47 Pax stuck on stinky plane for 9 hours on ramp

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taters

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Here is the link. An ExpressJet E-145 got diverted to Rochester,MN and was "forced" to stay on the ramp for 9 hours for TSA security hoo-ha

What a disgrace to the folks in the back.. "I declare an emergency" could have avoided this ridculous mess.
 
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the real question, when faced with this scenario, is which is better? sitting in the airplane all night long or politely asking the pilots to report a disorderly passenger, taking the cuffs and going to the county jail. at least you'd get your own room.
 
tonycondon said:
the real question, when faced with this scenario, is which is better? sitting in the airplane all night long or politely asking the pilots to report a disorderly passenger, taking the cuffs and going to the county jail. at least you'd get your own room.
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Sadly, some folks would be out of a job if their name showed up on some security watch list....
 
I think that either the crew or the company is at fault here. Another plane came in during the same timeframe and allowed their passengers into the terminal. I think that TSA and the airport are getting a bum rap on this one.
 
AuntPeggy said:
I think that either the crew or the company is at fault here. Another plane came in during the same timeframe and allowed their passengers into the terminal. I think that TSA and the airport are getting a bum rap on this one.
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The crew has no defense in my eyes..sometimes a Captain needs to be a Captain and say screw it were all getting off and TSA can freak out accordingly
 
tonycondon said:
the real question, when faced with this scenario, is which is better? sitting in the airplane all night long or politely asking the pilots to report a disorderly passenger, taking the cuffs and going to the county jail. at least you'd get your own room.
Click to expand...

Once again I swear I'd be down the back stairs to the tarmac. They can try to arrest me.
 
tonycondon said:
the real question, when faced with this scenario, is which is better? sitting in the airplane all night long or politely asking the pilots to report a disorderly passenger, taking the cuffs and going to the county jail. at least you'd get your own room.
Click to expand...

Amen. I'd have tried to get out. I'd rather spend the night in the drunk tank than in a seat on a 145.
:D

It's mind-blowing that this happened with a domestic flight... but that's our TSA for ya. :frown2:
 
1. ALWAYS have a prepaid cell phone in your pocket...
2. Bend over like you are asleep and cover your head with your jacket, dial 911 and whisper that you are at the airport and you can see men with knives through the windows of an airplane out on the ramp... Don't answer the operator's questions - just hang up in mid word like the phone was grabbed...
3. Quietly ditch the phone into the overflowing commode (wipe it off)
4 Act surprised when the SWAT Team jerks the door open on the plane...
 
Dr. O said:
1. ALWAYS have a prepaid cell phone in your pocket...
2. Bend over like you are asleep and cover your head with your jacket, dial 911 and whisper that you are at the airport and you can see men with knives through the windows of an airplane out on the ramp... Don't answer the operator's questions - just hang up in mid word like the phone was grabbed...
3. Quietly ditch the phone into the overflowing commode (wipe it off)
4 Act surprised when the SWAT Team jerks the door open on the plane...
Click to expand...

Please do us all a favor and publish your itinerary so we can know when not to fly commercial.
 
Dr. O said:
1. ALWAYS have a prepaid cell phone in your pocket...
2. Bend over like you are asleep and cover your head with your jacket, dial 911 and whisper that you are at the airport and you can see men with knives through the windows of an airplane out on the ramp... Don't answer the operator's questions - just hang up in mid word like the phone was grabbed...
3. Quietly ditch the phone into the overflowing commode (wipe it off)
4 Act surprised when the SWAT Team jerks the door open on the plane...
Click to expand...

I like the way you think.
 
Dr. O said:
1. ALWAYS have a prepaid cell phone in your pocket...
2. Bend over like you are asleep and cover your head with your jacket, dial 911 and whisper that you are at the airport and you can see men with knives through the windows of an airplane out on the ramp... Don't answer the operator's questions - just hang up in mid word like the phone was grabbed...
3. Quietly ditch the phone into the overflowing commode (wipe it off)
4 Act surprised when the SWAT Team jerks the door open on the plane...
Click to expand...
5. Sit back and watch the bomb squad detonate your luggage cause the dog went of some jerky you left in there.
 
