Whn not? We already have had to patrol the border when the Government would not.
Posted on 08/19/2006 4:54:48 PM PDT by West Coast Conservative
British holidaymakers staged an unprecedented mutiny - refusing to allow their flight to take off until two men they feared were terrorists were forcibly removed.
The extraordinary scenes happened after some of the 150 passengers on a Malaga-Manchester flight overheard two men of Asian appearance apparently talking Arabic.
Passengers told cabin crew they feared for their safety and demanded police action. Some stormed off the Monarch Airlines Airbus A320 minutes before it was due to leave the Costa del Sol at 3am. Others waiting for Flight ZB 613 in the departure lounge refused to board it.
The incident fuels the row over airport security following the arrest of more than 20 people allegedly planning the suicide-bombing of transatlantic jets from the UK to America. It comes amid growing demands for passenger-profiling and selective security checks.
It also raised fears that more travellers will take the law into their own hands - effectively conducting their own 'passenger profiles'.
The passenger revolt came as Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary was accused of using the terror crisis to make money. Government sources say he boasted to an official at the Transport Department: "Every time I appear on TV, I get a spike in sales."
The Tories said the Government's failure to reassure travellers had led the Malaga passengers to 'behave irrationally' and 'hand a victory to terrorists'.
Websites used by pilots and cabin crew were yesterday reporting further incidents. In one, two British women with young children on another flight from Spain complained about flying with a bearded Muslim even though he had been security-checked twice before boarding.
The trouble in Malaga flared last Wednesday as two British citizens in their 20s waited in the departure lounge to board the pre-dawn flight and were heard talking what passengers took to be Arabic. Worries spread after a female passenger said she had heard something that alarmed her.
Passengers noticed that, despite the heat, the pair were wearing leather jackets and thick jumpers and were regularly checking their watches.
Initially, six passengers refused to board the flight. On board the aircraft, word reached one family. To the astonishment of cabin crew, they stood up and walked off, followed quickly by others.
The Monarch pilot - a highly experienced captain - accompanied by armed Civil Guard police and airport security staff, approached the two men and took their passports.
Half an hour later, police returned and escorted the two Asian passengers off the jet.
'There was no fuss or panic'
Soon afterwards, the aircraft was cleared while police did a thorough security sweep. Nothing was found and the plane took off - three hours late and without the two men on board.
Monarch arranged for them to spend the rest of the night in an airport hotel and flew them back to Manchester later on Wednesday.
College lecturer Jo Schofield, her husband Heath and daughters Emily, 15, and Isabel, 12, were caught up in the passenger mutiny.
Mrs Schofield, 38, said: "The plane was not yet full and it became apparent that people were refusing to board. In the gate waiting area, people had been talking about these two, who looked really suspicious with their heavy clothing, scruffy, rough, appearance and long hair.
"Some of the older children, who had seen the terror alert on television, were starting to mutter things like, 'Those two look like they're bombers.'
"Then a family stood up and walked off the aircraft. They were joined by others, about eight in all. We learned later that six or seven people had refused to get on the plane.
"There was no fuss or panic. People just calmly and quietly got off the plane. There were no racist taunts or any remarks directed at the men.
"It was an eerie scene, very quiet. The children were starting to ask what was going on. We tried to play it down."
Mr Schofield, 40, an area sales manager, said: "When the men were taken off they didn't argue or say a word. They just picked up their coats and obeyed the police. They seemed resigned to the fact they were under suspicion.
"The captain and crew were very apologetic when we were asked to evacuate the plane for the security search. But there was no dissent.
"While we were waiting, everyone agreed the men looked dodgy. Some passengers were very panicky and in tears. There was a lot of talking about terrorists."
Patrick Mercer, the Tory Homeland Security spokesman, said last night: "This is a victory for terrorists. These people on the flight have been terrorised into behaving irrationally.
"For those unfortunate two men to be victimised because of the colour of their skin is just nonsense."
Monarch said last night: "The captain was concerned about the security surrounding the two gentlemen on the aircraft and the decision was taken to remove them from the flight for further security checks.
