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?

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.

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 :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

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.

Hehehe...I was meant to operate on that flight! THANK GOD MY PREVIOUS DUTY WAS MESSED UP!

The only time MY phone has rung when onboard (and when I've forgetten to turn the thing off :O ) 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.

All cell phones I have ever used have an alarm function. My daughter's phone goes off every day at 17:00 to remind her to take a medication. If you don't know what mp3 she has set up for the alarm or an incoming call, you'd never know the difference. I'd guess it was an alarm on the cell phone in question.

Depends on the altitude. Blackberries and phones can recieve signals once the plane is up in the air. Berries at a higher altitude but both will work.

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?

If it was in the hold, nobody would hear it (apart from maybe AVI) :ok:

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! :D

With the current security in place, im wondering how it was brought on board in the first place?

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.

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

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

Newspaper headline this morning:
'TERROR PANIC AT 35,000 FEET' - somewhat overstated it I thought :sad:

The early series could pick up emails as high as F350, but not calls. The newer series is not as sensative and works below F150.

'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 ?

I like your logic PaperTiger but the phone could have also been used to call OUT to trigger something. Sure- there are flaws in that argument too but it's a possibility.

Well according to the Evening Standard the flight turned back as a result of Passengers kicking up when the captain wanted to continue the journey!!!

:ugh: :D :ugh: No need of a "boom" to trigger a mess.

And I'm not only talking about this particular case/flight.