Qatar Sheikh delays plane......
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Joined: Mar 2007
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From: Havana
Qatar Sheikh delays plane......
Qatar sheikh delays plane over seating 
27/07/2007
MILAN (Reuters) - A Qatar sheikh held up a British Airways flight at Milan's Linate airport for nearly three hours after discovering three of his female relatives had been seated next to men they did not know.
When none of the other business class passengers agreed to swap seats, the sheikh, a member of Qatar's ruling family, went to the pilot, who had already started the engine, to complain, an airport official said.
But the pilot ordered him and his travelling companions, the three women, two men, a cook and a servant, off the plane.
The London-bound flight took off nearly three hours behind schedule on Thursday evening and around 50 of the 115 passengers missed connecting flights.
Traditions in the conservative Gulf Arab region bar women from mixing with unrelated men.
27/07/2007
MILAN (Reuters) - A Qatar sheikh held up a British Airways flight at Milan's Linate airport for nearly three hours after discovering three of his female relatives had been seated next to men they did not know.
When none of the other business class passengers agreed to swap seats, the sheikh, a member of Qatar's ruling family, went to the pilot, who had already started the engine, to complain, an airport official said.
But the pilot ordered him and his travelling companions, the three women, two men, a cook and a servant, off the plane.
The London-bound flight took off nearly three hours behind schedule on Thursday evening and around 50 of the 115 passengers missed connecting flights.
Traditions in the conservative Gulf Arab region bar women from mixing with unrelated men.
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Dublin
Well we all know that rule about women sitting next to men only matters when it suits them too!!!
Hopefully that will be one less problem passenger BA will not have to deal with in the future...I wonder if we lost his bags too????
Hopefully that will be one less problem passenger BA will not have to deal with in the future...I wonder if we lost his bags too????
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 313
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From: Bahrain
1. The qualifications for being a Sheik are the same as those for being a Duke, Baron, Marquis, Earl and other sundry inherited titles. 
2. Well done the Captain for offloading these uncivilised morons.
3. BA now need to make sure that this Captain is never rostered on the Bahrain Doha flight as he will be arrested as soon as he lands in Doha.
4. If this asshole does not like his women mixing with others then presumably he also does not like them going shopping in busy malls, yeah right. Perhaps he should stay in safe and secure Doha and forget about international travel
On On
2. Well done the Captain for offloading these uncivilised morons.
3. BA now need to make sure that this Captain is never rostered on the Bahrain Doha flight as he will be arrested as soon as he lands in Doha.
4. If this asshole does not like his women mixing with others then presumably he also does not like them going shopping in busy malls, yeah right. Perhaps he should stay in safe and secure Doha and forget about international travel
On On
Joined: Jan 2000
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From: Bahrain
Qatari sheik hijacked a GF 767 enroute to LHR some years back; at gunpoint, said his sister, wife whatever wanted to get off!!! the flight originated in Doha. story kept pretty hush hush. Qatar was still a part of GF at the time (10 - 12 years ago). Flight returned to Doha.
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: L301 westbound
Dessert Aviator a few facts for you.
The flight was from Doh to Lhr, sheikh travelling with sick mother. Her condition deteriorated around Riyadh area. Capt was going to do an unsheduled landing there but the sheikh pulled a gun on him & ordered him to go back to Doh instead.
The flight was from Doh to Lhr, sheikh travelling with sick mother. Her condition deteriorated around Riyadh area. Capt was going to do an unsheduled landing there but the sheikh pulled a gun on him & ordered him to go back to Doh instead.
Joined: May 2007
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From: Airport lounge
Facts...There was no gun. It was an A340. Jettison did not work so aircraft was holding dirty for 2 hours. there was no medical emergency but he thought she is not well so he threatened to kill all the crew.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
Joined: Jun 2004
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From: Chabanais, France
The Al Thanis have always been a pain.
Back in the sixties and seventies they would order a scheduled service on a BAC1-11, F27 and once on a VC10, to be emptied so that the 'royal' family could go falconing, shopping or whatever.
They regarded Gulf Aviation as their personal possession.
(The fact that they sit on a natural gas field that is said to last until the year 2500 may have something to do with this!).
Back in the sixties and seventies they would order a scheduled service on a BAC1-11, F27 and once on a VC10, to be emptied so that the 'royal' family could go falconing, shopping or whatever.
They regarded Gulf Aviation as their personal possession.
(The fact that they sit on a natural gas field that is said to last until the year 2500 may have something to do with this!).
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: Pakistan
I'm surprised they decided to fly with 'commoners' on a scheduled pax flight. One would have thought that they would have used one of their own pvt aircraft seeing that the Qatari Royal Flight has the A319, A320, A342 and A345 in its fleet.
Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 709
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From: Planet Earth
mjabbasi................
not all of them are as important as they'd like to think. This clown is probably way down on the seniority list if he wasn't able to pull enough rank to get him and his entourage transported by Amiri aircraft.
6_Dof's right..........
Better be soon though, while it still has enough in it to do so! At the rate they're pulling the stuff out of the ground, the self-indulgence 'party' can't last forever for them. 
not all of them are as important as they'd like to think. This clown is probably way down on the seniority list if he wasn't able to pull enough rank to get him and his entourage transported by Amiri aircraft.
6_Dof's right..........
May the natural gas field explode beneath them
Joined: Jul 2007
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From: Planet Earth
Wake Up Man,
Big deal, now we know. what do we gain out of this ?!!!!
If things really concern you, then how a bout an American president causes the death of two million Iraqis and the destruction of the country and be directly responsible for an irreparable damage to the whole world and specifically America. How do you swallow that? slightly more abusive than delaying an A/C wouldn't you say?
Joined: Nov 1998
Posts: 709
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From: Planet Earth
Spirit.............
Great 'response' to Super Duper's ridiculous observation.
Ever been in that part of the world, SD, and put up with the sometimes mind-blowing arrogance of some of these self important clowns? I suspect not. If you had, then you'd probably have queried from time to time that Islamic demands for deference to their religious practices and beliefs actually seem to sometimes cross the line where they interfere with others' fundamental rights of liberty, freedom and safety.
And it's not so 'silly' when you look at in that context SD. Where you have an attempt by an arrogant self important prick to impose his beliefs on what appears to be, on the whole, a non-Islamic 'audience' (passengers of the aircraft), then what what you in effect have is a very public interpretation of the Sheik's Islamic beliefs, all by himself to society as a whole, and which regrettably has had the effect of conveying to the World at large an ugly impression of the rigidity, inflexibility and intolerance of Islam.
And surely that's to be regretted, and is far from a silly point if we are all supposed to be getting on with each other, wouldn't you think SD?
The Emir needs to get out and have a bloody good arse-kicking party with this idiot Sheikh before he does too much more damage!
Great 'response' to Super Duper's ridiculous observation.
Ever been in that part of the world, SD, and put up with the sometimes mind-blowing arrogance of some of these self important clowns? I suspect not. If you had, then you'd probably have queried from time to time that Islamic demands for deference to their religious practices and beliefs actually seem to sometimes cross the line where they interfere with others' fundamental rights of liberty, freedom and safety.
And it's not so 'silly' when you look at in that context SD. Where you have an attempt by an arrogant self important prick to impose his beliefs on what appears to be, on the whole, a non-Islamic 'audience' (passengers of the aircraft), then what what you in effect have is a very public interpretation of the Sheik's Islamic beliefs, all by himself to society as a whole, and which regrettably has had the effect of conveying to the World at large an ugly impression of the rigidity, inflexibility and intolerance of Islam.
And surely that's to be regretted, and is far from a silly point if we are all supposed to be getting on with each other, wouldn't you think SD?
The Emir needs to get out and have a bloody good arse-kicking party with this idiot Sheikh before he does too much more damage!
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 180
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From: The Far Side
As I understand, Qatar Airways was created so that poor spoilt little diddums can sit his fat ass in first class, have all demands served with a smile (however industrial), do whatever he wants and abuse whomever he pleases. Just like home! Just like on the road!
Containing bad behaviour within your own airline avoids much international embarressment doesn't it?
Containing bad behaviour within your own airline avoids much international embarressment doesn't it?
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 424
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From: min rest
I was told Qatar bought 4 L1011 aircraft cash for GF in 1975 and did not require any repayment for 10 years....somehow they then thought that the aircraft were theirs to use as and when they liked.
After a meeting with the operations manager who explained to them the trouble this was causeing they bought their own private VC10.
When asked how they would like the layout they decided to have the same as the Queen and to modify from there.
Sadly they felt poorly treated by GF service flights.... as did DXB when 60 flights a day by GF were cancelled into DXB to aid GF expansion into Africa by a Qatar Ceo.... and both countries soon started planning theirown airlines....as allways communication problems.
British managers allways failed to think big enough for GF and other airlines were needed and allowed to fill the voids.
GF is basically another East African Airways with all its strenghths and weaknesses and it ceased operations.
After a meeting with the operations manager who explained to them the trouble this was causeing they bought their own private VC10.
When asked how they would like the layout they decided to have the same as the Queen and to modify from there.
Sadly they felt poorly treated by GF service flights.... as did DXB when 60 flights a day by GF were cancelled into DXB to aid GF expansion into Africa by a Qatar Ceo.... and both countries soon started planning theirown airlines....as allways communication problems.
British managers allways failed to think big enough for GF and other airlines were needed and allowed to fill the voids.
GF is basically another East African Airways with all its strenghths and weaknesses and it ceased operations.