Attempted ? Hijack KU102 JFK to LHR????
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: UK & points middle east
Posts: 122
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Attempted ? Hijack KU102 JFK to LHR????
Anyone got any info on "Joke" hijack of Kuwait 102 from JFK last night?
Rumour has a Ghanain male joking about hijack while boarding? Apparently, the Port Authority police extended their hospitality for the evening.
When will these idiots get the message? It is NOT funny!!!!!
Rumour has a Ghanain male joking about hijack while boarding? Apparently, the Port Authority police extended their hospitality for the evening.
When will these idiots get the message? It is NOT funny!!!!!
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Jakarta
Age: 71
Posts: 176
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I can confirm that the incident did, indeed, take place (I was aboard). However, I think it's a bit premature to start throwing rocks until the investigation is complete. The 'gentleman' involved was overheard by cabin crew stating that, since the cabin door was open during boarding, that he should/could go ahead and Hijack the Captain "right now"...... before taking his seat.
KUDOS to the NY Port Authority Police in responding to this incident... It could not have been more than 45 seconds, or so, from initial notification til armed response showed up at the gate. Boarding was suspended til the "Jokester" was removed from the aircraft. His seat area was searched extensively and, presumably, he spent a few hours, at least, in custody. He did not continue with the flight to LHR!!!!
The flight arrived LHR only about one hour late! A petty price to be paid...... Excellent job, PAPD AND KAC!
KUDOS to the NY Port Authority Police in responding to this incident... It could not have been more than 45 seconds, or so, from initial notification til armed response showed up at the gate. Boarding was suspended til the "Jokester" was removed from the aircraft. His seat area was searched extensively and, presumably, he spent a few hours, at least, in custody. He did not continue with the flight to LHR!!!!
The flight arrived LHR only about one hour late! A petty price to be paid...... Excellent job, PAPD AND KAC!
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: YVR/Pacific Rim
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Kato747
"The 'gentleman' involved was overheard by cabin crew stating that, since the cabin door was open during boarding, that he should/could go ahead and Hijack the Captain "right now"...... before taking his seat"
An armed escort off the a/c because of this?
A flippant if thoughtless (and certainly ill-timed) remark I agree. If he said this as constructive advice (he "could" as opposed to "should") its a remark I can imagine a few people making.
Flying certainly isn't fun anymore for the PAX thats for sure.
"The 'gentleman' involved was overheard by cabin crew stating that, since the cabin door was open during boarding, that he should/could go ahead and Hijack the Captain "right now"...... before taking his seat"
An armed escort off the a/c because of this?
A flippant if thoughtless (and certainly ill-timed) remark I agree. If he said this as constructive advice (he "could" as opposed to "should") its a remark I can imagine a few people making.
Flying certainly isn't fun anymore for the PAX thats for sure.
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Bahrain
Posts: 313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Perhaps "Rules for SLF" should be printed on the tickets and displayed prominently at the gate.
1. Upon entering the aircraft say "Good morning/afternoon/evening (select as required), Can you indicate where my seat is please" DO NOT under any circumstances say ANYTHING else to the cabin crew. If the flight crew happen to look at you then immediately leave the aircraft and go straight to the nearest security officer and turn yourself in.
2. If you successfully make it to your seat then sit down, sit still and say nothing, if you must read then DO NOT read the safety card as it may be construed that you are 'casing the joint'. Probably the safest book to read is 'The Satanic Verses' by Salman Rushdie.
3. When offered a meal make sure to refuse the plastic cutlery and eat with your hands.
4. If offered a drink ensure that you ask for lots and lots to prove that you do not avoid alchohol for religious grounds and that being drunk you will be in no fit state to 'try anything'
5. If you have to rise from your seat to go to the toilet or to exercise to avoid DVT then activate the call bell and wait for the FA to come to your seat. WARNING! it is a grave offence to activate the call bell more than once even if the FA's totally ignore you. Sit with your legs crossed and they will eventually get to you. When they do come to you. Tell them you wish to rise from your seat and ask them if they can alert the skymarshall to the fact so that he can 'cover you' discretely.
