yms901

He is a well-educated one so fluent in English whom I haven't ever seen on the internet.
But there is something in common his counterparts in the mainland... There is no point in his passage but finger-pointing all the time.

YuropFlyer

yms901: So could you please tell me how a bag that obviously GETS screened by security while being transported by them from landside to airside is anymore dangerous than a bag that gets transported by the pax itself, and then just screened?

Well, pretty sure you can't tell me why that should be more dangerous. Becaus it isn't. Because while technically - on the paper - it might be a security breach - in reality it isn't.

A VIP (and again, yes, the daugther of a local ruler is a VIP, like it or not - that has nothing to do with Korean nuts) made a mistake, forgot piece of luggage (I laugh about that as well - dumb idiot ) - then asked staff to help her getting it airside.

Was it smart? Probably not so much. Should have went landside again, picked it up, brought it by herself through security again.

Was it efficent? Hell, yes. Unless you consider two times immigration on top as more efficent..

Was it a breach of airport security? Maybe - just maybe - on paper. Technically, would it be a breech of airport security if I went airside to bring my friend a bag he forgot, using a fully flexible ticket? Then going to the lounge, and after having some Champagne, cancelling my ticket.. THAT would have been fine for you? But not asking security to SCREEN and bring over a forgotten bag for a VIP.. really?

Again, I'm asking for a reality check. If you don't like the daughter of a local politician because you're rooting for another party, that's fine. I think it's kinda silly, but well.. but making a big "news" out of it, and having someone fired over it, that's just plain.. well. I'm lacking the words for it.. childish, maybe?

Assuming you do mean me with that comment and not making a joke: I'm fairly fluent in English, but it's neither my first nor second language (Bloody French ) - in fact, it's not even my third language. Europe has so many..

English is a world language that is great to communicate, but whenever you're living somewhere, you really should try to learn their local language.

Or alternatively, use the world's #1 language: Beer

percysmith

Well I agree if she had the time, she should.

But discovering the loss at midnight for a 00:30 flight, I would think she didn't.

Yes I wondered why didn't she.

percysmith

Given there was no real security issue with the bag, the Assistant Manager exercised his or her discretion properly, and should not be punished.

The agent divulged personal information on a work incident, which is a breach of duty to employer, and should be punished.

Again, this really is no more work than a checked in bag that has been tagged with a security issue at screening and needs to be opened in front of passenger at gate. I think after this incident the rule should be amended "airline staff accompanied by Avesco staff can deliver bags into restricted area, subject to screening and positive identification by passenger, at the discretion of Avesco MOD and resources allowing."

The dems really look bad making a meal out of this.

P.S. I just saw the Apple Daily test video. It does infuriate the public when one high-profile case appeared to have obtained discretion but other cases are refused, probably as a result of the incident. The least they can do is if they considered discretion for one then they should do consider for all.

Cathay Boy

He didn't blew the whistle. Someone at CX leaked an internal memo documenting the "special incident" that happened. He was an scapegoat that just followed orders. Again, we only punish the soldiers, never the management.

percysmith

He did but I got the order wrong.

"The Post has also learned that a junior staff member of aviation security firm Avseco, who first leaked the accusations to a Chinese-language newspaper, lost his job after the saga."

Rumour mill (not cxsecret but some other FB page my wife is reading) is s/he got terminated with full notice, and approached the press after leaving service. Why s/he was terminated I don't know (but I can make some Hongkie-related guesses)

1010101

Any wife/daughter of a PM or President in the Western World would fly VIP with special arrangements. They would not ask staff to break the rules, and they most certainly would not call daddy to lean on the staff. They would be crucified in the press if they were caught doing so. That is the difference.

As you use the UK PM as an example, open a newspaper. The PM is currently being dragged through the press backwards because he did something slightly immoral, but completely legal, years ago and before he was elected. There is a real chance it will cost him his job.

yms901

The "First Family of HK" had breached very basic rules any "normal" HKer would follow in these years since this infamous first family has become one.