Dr. O said:
1. ALWAYS have a prepaid cell phone in your pocket...
2. Bend over like you are asleep and cover your head with your jacket, dial 911 and whisper that you are at the airport and you can see men with knives through the windows of an airplane out on the ramp... Don't answer the operator's questions - just hang up in mid word like the phone was grabbed...
3. Quietly ditch the phone into the overflowing commode (wipe it off)
4 Act surprised when the SWAT Team jerks the door open on the plane...
Click to expand...

I think a better approach would be to keep the number of flyersrights.org
in your wallet and call their hot line which is in place to pressure the
airline when such incidents happen. 1 877 359 3776
 
RogerT said:
I think a better approach would be to keep the number of flyersrights.org
in your wallet and call their hot line which is in place to pressure the
airline when such incidents happen. 1 877 359 3776
Click to expand...

Stop being so....mature!!!!!
:fingerwag:


Obviously, we prefer to pretend we'd be a Bruce Willis Action Hero in that situation.....
:cool2:
 
This part make no sence.
airline wouldn't let passengers off the plane because TSA screeners had gone home and passengers legally couldn't get back on the plane
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Why would TSA care. You through security at one airport and get off and change flight and they dont care.

I dont like the TSA any more than next person here but I dont you can blame them.
 
ron22 said:
This part make no sence.

Why would TSA care. You through security at one airport and get off and change flight and they dont care.

I dont like the TSA any more than next person here but I dont you can blame them.
Click to expand...

Here's my guess - I don't know how true it is. The TSA may have some rule that flights cannot be boarded without them being present at the airport. At the very minimum, the relief crew would have to go through security.

I'd guess that the crew of the plane figured that it would be given clearance soon enough, so letting people off the plane would blow any takeoff slot. Optimism turned to timeout. By that time, there was no one at the airport to let them in (it's not a normal station for CO).

If the TSA angle is true, it points up a failure in the system. In any event, the only folks that had true control over the situation was the airline.
 
wsuffa said:
Here's my guess - I don't know how true it is. The TSA may have some rule that flights cannot be boarded without them being present at the airport. At the very minimum, the relief crew would have to go through security.

I'd guess that the crew of the plane figured that it would be given clearance soon enough, so letting people off the plane would blow any takeoff slot. Optimism turned to timeout. By that time, there was no one at the airport to let them in (it's not a normal station for CO).

If the TSA angle is true, it points up a failure in the system. In any event, the only folks that had true control over the situation was the airline.
Click to expand...

The crew timed out for the day preventing a departure, and TSA would "freak out" that there are passengers at an airport other than where there ticket says they should be. Totally Agree that this is on the airline. The captain should have been happy to carpet dance to the CP though by declaring an emergency due to the overflowing not so blue juice running out of the lav.
 
I know that long before TSA came about I was on a flight that got diverted to a small southern airport and while we were allowed off the plane we were only allowed into the departure lounge and not into the main terminal because the screeners had left for the day. We did not have access to food drink or even bathrooms. For those who had to go, they were escorted back to the plane to use the facilities on board. This was a small turbo prop and we were only 10 or 12 passengers so it was not the end of th world. I think this was about 96 or 97. We were there for 3 or 4 hours as I recall.
 
jtheune said:
I know that long before TSA came about I was on a flight that got diverted to a small southern airport and while we were allowed off the plane we were only allowed into the departure lounge and not into the main terminal because the screeners had left for the day. We did not have access to food drink or even bathrooms. For those who had to go, they were escorted back to the plane to use the facilities on board. This was a small turbo prop and we were only 10 or 12 passengers so it was not the end of th world. I think this was about 96 or 97. We were there for 3 or 4 hours as I recall.
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Not exactly a new situation. Twentysome years ago I came into LAX on an overseas flight from Europe. The June Gloom was in effect, and we shot three approaches - and missed 'em all. So it was over to Palmdale, where we sat for a few hours. They wouldn't let anybody off "because it's a Military Base" - or so they said. Finally, we took off again and made it onto LAX on the first try.
I have no horror stories to relate, but everybody was sure ****ed off - and it caused me to miss my connection. Instead I had to take a bus, and got home
in the middle of the night.

Dave
 
Didn't they pass a law about this last time it was happening fairly often?
 
No, they didn't. There's been a coalition for a Passenger's Bill of Rights for a while but no meaningful legislation has been passed.
 
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