We hope you enjoy your flight with ABC airlines and hope that next time you will take the train!!
Since when has flying ever been fun!!
1. Upon entering the aircraft say "Good morning/afternoon/evening (select as required), Can you indicate where my seat is please" DO NOT under any circumstances say ANYTHING else to the cabin crew. If the flight crew happen to look at you then immediately leave the aircraft and go straight to the nearest security officer and turn yourself in.
2. If you successfully make it to your seat then sit down, sit still and say nothing, if you must read then DO NOT read the safety card as it may be construed that you are 'casing the joint'. Probably the safest book to read is 'The Satanic Verses' by Salman Rushdie.
3. When offered a meal make sure to refuse the plastic cutlery and eat with your hands.
4. If offered a drink ensure that you ask for lots and lots to prove that you do not avoid alchohol for religious grounds and that being drunk you will be in no fit state to 'try anything'
5. If you have to rise from your seat to go to the toilet or to exercise to avoid DVT then activate the call bell and wait for the FA to come to your seat. WARNING! it is a grave offence to activate the call bell more than once even if the FA's totally ignore you. Sit with your legs crossed and they will eventually get to you. When they do come to you. Tell them you wish to rise from your seat and ask them if they can alert the skymarshall to the fact so that he can 'cover you' discretely.
We hope you enjoy your flight with ABC airlines and hope that next time you will take the train!!
Since when has flying ever been fun!!
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: here to eternity
Posts: 577
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flying certainly isn't fun anymore for the PAX thats for sure.
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: YVR/Pacific Rim
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
HugMonster
I didn't intend to imply that flippant remarks are "fun" for pax. Obviously.
Only that exercising a degree of common sense in situations such as this might help things return to some sense of normality and make people more comfortable.
Overt paranoia over what could have been an almost innocuous remark (perhaps even trying to be helpful) just breeds more bad feeling and malaise.
Where do you draw the line here? It's not an easy question to answer. But a bit of common sense goes a long way.
RB732
I didn't intend to imply that flippant remarks are "fun" for pax. Obviously.
Only that exercising a degree of common sense in situations such as this might help things return to some sense of normality and make people more comfortable.
Overt paranoia over what could have been an almost innocuous remark (perhaps even trying to be helpful) just breeds more bad feeling and malaise.
Where do you draw the line here? It's not an easy question to answer. But a bit of common sense goes a long way.
RB732
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Always in the air
Posts: 104
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Do you, honestly, believe that the hijacker will joke about it?
I believe not. The hijacker will be the serious guy with the suit and - probably - expensive tie, riding in First or Business class!
That's IMHO.
This is getting out of control!
I believe not. The hijacker will be the serious guy with the suit and - probably - expensive tie, riding in First or Business class!
That's IMHO.
This is getting out of control!
Join Date: Nov 2000
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think that the days of common sense probably disappeared with the events of September 11th. I'm sure that prior to this date 'common sense' stated that no one would attempt to hijack an aircraft and deliberately fly it into a building, with catastrophic loss of life, in order to make some kind of political or religious point.
These are increasingly dangerous times and should be treated as such. Who is to say that our 'joker', while perhaps not part of some fanatical terrorist cell, was not a threat? Who knows what goes on in anyone's mind and what they might be capable of?
These are increasingly dangerous times and should be treated as such. Who is to say that our 'joker', while perhaps not part of some fanatical terrorist cell, was not a threat? Who knows what goes on in anyone's mind and what they might be capable of?
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: here to eternity
Posts: 577
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Overt paranoia over what could have been an almost innocuous remark (perhaps even trying to be helpful) just breeds more bad feeling and malaise.
Sorry, but the world is now a very different place from pre-WTC. If anyone can't handle the fact that aviation security is going to be very, very sensitive, then tough. The world right now is (however much we would like otherwise) on the brink of some horrific possible scenes of inter-cultural mass warfare.
