Security incident or simple stupidity?

[Evening Star]

About a week ago my wife and I were on a flight from Barcelona to Newcastle, with a flight to Belgrade boarding simultaneously from the adjacent gate. During pushback and safety demonstration a number of passengers stood up to say that they were on the wrong flight, having boarded what they thought was the Belgrade flight. With an inevitable delay, we went back to the gate, offloaded the passengers, and after another delay for revised air traffic control clearance we got underway rather late, landing Newcastle nearly two and half hours late.

We felt uneasy at the security implications of what happened, and everyone we tell comes out with the same comment. Granted, we were airside, past security, and doubtless the passengers made a simple, stupid mistake. Yet it does beg the question as to what the gate staff were really doing, plus surely a headcount on the half full flight would have flagged an anomaly? Am sure if we write to the airline expressing our concerns the reply will be a pro forma assurance of security taken seriously, especially as doubtless the captain will have already reported the matter, most probably in forthright terms. However, we are still minded to write as we do feel uneasy. Thoughts?

[Kiltrash]

We were on a flight to Edinburgh and the crew announced they were going to Glasgow... Consternation rained as the passengers thought they were àll on the wrong flight. Turned out the crew had briefed for the wrong flight. We all got to EDI after things were righted

[42psi]

It's not a security incident as such as all passengers had been security screened to the same standard.

[Asturias56]

I can remember a case where BA were boarding pax to Oslo and Nairobi through the same gate. In January. The number of people sitting in short sleeves and light jackets sitting amongst people who were dressed to join Amudsen on his polar trek made even the cabin crew come though and check who was going where.

But 42psi is correct - screening should be the same for any destination.

[ShyTorque]

We (family of five) emigrated to Hong Kong. BA managed to get us on the correct flight but the gate changed at very short notice after we’d checked in, which required us to run from one end of the departure terminal to the other.

We all arrived safely but all of my wife’s luggage went to Mexico.

[TorC]

Why am I in Bangladesh?

Possibly a myth, but a travel agent friend liked to recount the tale of a phone call from an irate client who he'd booked to Dacca. Quite how said client had happily boarded a Biman flight without question while believing he was destined for Dakar, was never explained.

[Andy_S]

Originally Posted by Evening Star

Yet it does beg the question as to what the gate staff were really doing, plus surely a headcount on the half full flight would have flagged an anomaly?

My immediate reaction is that I'm surprised that there weren't multiple instances of different pax claiming the same seat. Or if there were, that a simple check of boarding passes to resolve the problems didn't flag the problem up well before pushback.

Also, unless I'm missing something, aren't the boarding passes scanned, or at the very least manually checked at the gate?

[ShyTorque]

I can think of two U.K. airports where passengers have to walk to the aircraft, so it’s quite possible that a mix up could occur. If Doncaster opens again it will be three.

[tdracer]

Originally Posted by ShyTorque

I can think of two U.K. airports where passengers have to walk to the aircraft, so it’s quite possible that a mix up could occur. If Doncaster opens again it will be three.

Exactly. A few years back, I was flying from Jakarta to Singapore on Air Asia. We had to walk a short distance from the terminal to the aircraft, and they were boarding two Air Asia aircraft at the same time (there were signs indicating which aircraft was going where).
After boarding, the flight attendants started walking the aisles with those little hand-held counter devices, counting how many were on-board - I knew something was up when they did that multiple times. Then an announcement 'this is flight xxxx to Singapore, please ensure Singapore is your destination (repeated in both English and Indonesian). Finally, they started walking down the aisle checking boarding passes until they finally located the passenger that was on the wrong flight...
About a half hour delay because someone didn't look at the sign to see which aircraft they needed to board.

[Mr Mac]

tdracer
I had that occur on TWA at JFK on a L1011 to St Louis. The CC announced where the flight was going 3 times in English and then in Spanish and then did a boarding card check for the full flight and 5 people got off but being JFK we had missed slot so 1.5 hr delay.

We finally got to St Louis but had missed connection to Little Rock in our case. There was quite a line at TWA desk and some pretty angry and probably tired passengers.

