December 20, 2009
from American Thinker go there to read the original article with imbedded link references.
Terror test runs on airlines?
By John Leonard
After my article on the bizarre incident on Airtran Flight 297 was published,
one reader going by the initials VHG said something that immediately caught my
attention. The comment referred to an apparently similar occurrence that
happened on United Airlines flight #227 in Denver on December 9th,, only two
days before my article appeared.
While the story of that flight continues to unfold, I believe it is time again
to update American Thinkers with the current state of the developments
surrounding these stories.
Chris Vanderveen from 9News.com in Colorado interviewed passengers from the
plane that was reportedly delayed because of the suspicious behavior by a group
of men during preflight preparations. Although the one passenger from the flight
with whom I spoke that agreed to be quoted on condition of anonymity described
the incident from his vantage point as "not that big of a deal", the fact
passengers were removed from the plane and not allowed to re-board, plus bomb
sniffing dogs checked the luggage before the plane was allowed to depart from
the gate, simply suggests the action that caused the flight delay occurred
outside his line of sight.
Bad behavior causing flight disruptions are not uniquely limited to groups of
ethnic individuals. Flights have been rerouted or delayed by the actions of
drunken or stupid travelers of practically every nationality. The most famous
security breach at Hartsfield airport in Atlanta involved a 32 year old
Caucasian man who forced temporary closure of the entire airport while trying to
evade security in order to make his flight in time to attend a football game.
However, those incidents tend to be isolated, not repeated.
Given the differences between the official AirTran account of the incident and
those of multiple passengers allegedly on the flight, I contacted Christopher
White of AirTran hoping to resolve those discrepancies. Specifically I asked Mr.
White if AirTran planned to revise its official statement describing the
incident as simply a customer service issue that occurred due to a relatively
minor miscommunication involving a single passenger. I referred Mr. White to the
interview of a passenger named Brown by WSB TV. In that interview Mr. Brown
indicated multiple passengers were engaged in behavior significantly more
disconcerting than that described by the rather innocuous account given by
AirTran.
Mr. White's response to the questions I posed regarding Mr. Brown's version of
what happened was confusing to say the least. Mr. White had no problem
reiterating the point the story originated from an email attributed to one
specific passenger that AirTran took great pains to discredit but refused to be
engaged in a discussion of comments made by other passengers of a somewhat
similar nature but without the most sensational details.
When asked to reconcile the difference between Mr. Brown's statement that his
experience was one of the most alarming he'd undergone in twenty years of
frequent flying against the "customer service" issue characterization by AirTran
and the TSA, Mr. White responded:
I believe Mr. Brown is accurately portraying his perception of what happened.
His perspective is limited to the cabin. For example. He suggested we contact
the police and "expected blue lights to meet the plane. [email 12/16/09 2:46 pm
from Christopher White from AirTran to me]
On the other hand, when I wrote
I'm not trying to accuse AirTran of any wrongdoing, but I am saying it appears
your official report appears to have some serious factual discrepancies with the
accounts already out there, from Mr. Brown in particular. Have you spoken to Mr.
Brown or are you familiar with his account? [same email]
Mr. White's answer was simply "No".
No what? No, he wasn't familiar with Brown's account or no, he hadn't spoken
with him? His answers to the remainder of my questions were equally blunt: No, I
may not speak with the flight crew. No, AirTran won't revise its story no matter
what people actually on the plane have said. In other words, that's our story
and we're sticking to it.
Saying Mr. White provided more information than United Airlines' spokeswoman
regarding flight 227 to this point isn't saying much. United says they are still
investigating the incident a week after it happened. Their spokeswoman wrote
back
[W]e have not publicly reported what may or may not have happened onboard. As
part of our commitment to safety, any conversation we have with another airline
about security is a private matter.
Her last sentence responded to my question whether any common denominators
between the incidents on Flight #297 and Flight #227 had been discussed either
with TSA officials or AirTran.
In Vanderveen's article on flight #227, he reported bomb sniffing dogs were
brought on board the plane, information confirmed by the passenger with whom I
spoke. The men forced to deplane were described as "attempting to change seats
with other passengers" and another said "the men were trying to move luggage
around while the plane was getting ready to push back".
In both cases the planes were delayed, passengers were inconvenienced and unduly
alarmed, and by most accounts the flight crews on both planes were frightened
out of their wits.
Common Denominators
The situation that allegedly occurred on United flight #227 seems to have a few
common denominators with what apparently happened on AirTran. In both cases a
group of ethnic men apparently of Middle Eastern descent exhibited enough
strange behavior that proved sufficient to concern the pilots, flight crew and
other passengers enough to delay the flight, resulting in inconvenience to the
passengers and unnecessary expense for the airlines.
Chronology of Pattern Behavior
Once the point had been reached where additional information is no longer
forthcoming about these two flights in the foreseeable future, I didn't know
where to look for more information. An experienced reporter working on these
stories suggested I turn my attention backwards to seeing whether any dots could
be connected to incidents on flights in the past.