If anyone thinks it is possible to make "jokes" about the general situation, then I'll support anyone who puts them off their aircraft.
Any remarks about security on board my aircraft will not be taken as a joke. They'll be taken very seriously indeed. Anyone who cannot see the possible consequences of treating remarks as a joke when they might not be does not deserve to be in a position of responsibility.
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: Hertfordshire UK
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What the "funless wonders" on these threads should realise is that the logical extension of their views takes us straight to Sirwa 69's "Advice to SLF" above.
Flying is absolutely no fun anyway to the vast majority of the travelling public, uncomfortable and unpleasant as it is with its confined spaces and inedible food, deprivation of personal belongings and all the bloody rules which have to be obeyed all the time, not to mention the intrusive security searches and increased check-in times, being herded around like sheep and the continual patronising banter one is force-fed through extremely loud-speakers by disinterested Essex girls (or equivalent).
Do the likes of Hugmonster really believe that passengers are going to put up with this treatment if there's any possible alternative? Possibly your once-a-year to Tenerife types might go along with it but what about the high-yielding business passengers? I think they've just about had enough of it and the recent atrocities may very well drive them (and our jobs) away for good. They'll invest in video-conferencing equipment to reduce the need for travel in the first place or they'll go by comfortable 1st class rail for domestic travel, straight to the city centre.
So if the day of common sense is truly dead, we can look forward to a greatly reduced aviation industry.
Flying is absolutely no fun anyway to the vast majority of the travelling public, uncomfortable and unpleasant as it is with its confined spaces and inedible food, deprivation of personal belongings and all the bloody rules which have to be obeyed all the time, not to mention the intrusive security searches and increased check-in times, being herded around like sheep and the continual patronising banter one is force-fed through extremely loud-speakers by disinterested Essex girls (or equivalent).
Do the likes of Hugmonster really believe that passengers are going to put up with this treatment if there's any possible alternative? Possibly your once-a-year to Tenerife types might go along with it but what about the high-yielding business passengers? I think they've just about had enough of it and the recent atrocities may very well drive them (and our jobs) away for good. They'll invest in video-conferencing equipment to reduce the need for travel in the first place or they'll go by comfortable 1st class rail for domestic travel, straight to the city centre.
So if the day of common sense is truly dead, we can look forward to a greatly reduced aviation industry.
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: USA
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Go to the head of the class Max Continuous.
Sorry that in addition to being uncomfortable, boring, inedible food, intrusive security procedures, etc. flying as pax also has meant that pax have had to storm the cockpit after armed terrorists take it over and pay with their lives to keep it from being used as a cruise missile. Downright annoying, isn't it?
The big shot businessman from outside the U.S. haven't had a choice but first class airliner seats since Part 91 operations by foreign flag civil aircraft have been prohibited into US. A few very high powered people have managed a few very special exceptions by going right to the top, but we are talking chairment of board of Fortune 10 or whatever the Euro equivilant is.
Airline economics have just changed and things are in flux right now. What shakes out will probably not be as exremeand costly and intrusive as El Al, but it won't be as easy as it was before. It will take more labor and equipment and thus cost more and the pax will pay and that's the way it is. Because of this maybe more people will either not take trips, use a different mode, or whatever. It is a sure thing that there will be fewer flights for awhile, and fewer jobs in aviation. What is still unclear is how much of this is a result of September 11 or the world economic downturn and was coming anyway.
May be lots of jobs with Fed Ex when the get the World Food Program contract to fly the american food to Afganistan "When they absolutely, positively have to be fed overnight" makes a good advert.
Sorry that in addition to being uncomfortable, boring, inedible food, intrusive security procedures, etc. flying as pax also has meant that pax have had to storm the cockpit after armed terrorists take it over and pay with their lives to keep it from being used as a cruise missile. Downright annoying, isn't it?
