'Taxi Driver' Delays Flight
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'Taxi Driver' Delays Flight
Taken from ITV Teletext...
"Israeli airline El Al delayed a flight from London to Tel Aviv for a day as the crew refused to travel to Heathrow with a "suspicious" taxi driver.
The airline said their staff could not find alternative transport due to bad weather in London, so it put up the stranded passengers in a hotel.
The taxi driver reportedly had a "Middle Eastern appearance"."
Source is here.
"Israeli airline El Al delayed a flight from London to Tel Aviv for a day as the crew refused to travel to Heathrow with a "suspicious" taxi driver.
The airline said their staff could not find alternative transport due to bad weather in London, so it put up the stranded passengers in a hotel.
The taxi driver reportedly had a "Middle Eastern appearance"."
Source is here.
Second thoughts they better not
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Given ELALs meticulous and encompassing security procedures, I am surprised they don't have a dedicated and screened car/bus service for their crew transport. Security is only as strong as its weakest link.
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Is this a rumour? Or news? Or just an excuse for a spot of Israel-bashing. Re-read some of the comments, and they are not related to anything of significance in the world of aviation. Let's try and keep things balanced around here.
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It would appear not to be beyond the wit of man to order another taxi !. So lets add stupidity to paranoia !.
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Well, let's see what we have here... A media report 
which we know will have been researched down to sub-atomic level by some prepubescent, spotty faced oik who thinks they're going to get a Pulitzer prize for reporting on a subject that includes aviation AND the Middle East in one topic. This media organisation, Teletext, is renown for its journalistic prowess, oh, and it's third rate travel firms.
Of course, we have the usual medley of PPRuNe dipsticks who just love having a bash at the media but at the same time show as much, if not more, ignorance than the slime that they love to hate.
Of course the El Al crew ordered their own taxi to take them from their hotac to the airport. Of course they decided that they didn't like the look of the al Quayda sympathising taxi driver. Of course they didn't have the nounce to order another taxi because they are just stupid Israeli muppets. Of course we have a bunch of ignorant, bandwagon jumping, anally retentive PPruners posting away that it must of course be true and that here's a chance to add to their post count with yet more drivel. 
Of course, none of you have any idea about how El Al (or any other major airline and most smaller ones too for that matter) would transport their crews from their hotac to the airport. Of course El Al would leave a gaping hole in their security just so something like this could be reported as it makes for good bashing by the luvvies that just love to have a go at anything to do with Israel. Of course you all read the thread about the bad weather at LHR the other day and the specific post made by the actual controller on the night. You did didn't you? I mean you are all so knowledgeable about these things aren't you? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise that muppets existed in real life! Here, I'll post it here just so that you'll be able to figure out the real reason and then you can go back to reading The Beano as I'm sure your intellect will need a rest by now:
I suppose the bit in the thread where a few flights were cancelled were not good enough for some of the pathetic posters on here. It obviously wasn't good enough for that fount of journalistic skill, Teletext, so they invented something by one of their 'yoof' reporters and voilá, we have a thread here on PPrune that is the epitome of fact with the usual hoard of 'experts' 
putting two and two together and making seven, and eight, and nine...
Why, oh why, do we have such experts such as some of the above posters? Isn't there enough bovine excreta floating around at the moment? Who let those turds onto PPrune? The topci starter has titled this 'Taxi driver delays flight'. HTF did any taxi driver delay the flight even if it weren't a lie? Talk about bad journalism! You'd get a job in the media in an instant with insight like that!
which we know will have been researched down to sub-atomic level by some prepubescent, spotty faced oik who thinks they're going to get a Pulitzer prize for reporting on a subject that includes aviation AND the Middle East in one topic. This media organisation, Teletext, is renown for its journalistic prowess, oh, and it's third rate travel firms.Of course, we have the usual medley of PPRuNe dipsticks who just love having a bash at the media but at the same time show as much, if not more, ignorance than the slime that they love to hate.
