Hi everyone,
I’d like to inform erveryone about the reality of safety issues at CDG.
I have been travelling to LAX via JFK and Atlanta on last week
and it was my first trip in the US since Sept 11.
I have been really impressed by new safety rules in US airports even if it’s sometime time consuming.
Despite the official political speech , the reality is different at ORY and CDG the main Paris airports.
After Sept 11 , the French officials have initiated what they call “Vigipirate plan”. This plan had been initiated in 95 while Paris was under Algerian terrorist bombing attacks.
This plan strentgh the controls in the airports and makes the police
more visible. Car park is prohibited in front of the terminals.
That’s the theory. I have to use either CDG or ORY at least twice a week and the reality is scaring:
– Dozens of cars are permanently parking in front of the terminals
– Cops are goofing around without any checking.
– My last X ray checking has been made by an officer very busy in reading a magazine !!!!!
In a word nothing has changed since sept 11.
As usual in France we are more concerned by cost issues than life value and I’m not very pround to be French in a such situation and it bugs me.
PS : Sorry if my english is not perfect
By: coanda - 26th February 2002 at 12:48
RE: Security at CDG
pressurised containers can explode if the pressure drops significantly- but hardly ever combustively- explosions are classified as very sudden changes in pressure, and are not always associated with combustion, more like combustion is a secondary effect of an explosion. if you’ve ever put an aerosol can on a fire you notice that it exploded with a large bang, which dissipates most of the energy, and then the contents of the can burnt, in the flames of the fire, very very quickly. if you were to just lower the outside pressure sufficiently to critically fail the can, ie, thin walled pressure vessel, it would just crack, and leak the contents, at worst making your clothes smell of your fave BO buster for months to come. which is why you can carry them in the seating area and not in the hold.
of course the oxygen content in the air could make the gases instantly flammable upon contact………….
coanda
By: Benair316P - 25th February 2002 at 20:48
RE: Security at CDG
Maybe we should consult airport security of such places as the Egypt/Israel border area. I have a family member who has just returned from Ovdah and claims it took an extra two hours than usual to pass all the security measures!
This may not be realistic in the States or the UK, but talk about strict security. (Well I supose its only expected there.)
Regards
Benair
By: mongu - 25th February 2002 at 20:38
RE: Security at CDG
African airports;
I travel 3 or 4 times a year through Lusaka. With international flights, they inspire confidence. Seems secure.
But for domestic flights…the X-ray machine and arch are located so that you need to pass through them BEFORE you check in.
So, people push their trolleys through the arches…it pings, they point at the trolley and the guards wave them on. They sometimes ask you to put bags on the X-ray machine, but only if they are not heavy. Heavy cases are assumed to be safe!
I have seen people (not exactly unusual, this) check in, then leave the check in area for a drink. Then they re-enter before their flight. The arch usually pings at them but as they hold boarding cards they are ALWAYS waved on.
Some domestic airports actually have NO security, though a policeman watches over things (sometimes).
Admittedly, it is unlikely that anyone will target Zambia – but, it is discomforting all the same.
Does anyone else have African horror stories?
By: monster500 - 25th February 2002 at 12:09
RE: Security at CDG
i can tell you on a recent personal visit to ORD in the USA aka Chicago,that the security was not that flash,The US still has a long way to go to,have the security standards up to scratch
By: KabirT - 25th February 2002 at 12:00
RE: Security at CDG
well you may like to correct that as SOME African airports……airports of Johanesburg, Harare, all airports of Nigeria and also not surprisingly Kenya are very tight in security….specially after Sep. 11, there was a small documentry on them on CNN some time back……
By: Hand87_5 - 25th February 2002 at 11:54
RE: Security at CDG
Kabir ,
You’re right. Nothing to do with african airports !!!
By: KabirT - 25th February 2002 at 11:49
RE: Security at CDG
never heard CDG having major security lapses…agreed they are not the best but also they are not the worst.
By: Comet - 25th February 2002 at 11:02
RE: Security at CDG
Thanks for your information (don’t worry about your English). I am due to fly to and from CDG in June, and I was going to post a question about security, mainly relating to what the position is with hand luggage, as I always take a video camera with me. After the incident with the American Airlines plane in December there have been articles in the newspapers about the security at CDG. I have to say I was not happy with the check in at CDG when I was there last June. Someone in front of me said she had aerosols in her suitcase, which, according to the info on tickets, you are not supposed to carry as I think they can explode with the pressure. The staff did nothing about this, even though some passengers were panicking thinking the plane would blow up. I think the staff at CDG seemed careless.
Sign In
February 25, 2002 at 10:56 am