The big shot businessman from outside the U.S. haven't had a choice but first class airliner seats since Part 91 operations by foreign flag civil aircraft have been prohibited into US. A few very high powered people have managed a few very special exceptions by going right to the top, but we are talking chairment of board of Fortune 10 or whatever the Euro equivilant is.
Airline economics have just changed and things are in flux right now. What shakes out will probably not be as exremeand costly and intrusive as El Al, but it won't be as easy as it was before. It will take more labor and equipment and thus cost more and the pax will pay and that's the way it is. Because of this maybe more people will either not take trips, use a different mode, or whatever. It is a sure thing that there will be fewer flights for awhile, and fewer jobs in aviation. What is still unclear is how much of this is a result of September 11 or the world economic downturn and was coming anyway.
May be lots of jobs with Fed Ex when the get the World Food Program contract to fly the american food to Afganistan "When they absolutely, positively have to be fed overnight" makes a good advert.
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: here to eternity
Posts: 577
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ratboy and Max Continuous, you both miss the point entirely, and consequently your posts make you come across as a pair of pr*ts.
Whether the food is edible or not is irrelevant. What the terminal is like is irrelevant.
For the purposes of this thread, the only point is whether a remark made by a passenger about possibly hijacking the aircraft should be taken seriously or not. If you want to treat any remark as a joke, that's up to you. But you won't do it on board my aircraft. And you won't do it with me sitting in the back either.
Under the current circumstances, aircraft safety and security is not a joking matter.
If passengers want edible meals, then they pay for them. If they want nice terminals with nice staff who smile and say "Yes, sir", "No, sir", then fine.
Right now, if people have to fly, the main thing that's on their mind is security. Good. Airlines can provide that. But there is a price to be paid in security checks, in baggage searches, etc. etc. If Max Continuous thinks dispensing with such inconveniences would raise the level of "common sense" (as he puts it) then I'd rather not fly with him.
And finally, yes, the airline industry will be a lot slimmer than it was - that's happened already, if you hadn't noticed. So what? You want less security at a time like this? What may have escaped your notice is that, unless airlines are seen to respond to the heightened rick in the world in general at the moment, far fewer passengers will travel for fear of hijacking than will stop travelling by air because of the inconvenience of their flight being secure.
Whether the food is edible or not is irrelevant. What the terminal is like is irrelevant.
For the purposes of this thread, the only point is whether a remark made by a passenger about possibly hijacking the aircraft should be taken seriously or not. If you want to treat any remark as a joke, that's up to you. But you won't do it on board my aircraft. And you won't do it with me sitting in the back either.
Under the current circumstances, aircraft safety and security is not a joking matter.
If passengers want edible meals, then they pay for them. If they want nice terminals with nice staff who smile and say "Yes, sir", "No, sir", then fine.
Right now, if people have to fly, the main thing that's on their mind is security. Good. Airlines can provide that. But there is a price to be paid in security checks, in baggage searches, etc. etc. If Max Continuous thinks dispensing with such inconveniences would raise the level of "common sense" (as he puts it) then I'd rather not fly with him.
And finally, yes, the airline industry will be a lot slimmer than it was - that's happened already, if you hadn't noticed. So what? You want less security at a time like this? What may have escaped your notice is that, unless airlines are seen to respond to the heightened rick in the world in general at the moment, far fewer passengers will travel for fear of hijacking than will stop travelling by air because of the inconvenience of their flight being secure.
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Bahrain
Posts: 313
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
From Gulf Daily News Saturday 6th October
Airport security had checked him out. FBI had checked him out. He did not make any threats to anyone. Paranoid Captain not only threw him off but called around his mates and made sure they would not take him.
Obviously the Captain had not listened to his President who has said repeatedly that this is not a war on Muslims.
Good recovery Nigel!
Airline to probe student's ordeal
American Airlines last night promised to investigate the incident in which Mohammed Al Faqihi, a Bahraini student, was ordered off a flight at Kennedy airport, New York, shortly before it took off for London.
