This week in ASK THE PILOT
The Hazards of “Flying while Muslim.”
Plus, surly airport staff, ugly paintjobs, and Africa’s coolest airport
On airport staff…
“…It always amazes me how professional the ground workers are at airports outside the United States, even in poor countries. They are often neatly uniformed, and in some cities will stand in formation as the airplane pulls in. Heck, in Japan, it's traditional for the workers, clad in jumpsuits and hard-hats, to *bow* to departing flights. The equipment used a foreign airports -- the carts and tugs and cargo loaders – also tends to be in much better condition than our own. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of hardworking staff in airports across America, but all too often the typical gateside scene is one of rusted-out, banged-up vehicles and scowling workers in Yankees caps and greasy untucked shirts, who act as though they can't be bothered to marshall in your plane…”
On “Flying While Muslim”…
“…On New Years Day, nine Muslim passengers headed for a vacation in Florida were kicked off an AirTran flight at Reagan National airport in Washington, DC. The nine, eight of whom were Americans, including several women and children, had roused the suspicion of other passengers through such clearly threatening gestures as talking about the location of emergency exits and discussing which were the safest seats.
Similar episodes of passenger vigilantism have occurred sporadically ever since the terror attacks in 2001. Some of them would almost be funny if they weren't so offensive, ignorant, and a menace to civil liberties. The crime of “flying while Muslim,” some have called it, whereby innocuous comments and gestures that would normally go unnoticed become “suspicious activity,” leading to detainments, arrests, and even threats of physical violence. Although this was the first such case in a while, it's clear that we remain spring-loaded to foolishness and overreaction.
Three years ago this column covered the story of Raed Jarrar, an architect and project director for a human rights group, who was denied boarding at Kennedy airport until he agreed to remove a cotton t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase, “We will not be silenced” in Arabic script. Earlier this week, Jarrar was awarded $240,000 in a settlement with TSA and JetBlue Airways.
The Jarrar incident is especially troubling because it makes so little sense. Not only did security at JFK assume that Jarrar was potentially dangerous because of his shirt, they also assumed that making him * remove the shirt * would do away with the danger. When he finally agreed to put on a different one, they let him board the aircraft. The shirt was not considered a sign of some hidden threat; it was considered dangerous in and of itself. It’s disturbing that not only are too many Americans so easily frightened, but that they require such infantile coddling in order to feel safe…”
The full article is here…
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/...skthepilot304/
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Last time in ASK THE PILOT: Bailout Nation. Will the airlines follow Detroit to the government trough?
http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/...skthepilot303/