Excel Flights Diverted To Brindisi

[tripilot]

Just heard on BBC Radio 5 Live - Excel a/c diverted to sthn Italian airfield.
Reported as a B767. Reported as a bomb threat.
Any other news?

[keepcool]

Skynews has just reported that an Excel Airways aircraft has been diverted to Brindisi after a bomb threat. The aircraft has landed safely...............

[keepcool]

Was a B767 flying from Gatwick to Hurghada. All passengers are safe. Anti-terror squad onsite.

[keepcool]

Fighter jet escorted the aircraft on landing... Thx god everything is OK.....

[excel boy]

pax found note in seat pocket saying there was a bomb on aircraft

[paulthornton]

BBC news also says landed at Brindisi. No confirmation of bomb on board though:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5264112.stm

[nurjio]

...CNN, stateside version, are saying a note was found on board..

nurj

[derekvader]

Passengers successfully evacuated from the vicinity of the deadly note :ok:

[Doug the Head]

Well, the media spectacle (police chief: "mass murder on an unimaginable scale") we witnessed last week will now be the perfect foundation for just about any idiot making a bomb threat! :ouch:

Well done Tony and George! More scared pax, more delays, more stupid rules and more terrorists/idiots seeing that their efforts are rewarded!

Let´s hear it for our holy Jihad on Terror! Hip hip, hooray! :ugh:

[wiggy]

It's getting worse, CNN have gone into overdrive/ hyper speculation again....of course they have no one on the spot so CNN's Italian reporter is on the telephone from Rome and is repeating info from the Italian media and information (sorry "valuable insights" ) on Excel/ Brindisi seems to be being gleaned from the web.

[FlightDeckDave]

Not sure if this is the right thread & time to post a question but what is the procedure for the cabin crew and pax whilst the plane is flying in a situation like this? Would cabin crew try and keep it secret, if possible, or is everyone informed so they can try and deal with the situation there and then. I only ask as this could cause extreme panic on board I would assume?

[keepcool]

Note was written on a sick bag found in the seat pocket.

Maybe a previous pax has written the note.............

Looks like the extra security measures will be here for a looonnnnggg time:ugh:

[CockpitThruster]

FlightDeckDave - read this from BBC site...

"Matthew Masters, a passenger on the plane, said the pilot had announced about two hours into the flight that "there was a message that there may be a bomb on the plane".

Speaking to BBC News 24 from the terminal, Mr Masters said the reaction among passengers was "silence, a bit of uneasiness, just a bit of shock".


The pilot then told passengers that they would be landing within 15 minutes."


I'm not a professional pilot (yet) so can't comment on what procedures are in place, but I'd have thought it could have been worded a little more subtly...

[Stumpy1000]

I hope that the dullard who wrote it was pissed,( therefore never thought they could be caught) and that the police trace back the pax in the seat over the last 7 days, and nail the stupid S**T and put him/her in prison for 5 years! Hopefully the media will give that FULL attention as breaking news instead of garbage about vaseline, maybe it will stop others from doing it.

Cockpit Thruster

Agreed although its a difficult call. If they were landing in 15 minutes maybe they could have said 'we have a technical issue requiring us to land, there is no cause for concern'. The downside is you can assure that someone would subsequently sue the airline for telling them lies when they could have got a final call into loved ones before they might have died etc.

[keepcool]

It would be difficult to tell pax of technical issues as there were fighter jet escorting the aircraft.

[GreatCircle]

The yobbo who wrote the stupid note who thinks it is funny needs to be identified, and I am sure Excel will assist in tracing those sitting in the seat.

However, it could be anyone who put the note there, not just a seat occupant.

There will always be some who find this malicious behaviour funny...

[ALLDAYDELI]

chances are the person finding said sick bag and reading the writing might have found it hard to keep the situation discrete, probably freaked..

Lets start banning pens from being carried aboard flights.

[WHBM]

It would be difficult to tell pax of technical issues as there were fighter jet escorting the aircraft.
Do they not formate astern, out of sight ?

[J.O.]

Do they not formate astern, out of sight ?

Having recently seen a picture of an escort plane taken from the flight deck, I would say, "No, they're right there in plain view of everyone who chooses to raise the window shade and look outside." A little tough to explain that away as a technical issue.

[airheads]

just inquiring, is it a legal obligation to tell passengers if an aircraft is in trouble?

[derekvader]

It would be impossible to trace and more importantly prove who put a note in a seat pocket. Passengers move to different seats, or it would be trivial to slip it into another seat while exiting, or it might not be a passenger at all.

They really need to improve the plane cleaning/checking between flights, or get rid of the seat pockets and the stupid "shopping in the skies" mags.

[omnidirectional737]

What is the problem telling the people the truth, rather than trying to make something up, or only say something vague?

People are not stupid and will smell a rat very quickly.

[fireflybob]

Whether or not to tell the passengers surely depends on the context and the likely threat. (No criticism intended of the crew in this case).

If you are in a situation where you REALLY think there is only a 50/50 chance of making it out alive, is there much mileage in telling the passengers accordingly?

As an afterthought, the UK legislation says that a/c can only fly in formation if the commanders of the a/c have agreed to do so. Nothwithstanding the terrorist threat I hope that a/c commanders are being informed that they are being formated on prior to the event!

[eidah]

What is the problem telling the people the truth, rather than trying to make something up, or only say something vague?

People are not stupid and will smell a rat very quickly.


The problem with the truth it causes panic you mention there is a bomb on board we are diverting causes no end of panic.

[Ron & Edna Johns]

Yep, I think we should ban pens, paper, sick-bags, indeed anything in the seat-pockets at all. Ban seat-pockets. Anyone in possession of said items will be rugby-tackled, cuffed and offloaded at nearest suitable airport after aircraft is diverted. That'll make everything much safer and people can then relax.....?

[airmemphis]

I assume the aircraft continued to HRG? Has it arrived back in LGW (can't find anything on their site)?

[omnidirectional737]

Saying there is a bomb on board would not have been telling the truth anyway as there was not. But saying they have received a note of a bomb threat and are diverting as a precaution is something else. I am sure people can understand this with out pannicking, as this happens, or used to frequently especially in London when the IRA were around.

[PaperTiger]

What is the problem telling the people the truth, rather than trying to make something up, or only say something vague?
People are not stupid and will smell a rat very quickly.As I have stated previously (ad nauseam) - if there is a note then there is no bomb.
I'll pass on the 'stupid' judgement, but I'm sure the one who found said note would quickly and eagerly pass on the news of his discovery to the rest of the punters. So yes, got to tell them and dive for the nearest runway l'm afraid.

[Dan Air 87]

This sort of thing has to be stamped out and anyone making these threats has to be detained in prison for a long time. I hope that they catch the daft sod and make him realise what his actions have done. If we startstop pax taking pens aboard what will they use for immigration forms and the like?

[SFBOps]

Whether or not to tell the passengers surely depends on the context and the likely threat. (No criticism intended of the crew in this case).

As an afterthought, the UK legislation says that a/c can only fly in formation if the commanders of the a/c have agreed to do so. Nothwithstanding the terrorist threat I hope that a/c commanders are being informed that they are being formated on prior to the event!

Thats why they call it being intercepted...you don't have a choice about flying in formation when you get intercepted. That rule only applies when you have 2 or more civil airfcraft who plan to fly in formation for kicks. :ok:

[fireflybob]

So are you saying the Excel jet was intercepted and FORCED to land at Brindisi?

[brakedwell]

Perhaps escorted to Brindisi better describes it.