An airline spokesman apologised for any misunderstanding or inconvenience caused to Mohammed who was desperate to reach London where his father Ibrahim was dying.
The spokesman said he was aware of the incident but did not have specific details.
"We have had several reported cases like this since September 11 across our entire network," he said from the airline's headquarters at Dallas-Fort Worth airport.
"It is definitely unfortunate ... and not a pleasant situation for any of us. But ultimately, the captain calls the shots. He has the final word on who will fly aboard his aircraft."
He said he would investigate the incident further and contact the GDN when he could provide more information.
Mohammed was a victim of one of many unfortunate incidents involving people of an Arab and Muslim background that have occurred across America since the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York on September 11.
Mohammed is now back in Bahrain where he has spent the last three days receiving condolence calls from hundreds of relatives and friends following the death of his 50-year-old businessman father who died in London on Tuesday after a four-month battle with lung cancer.
Mohammed became the centre of media attention last month, both in America and in the Gulf, after he was taken off an American Airlines flight from New York Kennedy to London Heathrow for no apparent reason.
In a desperate move to reach his ailing father in London, he then unsuccessfully attempted to board a second American Airlines flight five hours later.
Mohammed eventually reached London aboard a British Airways flight in time to be with his father during his final days.
Speaking to the GDN last night from the family residence in Adliya, he said his ordeal began on July 7 when he left Bahrain for the United States with his father who was to undergo medical treatment at several cancer specialist facilities in Detroit, Cleveland and New York City.
Mr Faqihi's treatment at New York's Sloan Kettering Institute in Manhattan, one of America's most advanced cancer research centres, finished early in September.
The prognosis was not promising, so the family decided to go to London for Mr Faqihi to undergo chemotherapy.
Mr Faqihi and several other family members left New York for London on September 7, four days before the terrorist attacks.
Mohammed decided to stay behind for several days at the family apartment in neighbouring New Jersey. He had planned to travel to London on September 12.
But everything changed with the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington the day before his scheduled departure, and the first available outbound flight was on September 19.
Mohammed, who already held first-class tickets issued in Bahrain, was re-confirmed on American Airlines Flight 116, which was to have departed fom New York Kennedy at 8:45 pm.
Mohammed said he arrived at the airport several hours in advance.
"I was issued a boarding pass without incident, cleared immigration procedures, and went to American's first-class lounge," he continued. "I no sooner sat down with a drink when I was paged to return to the immigration office."
Mohammed was met by two uniformed Port Authority inspectors who asked him a series of routine questions. He was then approached by two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents who continued this line of questioning.
"Nothing was out of the ordinary," Mohammed continued. "They were all polite and pleasant. In fact, by the end of the session, we were on a first-name basis. One of the FBI agents even gave me her business card."
Mohammed was escorted to the plane by all four law enforcement officials, and he boarded the aircraft without incident.
"Once aboard and settled, I unpacked my video camera recorder and set it up in the seat next to me," he said.
"I began recording myself, speaking into the camera in both English and Arabic. There were only a couple of other passengers in the first-class cabin, so I don't believe I was disturbing anyone."
But Mohammed apparently upset someone. Several minutes later, the American Airlines ground services manager boarded the plane and asked him to step out onto the concourse.
"Once outside, I was told that the captain wanted me to leave the aircraft," he explained. "I never even saw the captain ... I don't believe that he'd even arrived at the gate."
Mohammed said his four law enforcement friends returned to the scene.
"They were puzzled," he added. "They asked, me: 'Mohammed, what happened?'
Risk
"I wouldn't have thought they would have even let me on the plane if I posed a security risk."
Mohammed said there were other Muslims on the flight.
"I know of at least one couple, who were taken off shortly after I left the plane. The woman was wearing a scarf," he continued. "Agents briefly questioned them and they returned to the aircraft."
American Airlines ground crew then re-booked Mohammed on another flight five hours later.
"They put me into a nearby hotel," he said. "I returned several hours later, this time packing my video camera recorder inside my suitcase. Everything seemed all right. But when I arrived at the gate, the airline ground agent refused to let me board the aircraft."
