BA Flight turned back to UK from JFK
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Sunny Side Up :)
Age: 59
Posts: 217
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BA Flight turned back to UK from JFK
Does anyone have any further details on the flight yet? Just been announced on BBC News 24 that a JFK flight has been turned around due to a Pax using a mobile phone?
Paxing All Over The World
Not using a phone - simply a phone ringing and no one wanted to own up. It was implied that the phone was in the cabin but may well have been in the hold. If so then it would the problem already anticipated elsewhere in the forums - that people will forget to turn off the phone before shoving it in the hold bag.
BBC has the story.
A British Airways flight from Heathrow to New York has been turned back after a mobile phone was heard ringing at the back of the plane. No-one on board the plane admitted owning the phone, banned under current security restrictions, so flight BA179 returned to the London airport.
The scare came as the Department for Transport downgraded the UK terror threat from critical to severe.
BBC has the story.
A British Airways flight from Heathrow to New York has been turned back after a mobile phone was heard ringing at the back of the plane. No-one on board the plane admitted owning the phone, banned under current security restrictions, so flight BA179 returned to the London airport.
The scare came as the Department for Transport downgraded the UK terror threat from critical to severe.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: 18A
Age: 38
Posts: 405
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
the subject of this thread was slightly unclear - was it coming from Heathrow or From JFK and returning to which airport,as it would seem pointless returning to the UK if it had come from JFK 
Sky News confirming it was BA179 LHR-JFK,returned to LHR and all passengers to be searched before being allowed to re-board the aircraft.
Sky News confirming it was BA179 LHR-JFK,returned to LHR and all passengers to be searched before being allowed to re-board the aircraft.
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 331
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The only time MY phone has rung when onboard (and when I've forgetten to turn the thing off 
) is when I've been taxiing out or taxiing in. "Mid-flight"? Never. So, if this one did start ringing at that point of the flight my ears would prick up. Where would a calling signal be coming from?
As for hearing a phone in the hold, not bloody likely.....
Sounds like another story where there's more to it, OR has been distorted by the media, just for something completely different.
) is when I've been taxiing out or taxiing in. "Mid-flight"? Never. So, if this one did start ringing at that point of the flight my ears would prick up. Where would a calling signal be coming from?As for hearing a phone in the hold, not bloody likely.....
Sounds like another story where there's more to it, OR has been distorted by the media, just for something completely different.
Join Date: May 2006
Location: USA
Age: 66
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Ron & Edna Johns
The only time MY phone has rung when onboard (and when I've forgetten to turn the thing off ) is when I've been taxiing out or taxiing in. "Mid-flight"? Never. So, if this one did start ringing at that point of the flight my ears would prick up. Where would a calling signal be coming from?
As for hearing a phone in the hold, not bloody likely.....
Sounds like another story where there's more to it, OR has been distorted by the media, just for something completely different.
) is when I've been taxiing out or taxiing in. "Mid-flight"? Never. So, if this one did start ringing at that point of the flight my ears would prick up. Where would a calling signal be coming from?As for hearing a phone in the hold, not bloody likely.....
Sounds like another story where there's more to it, OR has been distorted by the media, just for something completely different.
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Up in the air
Posts: 196
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Ron & Edna Johns
The only time MY phone has rung when onboard (and when I've forgetten to turn the thing off ) is when I've been taxiing out or taxiing in. "Mid-flight"? Never. So, if this one did start ringing at that point of the flight my ears would prick up. Where would a calling signal be coming from?
As for hearing a phone in the hold, not bloody likely.....
Sounds like another story where there's more to it, OR has been distorted by the media, just for something completely different.
) is when I've been taxiing out or taxiing in. "Mid-flight"? Never. So, if this one did start ringing at that point of the flight my ears would prick up. Where would a calling signal be coming from?As for hearing a phone in the hold, not bloody likely.....
Sounds like another story where there's more to it, OR has been distorted by the media, just for something completely different.
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Eire
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was interested to note from the News 24 (TV) reports that the Captain had turned back after assessing the situation with airline security staff. Apparently the risk had been assessed as "slight".
Good for you Captain!
Good for you Captain!
