Thomas Cook Jet Carrying Bomb from baggage handler at BHX

I had the full works, even at the small provincial airport at Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the metal detector found the stainless steel wire holding my ribs together! I am very impressed with the sensitivity of that machine!
However the checks in and out of the USA meant arriving 3 hours early at the airport to check in, and whilst I agree totally with having security precautions, I felt that they were a bit over the top compared with my experience in Europe. I thought that the USA was running profiles on suspect passengers. They applied the same strict checks to everyone however on the flights I took. In several cases the check-in took far longer than the actual flight!

I’ve had to remove my shoes (and belt) about 10 times in the past month. Seems to be a fact of life these days.

And yet after having my clothing pored over by a security guard with 20 GCSE’s and 10 A-Levels, I could go and buy a bottle of whisky or a sharp pointy thing like a souvenir Eiffel Tower.

Sooooo effective!

And this pre-occupation with X-rays and metal detectors….isn’t that technology 50 years old? Are you telling me that those machines can really detect everything they need to?

And how about when I get plastic cuttlery with my inflight meal. Then we land in a foreign country, refuel and take off again. I get another meal – with metal knife and fork. Purlease….this is deeply pathetic.

Oh, and then there’s the seeming 50% or more of airliners with the old fashioned non-reinforced cockpit doors. Hardly a swift retrofit programme, eh? If it was something more important than security, like perhaps having to change the engine or something, I bet the whole fleet would have been done by now.

An Abatrageur is someone who exploits the differences in systems. A debt abatrageur exploits different interest rates. I know a few as clients. They make a LOT of money. Is a “security” abatrageur any different????

But hey, I get charged money for the extra “security” which means I can expect to benefit from it, surely?

I was under the impression that your average European airport operated it’s security screening far more strictly than your average US airport, pre 11/9 ?

Wasn’t catching a US internal flight a bit like catching a bus ?

Very true but lessons have been learned. I for one would be happy to remove my shoes when passing through security channels or leave my checked baggage unlocked (as you must now do in certain US airports) if it will contribute to improving the security of the flight.

I was under the impression that your average European airport operated it’s security screening far more strictly than your average US airport, pre 11/9 ?

Wasn’t catching a US internal flight a bit like catching a bus ?

I think that is a very newsworthy state of affairs. It may have been sensationalist, but at least it got the point across.

I have to agree with this. I know airport security is never going to be foulproof, but if this prompts BHX management to review their security procedures then I’m all for it. In light of 9/11, American airports seem to have much tighter security checks than European ones yet European ones are no less susceptible to terrorist attacks.

Of course newspapers will sensationalise this type of thing, it’s a fact of life. However, I’d rather this type of thing got published than think that undercover journalism was dead. As for the journalist, it’s probably nothing to dent his reputation on Fleet Street.

It would be virtually impossible to ever make air travel 100% secure and terrorism proof. Even if it truley was VERY VERY secure, terrorists (who are are obviously extreamly devoted to their cause) would always be able to find the ‘hole in the fence’ of aviation securty and carry out their sick intentions.

Therefore, any of these new, hugely expensive security measures are completly and utterly worthless.

I bought the Sun, something I wouldn’t normally do.

At the end of the day, we all know almost for a fact, that airport security is bad. It always has been and there has been only a slight imporvement since 9/11. And yet the authorities have made life inconvenient for travellers and the airlines have levied “security surcharges”. They have achieved nothing much, apart from annoying people.

I think that is a very newsworthy state of affairs. It may have been sensationalist, but at least it got the point across.

I know that.

This is how “Plastacine” is more commonly known in Britain.

Play Dough is a commercial brand 😀

Aha!

It all comes back to me (said the sailor as he peed into wind) 😀

Eh? :confused:

What on earth is knead?

Play Dough.

Seahawk was litterally translating the german word for Play Dough which is “Knete”

Possible as stupid as the fake bomb platend by another reporter before the Olympics. It did contain some wire, some cables and some nails. I mean if they would have removed all that from the site, how on earth should they ever finish the buildings ??

We had a simliar case in Germany i which a man was able to smuggle a packet on knead (to simulate platic explosives) onto a plane. However I´m not sure how you would destroy a plane using knead. “Everybody freeze I have some knead. Everybody who does not comply will be hit by deadly pellets of hand rolled knead bullets !!” Doubt it works.

Eh? :confused:

What on earth is knead?

Possible as stupid as the fake bomb platend by another reporter before the Olympics. It did contain some wire, some cables and some nails. I mean if they would have removed all that from the site, how on earth should they ever finish the buildings ??

We had a simliar case in Germany i which a man was able to smuggle a packet on knead (to simulate platic explosives) onto a plane. However I´m not sure how you would destroy a plane using knead. “Everybody freeze I have some knead. Everybody who does not comply will be hit by deadly pellets of hand rolled knead bullets !!” Doubt it works.

Yes hopefully his “Scotland Yard issued Press Pass” get taken away for good.

I bet its the same reporter who wandered into FLS hanger at Stansted?? when a Go Aircraft was in being overhauled.

If one of us tried this stunt, no doubt we’d be hauled up in court, probably get some sort of criminal record, and almost certainly be banned from flying with the airline concerned for life. Although I suspect he’ll get away with what he’s done, I sincerely hope that this PRAT from the Sun gets the same sort of treatment from the authorities that any normal passenger would get.

Andy

Woho something the whole forum agress on – how bad the sun is at acturatly protraying what happened!

Also why is there nothing said about Nigel Cairns who was with him the whole time and who is a Sun Photographer. Surly two people saying the same thing would seem more amazing!

In full agreement.

Anything from “The Sun” can always be regarded as written diorrhea

So true ….

Skypilot, spot on, I’m in total agreement. How that kind of “newspaper” sells so many copies, then I guess page 3 might have something to do with it! It can’t be for any news content.

Sensationalism and titilation is what they are all about, which is ok but any news content should not be taken seriously.

These sort of antics get me annoyed, fair enough he may have brought to light a security lapse, as he did give fake refrences but how can you identify a fake bomb? Even going through a detector would not identify it.

I would get this guy up on a charge (if possible) and them let them write about the outcome in the paper…..Fools

Why don’t they target trains, boats and buses for their sensationalist stories.

what annoys me about all these “undercover” reporters is the motivation and Sensationalism behind the subsequent report. If they sincerely wish to highlight security issues, does it need to be blazoned across the front of a tabloid or perhaps sent in a discreet report to the DFT? Won’t sell so many newspapers though will it? Nothing like a good bit of scare mongering to boost sales, never mind the potential damage to an already fragile industry. It wouldn’t be half as bad if they got their facts straight even! Again, why let the truth stand in the way of a “good” story. 😡

I’d love to see Mr France arrested and charged under the Terrorism act for potentially endangering an aircraft/interferring with a flight etc.

*seeth*

In full agreement.

Anything from “The Sun” can always be regarded as written diorrhea