Security in LHR
 

Today, in the morning, while waiting to perform the detestable crew security check in LHR, there was a Mercedes car before us. Only two people of four pax (they didn’t dress any uniform) did the normal security check. The other two people in the car didn’t go out and neither the rear boot has been opened to be checked.
On our request the security personnel explain us that the people involved were part of a royal family of a middle east emirate and that the checked persons were the retinue while the emir’s family must not be checked.
Considering that crews must take off their shoes and paint belt, pull out laptop from the luggage, put any liquid items in the special envelope, permit the check of individual badge twice, do you think that the security has been satisfied?
What about the security of the plane carrying royal families?

If they have diplomatic immunity, the police have no choice...

It's called diplomatic immunity. Clever and secure or not, but security personnel / police has to let go as soon as they have established that the person is indeed a recognised diplomat.

Once had a princess in my class for a couple years... makes the way to the aircraft a whole lot faster :)

Better not mention whats likely to be in the diplomatic bags ether then, as they are also immune to security searches. ;)

It is all true what everybody write concerning diplomatic immunity.

But I want to add one more thing of this story……

The emir’s family, after the non-security check, was flying with my plane. What a good luck, isn’t it?
They did a Vip pre-boarding and I saw that there were onboard different persons respect of those I saw in the security site. .
So, together with the pilot, there was a discussion concerning the situation of our flight.
We were very surprised that emir’s family choose to fly with public airline instead of private air service.
We thought that emir’s family, in order to avoid the vanishing of dynastic line after a terrorist attack, probably choose to go to a destination using different planes.
And who can assure me that in that emir’s family there are not internal succession struggle and that some bodyguards have not been corrupted and not bring onboard some weapons that they could have put in the boot of the car?
I can understand that it could be politics-fiction but, believe me, if I didn’t see what happened in the security site I could have been more comfortable.










Today, in the morning, while waiting to perform the detestable crew security check in LHR, there was a Mercedes car before us. Only two people of four pax (they didn’t dress any uniform) did the normal security check. The other two people in the car didn’t go out and neither the rear boot has been opened to be checked.
On our request the security personnel explain us that the people involved were part of a royal family of a middle east emirate and that the checked persons were the retinue while the emir’s family must not be checked.
Considering that crews must take off their shoes and paint belt, pull out laptop from the luggage, put any liquid items in the special envelope, permit the check of individual badge twice, do you think that the security has been satisfied?
What about the security of the plane carrying royal families?