Just saw this thread and thought I'd post something that I put on another thread here a while back. I had my own con air experience in the States a few years back. I ended up flying back to London on BA and have to say it was a great journey especially considering the one I had before that.

------------------------


I was in the States on a holiday visa but like a lot of people do worked there and stayed on after I was meant to leave. I was only 19 and shouldn't have done it and learned my lesson. Anyway I got into some trouble, got arrested and got 6 months in county jail. When I'd served the sentence I was to get deported and spent another few weeks in an immigration detention centre in New York while it was being sorted out.

I ended up getting a flight back to New York to the detention centre. On the morning it happened they let me change out of the horrible orange jail jumpsuit that I had to wear for the past 6 months and I could wear normal clothes which was good and got taken to the airport. At the airport they took me to a holding area and took off the leg chains and I was just handcuffed. There was only one guard and he was very decent to me and chatted with me and I think he felt sorry for me. We were there a few hours before the flight and he even let me have a cigarette (first one in 6 months) before we went to the gate area and waited. I could see loads of people looking over at me and felt really embarassed - suppose it is unusual to see somebody sitting down handcuffed at the airport but there was nothing I could do about it but I was happy enough just to be out of jail.

Like somebody said we had seats in the second last row and he did give me his jacket to cover the cuffs. I was put by the window, he sat beside me and the other seat was free. Because I was nearly at the back not that many people saw me only really ifthey were going to the toilets. Before we got on the plane he brought me to the toilets at the airport. He got me some orange juice to drink on the plane and I drank that but it was tricky as it was a bit bumpy and I still had the cuffs on. We were last to get off and he brought me down to the immigration people at the airport and left me and I spent a while there before being brought to the detention centre.

I thought the same thing was going to happen when I was going back to London but they took my handcuffs off just before getting on the plane and I was just on my own. It felt good after nearly being 7 months in jail to be just able to do my own thing and thinking about getting back home and I had a few beers on the flight which were the best I ever had.

That was the worst time of my life going through that but like I said I learnt my lesson and haven't been in any trouble since. Because of getting deported I can't go back to USA and that's the main regret I had. I was treated OK though and it's a story some day for my kids.