Qatar VIP party grounds BA 563 in LIN yesterday
Jul 27, 2007, 2:39 am
#1
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Qatar VIP party grounds BA 563 in LIN yesterday
Italian media are reporting this morning that BA 563 LIN-LHR was kept on the ground for 3 hours yesterday afternoon, after a member of the royal family did not want the women in his party to sit next to other men.
He prevented the flight from taking off until he could find a way to sit the women either next to a family member or alone, but all other J passengers refused to move. After three hours of negotiations, he finally agreed to keep the seats they were given at check-in, but at this point the BA captain decided not to take him and his party on board and left them in LIN.
They were flown to LHR later on a AZ flight.
The whole article (in Italian) is here:
http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/C...ar_Galli.shtml
He prevented the flight from taking off until he could find a way to sit the women either next to a family member or alone, but all other J passengers refused to move. After three hours of negotiations, he finally agreed to keep the seats they were given at check-in, but at this point the BA captain decided not to take him and his party on board and left them in LIN.
They were flown to LHR later on a AZ flight.
The whole article (in Italian) is here:
http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/C...ar_Galli.shtml
Last edited by SwissexLUG; Jul 27, 2007 at 2:44 am Reason: Typo
Jul 27, 2007, 3:34 am
#3
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Jul 27, 2007, 4:03 am
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2 obvious questions:
How can that nonsense have taken 3 hours ?
If (as he plainly did) the Captain had a discretion to throw them off and was actually prepared to exercise it, why did he wait 3 hours to do it ??? One might have thought that 30 - 60 mins of that sort of nonsense would have been more than sufficient.
How can that nonsense have taken 3 hours ?
If (as he plainly did) the Captain had a discretion to throw them off and was actually prepared to exercise it, why did he wait 3 hours to do it ??? One might have thought that 30 - 60 mins of that sort of nonsense would have been more than sufficient.
Jul 27, 2007, 5:01 am
#6
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I believe that there was some pressure to accommodate the passenger, given their importance. TFA states that a Qatari consular official was involved in the mediation, as well as the police, to avoid a "diplomatic incident".
Jul 27, 2007, 5:06 am
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I guess he hadn't paid full fare or held status then, or he would have been able to pre-assign - another happy customer due to BA's seating policy 
I feel sorry for the people stuck down the back in Y while this was all sorted out
I feel sorry for the people stuck down the back in Y while this was all sorted out
Jul 27, 2007, 5:09 am
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Jul 27, 2007, 5:13 am
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I am assuming that this has been accurately reported of course!
Jul 27, 2007, 5:58 am
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Jul 27, 2007, 6:41 am
#12
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I'd love to know what time the 563 got on stand yesterday.
I'm not able to access where I am - can you. I'm just intrigued as to why the Capt took a 3 hour delay on this and wonder if a little artistic licence in the article. I would have turned the lot off!
PG
Jul 27, 2007, 6:49 am
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Jul 27, 2007, 6:54 am
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I am just wondering why if someone is that "impotent", wealthy and picky about their personal arrangments and ability to interact with the larger non muslim world out there, why they would not just own or charter a private jet. Flying on a public aircraft implies that you will have to interact with the "public". If you want to live your life in your medieval muslim
coocoon, then you should arrange all your travel and any movements that take you out into the big bad world of filthy infidels to be insulated from such.
Just waiting to hear from some fool who will try to justify this type of behaviour.
coocoon, then you should arrange all your travel and any movements that take you out into the big bad world of filthy infidels to be insulated from such.
Just waiting to hear from some fool who will try to justify this type of behaviour.