I hung back with my then young girlfriend and then asked politely how long before next flight to Little Rock, and was there room for us ?I don’t know if it was my accent or demeanour but she said it was full in Economy but as I was so polite in my approach she boosted us to First and we were the only ones there on the DC9 my first ever upgrade to first which got me Brownie points with young GF 😉

Cheers
Mr Mac

[Chesty Morgan]

Originally Posted by ShyTorque

I can think of two U.K. airports where passengers have to walk to the aircraft, so it’s quite possible that a mix up could occur. If Doncaster opens again it will be three.

It's amazing how often you see passengers, who have booked with one airline, walk out of the terminal and head for the wrong airline before getting steered in the right direction.

[nonsense]

Originally Posted by Evening Star

... a number of passengers stood up to say that they were on the wrong flight...

Originally Posted by 42psi

It's not a security incident as such as all passengers had been security screened to the same standard.

It's absolutely a security incident if it has revealed a way that a passenger can avoid flying on the same aircraft as their luggage!

[ShyTorque]

Originally Posted by Chesty Morgan

It's amazing how often you see passengers, who have booked with one airline, walk out of the terminal and head for the wrong airline before getting steered in the right direction.

A certain Tony Blair once mistakenly walked out to our company helicopter at Battersea. No way, José!

[MechEngr]

Originally Posted by 42psi

It's not a security incident as such as all passengers had been security screened to the same standard.

The security problem is that if they had checked a bag that had slipped a bomb past security, it would only have been loaded if they were on that flight. There is the chance they bought 2 tickets, one for the target and one as a decoy to get off the plane. However, I think that is a clear sign of lack of dedication to the cause. Stick with it until the job is done,

However, there is also the bag screening and that blowing up airplanes has not been a particularly useful political tool. Hijacking worked because it gained flights to places that were otherwise off limits or control of the passengers to make some sort of deal. Obliterating a plane has little payback unless you are Putin and your top General just stuck his thumb in your eye and made demands. In that case obliterating a plane made, ummm, sense.

If one wants to really go on a terror campaign it is best to support some wacko populist candidate who says crazy things all the time. All else pales in comparison,

[Alverton Al]

In my Eurostar days it was a fairly regular occurrence with a Paris and Brussels departure.

[Asturias56]

Yeah but they'd have to know that they would be in a position that they'd be boarding two seperate flights thru the same gate. That probably wasn' known until a few minutes before.

It's not a real risk

[easyflyer83]

Originally Posted by nonsense

It's absolutely a security incident if it has revealed a way that a passenger can avoid flying on the same aircraft as their luggage!

That wouldn’t happen though unless the Swiss cheese lines up and that is pretty unlikely.

A passenger boards a flight they aren’t ticketed for and checks in a piece of luggage for the flight they were booked on. That bag wouldn’t make it on to the flight because that passenger hasn’t boarded that flight.

The situation isn’t good, it shouldn’t happen and someone messed up but the security risk is often over exaggerated.

[Chesty Morgan]

Originally Posted by easyflyer83

A passenger boards a flight they aren’t ticketed for and checks in a piece of luggage for the flight they were booked on. That bag wouldn’t make it on to the flight because that passenger hasn’t boarded that flight.

Are you really suggesting that the ground crew will only load an individual's bag once that individual has boarded the flight?

Not how it works is it...?

[DuncanDoenitz]

Originally Posted by 42psi

It's not a security incident as such as all passengers had been security screened to the same standard.

Yes it is. The only common factor is that all passengers, and their baggage, have been found to be free from weapons and hazards to flight.

In many cases the airlines have an obligation to ensure that passengers are compliant with the immigration requirements of the destination; in the form of visas, health certification and so forth. And what is the upshot when the Opposition-Leader-in-Exile of the pariah-state Ruritania, inadvertently boards a flight to; Ruritania.

[Asturias56]

and what if I'm on one flight and my luggage isn't? They don't drag us off do they?

There comes a point when you have to allow a degree of common sense................................