"The two passengers offloaded from the flight were later cleared by airport security and rebooked to travel back to Manchester on a later flight."
A spokesman for the Civil Guard in Malaga said: "These men had aroused suspicion because of their appearance and the fact that they were speaking in a foreign language thought to be an Arabic language, and the pilot was refusing to take off until they were escorted off the plane."
If you are flying on American airlines to OKC through Dallas, chances are your luggage will arrive the next day! Absolute worst airline for luggage arrival with you if you had to change planes in Dallas.
Let me think while I type --- oh yes, it was at Lindberg Field (San Diego) where the curbside check in for AA charges $2 per bag! I took the escalator up to the check in counter.
Hell, I don't know...lol. I can only relate my personal experience.
Yes, had to connect in Dallas (DFW) --- late to the gate to ctch the plane, but shock of shocks, my luggage arrived on same plane with me! Not lost or delayed. That was a first for me with AA.
What really steams me is that the Islamists have made us all change our lives because of their hatred for us.
They are taking our freedom away step by step, incredulous of how their puny actions cause such a large worldwide reaction.
It's time to give them something to worry about.
Multiple Choice Test
Very Good!!!!! do you mind if I use that sometime?
Over here it is common to refer to Arabia as Asia, it is not covering things, it is just the way the Euro-peons speak.
And where do the Indians fit in? You know, a billion caucasians smack dab in the middle of Asia? And most of Russia?
The reason we in America wrongly call only oriental people "Asian" is due to PC. PC terms are typically far from accurate.
Canadians are rightly referred to as North Americans, BTW.
Actually, the PC bureaucrat got what he wanted, less freedom, and the "Asians" were only the excuse. How else could Islam be the world power it is today, they can't even build planes? I think the primary backers of the Jihad are the State Department and other Politicians, the solution to the problem of legal illegal immigration is getting them precisely what they want. A police state with them at the helm.
Off topic, but just wondering, how did you get your name?
It's my middle name, and my 10 month old granddaughter's as well.
My older sister tells me she heard it when my mom was pregnant with me, and that Bing Crosby had a daughter with that name..? Anyway, she talked mom and dad into giving me that as a middle name, and I've always loved it.
I always thought it was an Hawaiian name, translating to the name "Mary", however my daughter married a man of the Greek Orthodox faith, and in doing research on Greece, found there is actually an island there named "Malia".
"I canceled my family vacation to Hawaii today"
I can understand your feelings and maybe if more do this AND let the airlines and travel agencies know just why the cancel was made, it might show there are some of us who want safety on our flights.
When I hear passengers complaining about long lines and strict rules at the airports, I want to ask - where were you on 9/11.
Instead they should be asking for stronger security measures and thank the security checkers. Everyone should be checked!!!!!! A married couple caring a baby was going to be used, so scratch off that one. It is not just two men now!!! next someone looking like your neighbor next door will be used. So we close one gap and another opens. But still you have to try.
Everyone should be looked at a a potential problem.
And I think dogs should be used at the curb, in line, at the entrance to the plane. Also after everyone boards.
I have a friend who works security and I can say they work very hard. They are very serious.
Whn not? We already have had to patrol the border when the Government would not.
THis is something I just absolutely do not understand. The government has always known that it is possible to have two or more innocuous sunstances that are harmless in themselve that can be made lethal when mixed together. This is not new. It is not something invented recently by terrorists. You probably have several things in your house right now that would not be too terribly pleasant to be around if they were mixed together. But, because some terrorist planned to make use of this, you now can't even bring eye-drops along with you when you fly.
The government must think we're all morons.
Apparently some people are willing to agree to any demand of government no matter how insane or rediculous.
btt
I have a feeling the reader comments aren't exactly what the Daily Mail wants to publish.
I've come very close to doing this.
Next time you foolishly cancel your trip to Hawaii, bear in mind that out of two billion airline passengers in the past year the number that have died in terrorist attacks is zero. You are far more likely to die of deep vein thrombosis from sitting in front of your computer than you are to die on a plane from a terrorist attack....
I'll just leave the plane or not board in the first place.
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