Of course the El Al crew ordered their own taxi to take them from their hotac to the airport. Of course they decided that they didn't like the look of the al Quayda sympathising taxi driver. Of course they didn't have the nounce to order another taxi because they are just stupid Israeli muppets. Of course we have a bunch of ignorant, bandwagon jumping, anally retentive PPruners posting away that it must of course be true and that here's a chance to add to their post count with yet more drivel. Of course, none of you have any idea about how El Al (or any other major airline and most smaller ones too for that matter) would transport their crews from their hotac to the airport. Of course El Al would leave a gaping hole in their security just so something like this could be reported as it makes for good bashing by the luvvies that just love to have a go at anything to do with Israel. Of course you all read the thread about the bad weather at LHR the other day and the specific post made by the actual controller on the night. You did didn't you? I mean you are all so knowledgeable about these things aren't you? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise that muppets existed in real life!
Here, I'll post it here just so that you'll be able to figure out the real reason and then you can go back to reading The Beano as I'm sure your intellect will need a rest by now:
IT would be very difficult to let everything go under those circumstances so it was decide to extend the 23:29 Local cut off time to 23:59L. some airlines are well known for taking their time and this was a way of putting pressure on them. I think we managed to get 11 non quota aircraft away in that 30 mins so we and ATC did a grand job. The El al was simply refused because it is a QC 8 and we could not extend the cut off point for this aircraft.
A further point a couple of non quota aircraft were refused landing after 23:29.
A further point a couple of non quota aircraft were refused landing after 23:29.
putting two and two together and making seven, and eight, and nine...Why, oh why, do we have such experts such as some of the above posters? Isn't there enough bovine excreta floating around at the moment? Who let those turds onto PPrune? The topci starter has titled this 'Taxi driver delays flight'. HTF did any taxi driver delay the flight even if it weren't a lie? Talk about bad journalism! You'd get a job in the media in an instant with insight like that!
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Seems there's a media view of the event which sounds a bit more accurate:
Suspicious of London cabbie, El Al crew misses its flight
By Zohar Blumenkrantz
The captain of an El Al flight from London to Tel Aviv on Tuesday caused an overnight delay to the flight because he and his crew suspected the taxi drivers taking them from their hotel to Heathrow Airport were possible security threats.
The incident occurred when the crew of a scheduled El Al flight from London to Tel Aviv was picked up from their London hotel for a trip to Heathrow on Tuesday. Suspecting that the taxi driver was a possible security threat, the captain refused to ride in the cab.
Another taxi was called for and the captain was equally suspicious of the second driver. Both men were described as being of "Middle Eastern appearance."
By the time the crew arrived at Heathrow for their scheduled flight, the delay was such that the flight was not permitted to depart and had to be rescheduled for the next day.
All passengers were lodged in London hotels and the flight took place without incident the next day.
In a statement issued by El Al, the company says that "difficult weather conditions in London and Heathrow airport disrupted ground and aerial transportation." It then says that the flight crew suspected the taxi driver and refused to ride with him, but due to the difficult weather conditions, they could not find other transportation to the airport, which resulted in a flight delay.
"The takeoff of the aircraft from London to Tel Aviv was prevented by the refusal of the authorities to approve a deviation from scheduled hours for takeoffs in practice at the airport, and the flight was delayed until Wednesday at noon."
From http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects...?itemNo=461202
Suspicious of London cabbie, El Al crew misses its flight
By Zohar Blumenkrantz
The captain of an El Al flight from London to Tel Aviv on Tuesday caused an overnight delay to the flight because he and his crew suspected the taxi drivers taking them from their hotel to Heathrow Airport were possible security threats.
The incident occurred when the crew of a scheduled El Al flight from London to Tel Aviv was picked up from their London hotel for a trip to Heathrow on Tuesday. Suspecting that the taxi driver was a possible security threat, the captain refused to ride in the cab.
Another taxi was called for and the captain was equally suspicious of the second driver. Both men were described as being of "Middle Eastern appearance."
By the time the crew arrived at Heathrow for their scheduled flight, the delay was such that the flight was not permitted to depart and had to be rescheduled for the next day.