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: About 1 mile from WOD ndb
Posts: 134
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Reception height
A Blackberry is just a mobile phone with smart software, so its characteristics are similar. It may have a more sensitive receiver due to its size permitting a better antenna system. It wouldn't work over the ocean (until you fly over Iceland!).
How did the phone get on board? Left there by cleaners, I expect.
How did the phone get on board? Left there by cleaners, I expect.
I was travelling yesterday LHR-FRA-EWR, I never made the connection due to LHR delays butt ahts another story and understandable in the circumstances.
What puzzled ,me though was that while buying a bottle of water a mobile rang behind me and as i turned round it was answered by a young guy of 18-20 or so . He could have been staff but dressed in baggy trackies , trackie top with large gold chain and no visble passes I didnt think so.
I mentioned this toa BAA person a couple of minutes later about how did he get airside witha mobile and was met with total disinterest. I wont go into the details about him in case someone draws the wrong conclusions but lets just say he was absolutely not air or cabin crew and didnt look like any other aiside employee I have seen either. I might be wrong of course but the 'yeah whatever' response angered me as I checked in my mobile and then spenta fruitless day at FRA trying to get onward connections without having anyway of calling anyone and indeed still havent got my bag , phone house and car keys back.
In these troubled times should there be some clear direction or sign (no point in it being a phone number) about how any obvious suspicions could be reported to without going up to a guy with a shaven head and Heckler and Koch and risk having the teminal closed??
PB
What puzzled ,me though was that while buying a bottle of water a mobile rang behind me and as i turned round it was answered by a young guy of 18-20 or so . He could have been staff but dressed in baggy trackies , trackie top with large gold chain and no visble passes I didnt think so.
I mentioned this toa BAA person a couple of minutes later about how did he get airside witha mobile and was met with total disinterest. I wont go into the details about him in case someone draws the wrong conclusions but lets just say he was absolutely not air or cabin crew and didnt look like any other aiside employee I have seen either. I might be wrong of course but the 'yeah whatever' response angered me as I checked in my mobile and then spenta fruitless day at FRA trying to get onward connections without having anyway of calling anyone and indeed still havent got my bag , phone house and car keys back.
In these troubled times should there be some clear direction or sign (no point in it being a phone number) about how any obvious suspicions could be reported to without going up to a guy with a shaven head and Heckler and Koch and risk having the teminal closed??
PB
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Tea green International
Posts: 563
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I assume he was a transit pax
and as such perhaps the, once airside, regulation re strip and body cavity search at UK Airports, does not apply......also I assume he had a large bottle of pop with him.. (POP= soda=fizzy drink).
Which brings us to the point; what is the restriction on transit pax, and there oterwise perfectly legal hand baggage, mobiles, etc, etc....
Bumz
Which brings us to the point; what is the restriction on transit pax, and there oterwise perfectly legal hand baggage, mobiles, etc, etc....
Bumz
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Up in the air
Posts: 196
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Ron & Edna Johns
All good points. I guess I'm just half deaf or no body rings me when I'm working.... Of interest, just how high up can Blackberries receive? Any one know?
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Wet Coast
Posts: 2,335
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'Eyewitness' account on BBC.
Err, if the phone was there to trigger something nasty wouldn't the ringing have been drowned out by the BOOM ?
And isn't leaving the flight deck also a big no-no ?
Err, if the phone was there to trigger something nasty wouldn't the ringing have been drowned out by the BOOM ?
And isn't leaving the flight deck also a big no-no ?
Drain Bamaged
Originally Posted by PaperTiger
'Eyewitness' account on BBC.
BA then offloaded all the bags from the plane. We were handed a lost luggage claim form and told to fill it in and that we might get our luggage back in a few days.
We finally landed in New York at around 0330.
I had no phone, no laptop or car and house keys.
My house keys were in my luggage, so in the early hours of the morning I had to break into my own house, which set the alarm off and I had to explain to the police what had happened when they arrived to investigate the alarm.
We finally landed in New York at around 0330.
I had no phone, no laptop or car and house keys.
My house keys were in my luggage, so in the early hours of the morning I had to break into my own house, which set the alarm off and I had to explain to the police what had happened when they arrived to investigate the alarm.
No need of a "boom" to trigger a mess.And I'm not only talking about this particular case/flight.