Mohammed said the agent told him the captain from the previous flight had relayed the incident to colleagues, and that the new captain was apparently not prepared to have him on the flight.
"By now, I was feeling let down by the airline," he admitted. "I asked them for a solution and they managed to get me a seat on the British Airways flight that evening."
Mohammed said he boarded the third London-bound flight 12 hours later without incident.
American Airlines last night promised to investigate the incident in which Mohammed Al Faqihi, a Bahraini student, was ordered off a flight at Kennedy airport, New York, shortly before it took off for London.
An airline spokesman apologised for any misunderstanding or inconvenience caused to Mohammed who was desperate to reach London where his father Ibrahim was dying.
The spokesman said he was aware of the incident but did not have specific details.
"We have had several reported cases like this since September 11 across our entire network," he said from the airline's headquarters at Dallas-Fort Worth airport.
"It is definitely unfortunate ... and not a pleasant situation for any of us. But ultimately, the captain calls the shots. He has the final word on who will fly aboard his aircraft."
He said he would investigate the incident further and contact the GDN when he could provide more information.
Mohammed was a victim of one of many unfortunate incidents involving people of an Arab and Muslim background that have occurred across America since the terrorist attacks in Washington and New York on September 11.
Mohammed is now back in Bahrain where he has spent the last three days receiving condolence calls from hundreds of relatives and friends following the death of his 50-year-old businessman father who died in London on Tuesday after a four-month battle with lung cancer.
Mohammed became the centre of media attention last month, both in America and in the Gulf, after he was taken off an American Airlines flight from New York Kennedy to London Heathrow for no apparent reason.
In a desperate move to reach his ailing father in London, he then unsuccessfully attempted to board a second American Airlines flight five hours later.
Mohammed eventually reached London aboard a British Airways flight in time to be with his father during his final days.
Speaking to the GDN last night from the family residence in Adliya, he said his ordeal began on July 7 when he left Bahrain for the United States with his father who was to undergo medical treatment at several cancer specialist facilities in Detroit, Cleveland and New York City.
Mr Faqihi's treatment at New York's Sloan Kettering Institute in Manhattan, one of America's most advanced cancer research centres, finished early in September.
The prognosis was not promising, so the family decided to go to London for Mr Faqihi to undergo chemotherapy.
Mr Faqihi and several other family members left New York for London on September 7, four days before the terrorist attacks.
Mohammed decided to stay behind for several days at the family apartment in neighbouring New Jersey. He had planned to travel to London on September 12.
But everything changed with the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington the day before his scheduled departure, and the first available outbound flight was on September 19.
Mohammed, who already held first-class tickets issued in Bahrain, was re-confirmed on American Airlines Flight 116, which was to have departed fom New York Kennedy at 8:45 pm.
Mohammed said he arrived at the airport several hours in advance.
"I was issued a boarding pass without incident, cleared immigration procedures, and went to American's first-class lounge," he continued. "I no sooner sat down with a drink when I was paged to return to the immigration office."
Mohammed was met by two uniformed Port Authority inspectors who asked him a series of routine questions. He was then approached by two Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents who continued this line of questioning.
"Nothing was out of the ordinary," Mohammed continued. "They were all polite and pleasant. In fact, by the end of the session, we were on a first-name basis. One of the FBI agents even gave me her business card."
Mohammed was escorted to the plane by all four law enforcement officials, and he boarded the aircraft without incident.
"Once aboard and settled, I unpacked my video camera recorder and set it up in the seat next to me," he said.
"I began recording myself, speaking into the camera in both English and Arabic. There were only a couple of other passengers in the first-class cabin, so I don't believe I was disturbing anyone."
But Mohammed apparently upset someone. Several minutes later, the American Airlines ground services manager boarded the plane and asked him to step out onto the concourse.