All passengers were lodged in London hotels and the flight took place without incident the next day.
In a statement issued by El Al, the company says that "difficult weather conditions in London and Heathrow airport disrupted ground and aerial transportation." It then says that the flight crew suspected the taxi driver and refused to ride with him, but due to the difficult weather conditions, they could not find other transportation to the airport, which resulted in a flight delay.
"The takeoff of the aircraft from London to Tel Aviv was prevented by the refusal of the authorities to approve a deviation from scheduled hours for takeoffs in practice at the airport, and the flight was delayed until Wednesday at noon."
From http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/objects...?itemNo=461202
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Which goes to prove that ALL media, including the Israeli ones are little more than sensationalist 'faeces stirrers' with a penchant for hyperbole and the integrity of a cess pit. The fact that El Al crews do not 'get taxis' to the airport downroute should be alarm enough that this story is little more than a fabrication worthy of the BNP. The fact that we have it on PPRune from the actual controller that "The El al was simply refused because it is a QC 8 and we could not extend the cut off point for this aircraft." during a night of massive disruption at LHR due to wx should be enough for anyone to see what a bunch of lying, worthless excuses for 'living tissue' the media luvvies really are!
No doubt we are going to see this one spread over the usual 'news' services throughout the day.
Added to point out to the poster below that if he or she wasn't of such limited intellect, he or she would have read the whole thread and realised that the article is a fabrication if only for the fact that the crew don't just 'get a taxi' to the airport but are provided secure transportation. Ergo, the story is stirring fantasy. Once one agency reports it then the rest of the lazy media just jump on the bandwaggon. At least we here on Pprune have the facts in another thread why the flight was actually cancelled. Just so as to help GFO69, it was the weather and the subsequent delays due to congestion that were the reason for the El Al flight being cancelled. Duh!
Oh, and while I'm on a roll, if you think that "the crew stay in a local hotel on the airport perimiter and the station manager can just pop over in his car and pick up a B747 crew which includes around 15-17 cabin crew too" then you really have little idea of airline ops.
No doubt we are going to see this one spread over the usual 'news' services
throughout the day. Added to point out to the poster below that if he or she wasn't of such limited intellect, he or she would have read the whole thread and realised that the article is a fabrication if only for the fact that the crew don't just 'get a taxi' to the airport but are provided secure transportation. Ergo, the story is
stirring fantasy. Once one agency reports it then the rest of the lazy media just jump on the bandwaggon. At least we here on Pprune have the facts in another thread why the flight was actually cancelled. Just so as to help GFO69, it was the weather and the subsequent delays due to congestion that were the reason for the El Al flight being cancelled. Duh!Oh, and while I'm on a roll, if you think that "the crew stay in a local hotel on the airport perimiter and the station manager can just pop over in his car and pick up a B747 crew which includes around 15-17 cabin crew too" then you really have little idea of airline ops.
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The hotel can't have been that far away. If it was that bigger problem could someone from ops or the station ,anager not have gone over in their car to pick them up?
I guess the Cpt will be off for tea with the boss and a chat.
I guess the Cpt will be off for tea with the boss and a chat.
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Murray, another post in a loooooooong list demonstrating that you are employed in a job that is exactly right for your intellectual capabilities.
I'll let you in on a secret; most foreigners look down your security procedures. LHR security is insanity carried to a level surpassed only in the good old USA. Staffed by jobsworths who believe themselves to be fearless SAS warriors. Their petty, vindictive, shortsighted attitude towards vetted and security screened aircrew beggars belief.
Second class?
Don't make me laugh. Last in class is what you guys are. Behind Uzbekistan.
But I digress....
No captain I know would delay an entire flight for frivolous reasons. That's just not the way airline captains function.
If this guy delayed his flight, he must have had a jolly good reason.