America West Flight 90, Nov 19, 1999. - In this pre-September 11th incident, two
passengers speaking Arabic roamed the plane without permission and attempted to
enter the cockpit in what has been described by the 9/11 commission in their
report as a dry run. "Students" Muhammed Al-Qudhaieen and Hamdan Al-Shalawi were
placed in custody and removed from the flight. Bomb-sniffing dogs were brought
to search the plane. The airline was sued for discrimination but the case was
dismissed.
Northwest Flight 327 - Jun 29, 2004. Described by flight marshals as a terrorist
dry run, thirteen men of Syrian descent changed seats, congregated in the
aisles, used the bathrooms excessively, appeared nervous and behaved in a
strange manner long enough to draw attention and concern from fellow passengers.
Air marshals on the plane instructed the flight crew to radio ahead for law
enforcement to meet the plane when it landed in Los Angeles.
US Airways Flight 300 - November 20, 2006. The infamous case of the flying imams
who allegedly changed seats in order to take control of every entry and exit
route from the plane, ignored their assigned seats, requested unnecessary
seatbelt extensions, and disrupted the flight. The unused seat belt extenders
were left lying on the airplane floor. Hmmm. Webbed strap belts with metal heads
attached - why would anyone be concerned about that? Who worries about customers
acting strangely who make obviously unnecessary and unusual special requests?
The imams were removed from the plane but cried discrimination after the fact.
They sued the airline and received an undisclosed settlement. CAIR and the imams
declared victory.
AirTran Flight 175 - Jan 1, 2009, According to an article published by the
Atlanta Business Chronicle, nine Muslims traveling to an Islamic conference were
removed from the plane after two members of the group allegedly engaged in a
debate about the safest location to sit in the event of a bombing on the plane.
The conversation alarmed other passengers, who alerted the flight crew and
caused the plane to be diverted. According to Doug Hagmann in the Canada Free
Press:
[N]one of the remaining 95 passengers made it to their ultimate destinations on
time, AirTran refunded some tickets and made other booking arrangements due to
the incident, which cost the airline dearly in time, money, and passenger
goodwill.
A press release from AirTran found at EuroInvestor.co.uk incredibly reported
that AirTran actually rewarded the nine Muslims who disrupted the flight,
saying:
"The airline has refunded the air fares of the nine passengers detained for
questioning, has agreed to reimburse the passengers for expenses incurred by
taking another airline and has also offered to transport the passengers home to
Washington, DC, free of charge."
So let me get this straight: the nine Muslims who caused the flight delay and
scared other passengers profited from their misconduct? Their airfare was
refunded AND they got a free flight home? Sounds like a pretty good deal to
me...is this a great country, or what?
United flight 22 - September 28, 2009. According to the KTLA.com, two men of
apparent Middle Eastern descent were removed from a flight at LAX and the flight
delayed while the bomb squad searched the plane. An article in the LA Times
reported the incident as follows:
A law enforcement source said at least one of the men ran into a restroom on the
plane and appeared to hide while the New York-bound jet was taxiing on the
runway, according to the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because
the case was ongoing.
AirTran 297 - Nov 17, 2009. A group of ethnic passengers used electronic devices
on tarmac preparing for takeoff, changed seats, moved around, ignored flight
attendants instructions, caused plane to return to terminal and flight delay.
UA 227 - Dec 9, 2009. A group of passengers believed to be of Middle Eastern
descent changed seats and allegedly moved other passenger's luggage at the gate
while the plane prepared for departure, prompting their removal from the flight
and bomb sniffing dogs to check the baggage.
Two possibilities that come immediately to mind are either these incidents are
orchestrated as a ploy to create a scenario to litigate for profit like the
imams from US Airways Flight 300, or something more sinister is in the works. In
the aftermath of Fort Hood, can we afford to ignore warning signs of abnormal or
pattern behavior any longer?
John Leonard can be reached at johnleonard@mindspring.com. His first book,
titled Hybrid Theory: Reconciling Creationism and Evolution Theory, is awaiting
publication.
* * * * *
Maybe it's time to knock off the PC bullshit of "randomly" strip-searching terrorist grandmothers and time to start concentrating on profiling muslims. Put them on the "no-fly list and let them drive where ever they need to go. Keep them off the freaking airplanes so the rest of us can feel safe again. And get them out of the TSA hierarchy and staff. We're not playing a game, this is the real thing. The muslims are at war with us, whether we admit it or not. No muslim should have any position of authority or trust in the government or the military or any business that affects public safety and welfare. This includes transportation, health, education, police and local government. Any muslim in the U.S. who has not already become a U.S. citizen and sworn allegiance to the U.S. should be booked passage on the next outbound boat. All student visas, H1B visas, tourist visas, whatever visas, are immediately cancelled for muslims, and you will report to the docks for processing. After the last boat leaves, stragglers will be rounded up by the military, not the police. The stragglers will be held in pig farms until military tribunals decide their fate.
By My Order
EnemyoftheState