than a little annoyed. (Shades of GO in Italy).
My point exactly. I'd forgotten about the GO case.
Another thing to bear in mind WRT this PA announcement is that this situation would have taken place on the ramp in Scotland. I remember my barracks-room lawyer training from student days (in Glasgow, as it happens!) - Scots law is different from English law; in England you are under arrest from the moment you are informed you are under arrest. In Scotland you are under arrest any time you're not free to go about your lawful business, you don't need to BE formally arrested.
The possible unlawful arrest of the ~130+/- innocent pax could have had very serious legal consequences for the Captain.
Leave the detention to the local authorities - they're paid to do such things, we're paid to fly, not to use kindergarten techniques to try to flush out lawbreakers.
Having said all that, we have NO confirmation that this PA was ever made - it's mentioned in MOLs accounts, but Hamrah has only stated that it was announced that police would meet the flight, there is ZERO confirmation that the alleged threat to detain the pax indefinitely until the smoker confessed was ever made.
Again don't get me wrong; the crew clearly had a nasty situation on their hands. Kudos to them for resolving it with nothing worse that a bruised arm. That doesn't mean the entire incident is exempt from analysis, from which we can all learn something. There are points to ponder here, that's what I'm doing. NOT taking potshots at the Astraeus crew.
R1