Me, I've got more faith in this captain's judgement than in some sensationalist journo writing about matters beyond his ken. (LHR X-ray fetishists of course know everything )
I'll let you in on a secret; most foreigners look down your security procedures. LHR security is insanity carried to a level surpassed only in the good old USA. Staffed by jobsworths who believe themselves to be fearless SAS warriors. Their petty, vindictive, shortsighted attitude towards vetted and security screened aircrew beggars belief.
Second class?
Don't make me laugh. Last in class is what you guys are. Behind Uzbekistan.
But I digress....
No captain I know would delay an entire flight for frivolous reasons. That's just not the way airline captains function.
If this guy delayed his flight, he must have had a jolly good reason.
Me, I've got more faith in this captain's judgement than in some sensationalist journo writing about matters beyond his ken. (LHR X-ray fetishists of course know everything )
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And if the crews had accepted the taxi drive, and something had happened (which i would like to add I very much doubt ) then I'm certain that people would then go on about how crews are not cautious enough.
) then I'm certain that people would then go on about how crews are not cautious enough.
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Have I said something that is a little bit close to your true feelings?
The truth hurts, thats why my original post was taken off.
''a security vetted pilot?'' (Jetleg)
Vetted by whom? DfT? or you are just a self assured vetted?
There are always irresponsible people around. Just like the captain our section stopped flying because he was 3 or 4 times over the alcohol limit to fly. This person didnt give a monkeys about other people's lives, he was just a selfish who had to be stopped.
In last month alone, 5 captains were stopped with lock knives in their pilot's bags.
I know they all think of themselves to be above all, but carrying lock knives are illegal in this country.
Oh ya, and we have not devised a procedure yet to check one's mental state to see what they would do with a lock knife in their bags. No matter how good looking you think you are or how clever a pilot is, it does not constitute us to place that trust on you...yet.
Now, I still dont agree with some stuff we as security do, like taking metal forks and knives off. This really pi**es me off when I have to do this. This is one rule that our DfT has put on us from the yanks.
But the rest, like preventing bombs, guns, knives, lasers, knuckle dusters, box cutters, cosh, pepper spray etc etc that we confiscate is correct, and for that we would appreciate a little understanding from you the pilots and crew. At the end of the day if you give us grief it would be you who will have a bad day and us who will have an interesting day at work.
The truth hurts, thats why my original post was taken off.
''a security vetted pilot?'' (Jetleg)
Vetted by whom? DfT? or you are just a self assured vetted
?There are always irresponsible people around. Just like the captain our section stopped flying because he was 3 or 4 times over the alcohol limit to fly. This person didnt give a monkeys about other people's lives, he was just a selfish
who had to be stopped.In last month alone, 5 captains were stopped with lock knives in their pilot's bags.
I know they all think of themselves to be above all, but carrying lock knives are illegal in this country.
Oh ya, and we have not devised a procedure yet to check one's mental state to see what they would do with a lock knife in their bags. No matter how good looking you think you are or how clever a pilot is, it does not constitute us to place that trust on you...yet.
Now, I still dont agree with some stuff we as security do, like taking metal forks and knives off. This really pi**es me off when I have to do this. This is one rule that our DfT has put on us from the yanks.
But the rest, like preventing bombs, guns, knives, lasers, knuckle dusters, box cutters, cosh, pepper spray etc etc that we confiscate is correct, and for that we would appreciate a little understanding from you the pilots and crew. At the end of the day if you give us grief it would be you who will have a bad day and us who will have an interesting day at work.
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Looks like taking a few hours away from here on a day off is like letting the loonies run the asylum. I have stopped the silly eejits who were unable to control their raging xenophobia from participating further in this thread for the time being.
Anyone else care to show their ignorance and bigoted views? If anyone is considered too stupid or immature to take part in a discussion like this then they can go and find another website to air their pathetic tripe.
Thaks you to everyone for reporting this post and the rants of the few fools who ruin it for everyone else.
Anyone else care to show their ignorance and bigoted views? If anyone is considered too stupid or immature to take part in a discussion like this then they can go and find another website to air their pathetic tripe.
Thaks you to everyone for reporting this post and the rants of the few fools who ruin it for everyone else.
