2 AF Flights diverted to for security reasons
Nov 20, 2015, 9:58 am
#16
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: LAX
Programs: Delta Plat, CO Gold, AF
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My wife and I were also on AF65. Right after main course but before cheese course flight attendants came by and grabbed everything off the trays and told us to prepare for a landing. An "unsafe flying condition". We had been descending for several minutes prior to the announcement which I thought may have been to avoid weather. Boy was I wrong. From the upper deck (row 61) the landing did not seem "hard". Speaking with others on the lowere deck later on and they said it was very hard. We all exited with our carry on bags and were bussed to US Customs at SLC. There everyone waited for a quick (5 minute) interview by the FBI. Plane was searched by dogs and agents. Engineers checked the aircraft over as we were still full of fuel and gave it an OK to proceed. We arrived at CDG about 6 hours late. AF had already rebooked us on our flight to PRG. Kudos to AF and Delta for the way they handled this. Food and drinks provided to everyone. After takeoff I finally got my cheese plate. 
Was never really worried. It seems to me if you are going to blow up an aircraft you don't call and let them know. Of course better safe than in pieces on the ground. Again two thumbs up for the way it was handled.
Was never really worried. It seems to me if you are going to blow up an aircraft you don't call and let them know. Of course better safe than in pieces on the ground. Again two thumbs up for the way it was handled.
Nov 20, 2015, 11:44 am
#17
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BTW, there's a thread in the DL forum on FT focusing on how well the DL ground staff at SLC handled the situation. One of our mods was on board. There's also a link to OMAAT's blog as he also was apparently a passenger.
Nov 20, 2015, 7:34 pm
#18
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So, what does this event tell us about the level of confidence the 'system' has in airport security? 
It would seem that, despite the huge expenditure on, and significant inconvenience caused by, the tight security checks at airports (and I'm not in any way questioning the need for these), any would-be supporter of the terrorists can cause major disruption by making a simple telephone call!
Is there really so little trust in the effectiveness of TSA operations that we are prepared to so freely offer such a 'weapon of mass disruption' to the terrorists?
-- Henry
It would seem that, despite the huge expenditure on, and significant inconvenience caused by, the tight security checks at airports (and I'm not in any way questioning the need for these), any would-be supporter of the terrorists can cause major disruption by making a simple telephone call!
Is there really so little trust in the effectiveness of TSA operations that we are prepared to so freely offer such a 'weapon of mass disruption' to the terrorists?
-- Henry
That said, bomb threats are not really Daesh style but I do not think that this is a sufficient reason to ignore them completely.