"Once outside, I was told that the captain wanted me to leave the aircraft," he explained. "I never even saw the captain ... I don't believe that he'd even arrived at the gate."
Mohammed said his four law enforcement friends returned to the scene.
"They were puzzled," he added. "They asked, me: 'Mohammed, what happened?'
Risk
"I wouldn't have thought they would have even let me on the plane if I posed a security risk."
Mohammed said there were other Muslims on the flight.
"I know of at least one couple, who were taken off shortly after I left the plane. The woman was wearing a scarf," he continued. "Agents briefly questioned them and they returned to the aircraft."
American Airlines ground crew then re-booked Mohammed on another flight five hours later.
"They put me into a nearby hotel," he said. "I returned several hours later, this time packing my video camera recorder inside my suitcase. Everything seemed all right. But when I arrived at the gate, the airline ground agent refused to let me board the aircraft."
Mohammed said the agent told him the captain from the previous flight had relayed the incident to colleagues, and that the new captain was apparently not prepared to have him on the flight.
"By now, I was feeling let down by the airline," he admitted. "I asked them for a solution and they managed to get me a seat on the British Airways flight that evening."
Mohammed said he boarded the third London-bound flight 12 hours later without incident.
Obviously the Captain had not listened to his President who has said repeatedly that this is not a war on Muslims.
Good recovery Nigel!
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: UK
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
a bit of perspective required, I think.
Just because the US had the worst domestic security arrangements around the place pre 11th sept, doesnt mean that they can bolt the door now the horse has bolted.
Like someone said, if this bloke was going to hijack the plane, obviously he wouldnt have made a stupid comment.
go on ....hit me now
and by the way, passengers do pay for edible food
Just because the US had the worst domestic security arrangements around the place pre 11th sept, doesnt mean that they can bolt the door now the horse has bolted.
Like someone said, if this bloke was going to hijack the plane, obviously he wouldnt have made a stupid comment.
go on ....hit me now
and by the way, passengers do pay for edible food
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: UK
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
So, what should a pax do if they think safety procedures aren't being followed correctly? eg cabin lights not dimmed for T/O in darkness; pax not told to stop using mobiles when refuelling, to name a couple of recent examples.
Tell a crew member and risk being whisked away, or just keep quiet?
Tell a crew member and risk being whisked away, or just keep quiet?
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: Currently Dubai
Posts: 173
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sirwa69: The incident you describe in the GDN article is clearly not the same one discussed in this thread. Seems your guy had been ordered off a different flight (says Sep 19 in the article) for some undisclosed reason. Fortunately, he made it to his father's side.
The subject of this thread happened much more recently and he was (correctly, IMHO) ordered off because he made a stupid comment. Strangely, this seems to have gone unreported anywhere in the world. This one seems to have similarities with the pr@t who shouted "death to Americans" when he was caught smoking in the lav.
The moral is obvious - do not make flippant remarks that may be taken as a threat. Seems easy to me! There was a guy from Chicago (long before Sep 11) who was carrying a violin case through Heathrow. When asked what it contained, he said "machine gun" (Chicago mafia joke), which was taken seriously and he was marched off to be grilled for a while. Tw@t missed his flight - you cannot joke with airline security. It is not (and never should be) a joking matter.
[ 09 October 2001: Message edited by: sanjosebaz ]
The subject of this thread happened much more recently and he was (correctly, IMHO) ordered off because he made a stupid comment. Strangely, this seems to have gone unreported anywhere in the world. This one seems to have similarities with the pr@t who shouted "death to Americans" when he was caught smoking in the lav.
The moral is obvious - do not make flippant remarks that may be taken as a threat. Seems easy to me! There was a guy from Chicago (long before Sep 11) who was carrying a violin case through Heathrow. When asked what it contained, he said "machine gun" (Chicago mafia joke), which was taken seriously and he was marched off to be grilled for a while. Tw@t missed his flight - you cannot joke with airline security. It is not (and never should be) a joking matter.
[ 09 October 2001: Message edited by: sanjosebaz ]