No landside agent would risk putting someone's bag thru security not knowing what's inside. Maybe the first family are carrying diplomatic passports & they can carry a gun and whatever they like in it. A person with normal sensorium would deny such request.

And it's clearly demonstrated by a local internet media no agent would do it even the AA had released a statement it had not breached any security rule. (Aren't the AA and govt sure what the hell they are talking a about?)

percysmith

The bag was scanned. Just without the presence of the passenger.

"The luggage was sent back to Chung-yan after it went through security checks, the statement said, without specifying who had decided that she did not need to retrieve it herself."

I stand to be corrected but I don't think provincial-level officials (even leaders) (which is what HK and Macau CEs are ranked nationally for protocol purposes) get diplomatic passports.

Official passport for the CE himself maybe.

That's the stupid, knee-jerk bureaucratic reaction to be expected from Hongkie organisations this days. In my, Yuropflyer and Carmy's opinion there is no real security concern, and it is not excessively DYKWIA. I further argue this security rule contradicts other rules/SOP regarding checked in luggage.

Airport staff clamming up after the exception inevitably leads to accusations of favouritism.

Govt didn't help by insisting no rules were broken right away. Strictly, there were.

percysmith

A former steward claims in his years of service he's heard of no such exception. He says if prohibited items were scanned, the passenger will claim the item was inserted.

I'm still not sure how that claim squares with scanning of checked in baggage, not all of which will be locked.

【我爸係梁特】曾任國泰未聞可代客取行李 補習名師斥：689呃人
http://s.nextmedia.com/realtime/a.ph...647&a=54968392

stevensonleehk

[Moderators - a bit off topic but I feel like there is a need for a reply]

That's precisely the issue behind why there are so much negative sentiments in Hong Kong - the complete lack of accountability and mandate in its puppet leaders.

You are completely right - a ridculous DYKWIA scandal/tabloid story like this in any other societies may cost him his job, and I believe rightly so. But the issue with HK is that the Mainland government will never allow this to happen.

Think about what the implications are to the rest of government officials in China if an appointed leader of a Chinese territory can be forced to leave office. Heck, I don't think CY or any senior members of his cabinet are allowed to resign even if they wish.

Just to keep this on topic, from my standpoint, the daughter of the CE should not be granted any special privledges/exceptions. She is an adult and above the age of consent. Legally, she is not a dependent of CY and should not have special privileges. So checking in through T1 is what I would have expected. She should have approached the lounge agents (she was traveling in J) and ask them to take her down to arrivals and go through immigration go landside to pick up her bag. It should really have taken 20mins tops at that time of night.

Being a Cambridge graduate and a postgraduate student in International Relations at Stanford, her mother and her should really have had a bit more political sense. Having said that, she may also have been in innocent by-stander in the whole saga, calling her mother about leaving her bag behind, and its Mrs. Leung who is pulling a DYKWIA.

percysmith

If this thread is going to argue whether Chung-Yan deserves special treatment, it should be closed here and reopened in Omni/PR.

I for one will challenge whether Chung-yan was given special treatment, but rather an exception from strict compliance with SOP (I haven't seen an actual rule being produced as being contravened).

percysmith

See A Very British Airline Episode 3
21 mins 22 secs into the clip BA shows how they deal with a suspected gun in a checked in suitcase. It's brought to the gate door and opened in the presence of the passenger and a police officer. It turns out to be a toy gun and the flight is delayed 15 minutes.

So:

1. If a checked in suitcase, which has been supposedly handed off by the passenger some time before being x-rayed, can be brought to the gate, why can't misplaced carry on baggage?

2. If this was after security, I suppose it will be all right (Grace Hui ad)

3. The concern about inserting items to frame the passenger is unfounded as not all checked-in suitcases are locked and the same concern can be raised there too.

Guy Betsy

Sigh....

Can't there be good news for a change?

YuropFlyer

The Overall development of HK as well as China overall in the last 20 years (ie since HK got freed from British rule) certainly is good. Picking some small events is always what those not agreeing with the rulership will do.