PTravel

I have a Scottevest jacket that I always wear when flying. Everything depends on how much stuff you put in them. I frequently use mine as as either a way around carryon restriction, or as a way to avoid having to get up during a flight and open the bin to access my carryon. When I'm fully loaded, in both modes, I'm carrying my passport, my wallet, a pen, my iPod, my cellphone, my Bose headphones, a headphone amplifier, my laptop, my tablet, and an extended capacity battery (and, sometimes, a camera or two). When doing this, it is NOT comfortable, though completely manageable -- I do feel like a walking hardware store. However, without the Bose, the laptop, the tablet and the battery, it is very comfortable. I do find the jacket warm on board, but I'm always warm on board, which is why I'll take it off and stuff it under the seat in front of me or, if I'm in bulkhead, put it on the floor behind my legs (but not under my seat). Oddly enough, FAs have allowed me to do that when it bulkheads, i.e. they'll tell me I have to stow my carryon, but when I show them it's "just" my jacket, they say fine.

delmolino

Because of the snowstorm that hit JFK after Christmass in 2010, my flight from Lima was diverted to MIA where we passed through immigration and stayed for a whole day waiting for conditions to improve.

In your example, If passangers have to leave the plane I see no other option other than passing through immigration at SEA.

Boraxo

Still waiting for an answer to OP from someone with firsthand knowledge. I suspect this hasn't been publicized much because USG doesn't want people to know that rules can be bent in emergencies and that this whole little charade of passport and customs control is utterly unnecessary.

As a practical matter you simply can't have a CBP agent in every ambulance, every fire engine, etc much less having the equipment (last time I checked they don't have ipads) to process each incoming victim. So either they process them in mass, or they handle it sometime down the road after they are released. My guess is that the "lucky" ones (those without signficant injuries) get the pleasure /sarc of being transported to a "sterile" area or at least a holding area where CBP processes everyone as best they can and probably waives certain formalities for those without actual documents based on info supplied by the airline and matched to the database. But that's just a guess, it would be great to hear from someone who has actually been through this process in the USA.

As for the question about diverted planes, the answer is "it depends". If the plane offloads there are 2 choices. Process and release passengers (they can then make arrangements to get where they were trying to go) or place them in a holding area and then reboard them later on the same plane to get to their final destination or a nearby airport where they are processed. the latter option really sucks as your mobility is limited (think worse than Snowden) and you have to rely on the good graces of the airline and CBP to feed you much less provide sleeping space if it is a really long delay (think 9/11). I'd bet there was some of both this weekend.

Dianne47

Regarding Scottevest and, secondarily, solutions for women. I own five Scottevest travel vests, in a variety of colors. I always fly wearing one of the vests. It holds Tom Bihn flat wallets, passport, camera, iPod (with earbuds threaded through the clever wiring system), pen & pencil, lipstick, two packages of wipes (clorox wipes for wiping down tray table and armrests, plus handwipes), cellphone, and there are pockets to spare. I'm five feet tall and even loaded the vest looks sleek. Some Scottevest users load up with lots more, including iPad, water bottle, etc. I don't take the vest off while in flight unless I'm sleeping in a flat-bed seat. I take the vest off and zip it up to go through security, folding it a couple of times and placing it in a bin under something else (hat or coat).

Sign up for e-mails at the Scottevest website, they have daily sales at 20% off and occasionally have 40% off specials. I also own a SEV dress, trenchcoat, jacket, several q-zips, and a great burnout-fabric cardigan. My husband has several SEV shirts and likes all the hidden pockets. I have no affiliation with SEV, just a happy customer.

Before traveling with SEV vests I used to put passport, money, credit cards in a neck wallet under my clothing. I also have several small pouch-type tiny purses from Pacsafe, those I wear cross body under an open shirt layered over a tee or tank. There are many attractive cross-body purses women can wear, any size up to about 8 x 8 would be good.

My lifelong best friend retired as a flight attendant and recurrent training instructor for a major US airline. She has drilled into me for years to wear all my necessary items on my body, always fly in cotton or wool clothing (synthetics melt to your body in a fire), and wear walking shoes and socks (no heels or sandals). Southwest has the right idea for their FA uniforms: khaki cotton pants, collared shirts, athletic shoes.

Loren Pechtel

I own one of their jackets. Unless you play kangaroo with the pockets it looks just like other jackets I own. However it will easily hold my Kindle in the bigger pockets and it's gotten water bottles past PVGs gate check for liquids more than once. (Admittedly in that case I'm not wearing it, I just have it slung over my arm. A water bottle would be a bit noticeable if you're wearing it.)

Loading it to capacity would certainly stand out.

Loren Pechtel

Exactly. An emergency evacuation of a plane is a life or death situation. If someone is deliberately obstructing that they're threatening your life. You remove the obstacle quickly, too bad whatever might happen to them in the process.

chgoeditor

Did you miss my post, quoting someone who was on flight 214, saying they went through customs?

chollie

Seems to me it would get a lot more problematic if some of the pax are in transit through a third country for which they have no visa, although IIRC, doesn't everyone who transits in the US have to have a visa now?

chollie

But I think he was capable of going there on his own. He may have also had his passport on his person when he deplaned.

Boraxo

This

It doesn't surprise me if they bused survivors to a triage area, and then in turn sent those with neglible injuries through CBP processing (wonder if they made them stand in line?) Your post was pretty cryptic as to the actual process.

And of course still doesn't answer the question as to those who were rushed to hospitals, including any accompanying relatives.

You want to go where?

I agree that it is more than likely that rules can be bent in emergencies. However, it does not logically follow that 'this whole little charade of passport and customs control is utterly unnecessary.'

Boraxo

I think it does, but that's another topic for another forum. Sorry for digressing.

chgoeditor

Sure, because whenever I'm walking around the tarmac I easily find my way into the Immigration & Customs area...

LtKernelPanic

My guess is that for pax that were uninjured they took the ones who had passports to customs for clearance and those who maybe only had an ID or maybe none at all to another area to establish their identity.

Boraxo

I find it incredible, but one airport firefighter reported that CBP still requires formal processing even in the event of cardiac arrest. Good to know the US government is so concerned about border security /sarc

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...php?p=16453790

The first have been patients with medical problems while standing in line checking through Customs, one in cardiac arrest. The CBP folks rush them to the front of the line and they are not transported until they pass through the red tape - including the one person in cardiac arrest. It only takes seconds for Customs to do whatever it is they do, and all patients were on their way.

The second was some type of Canadian naval sailor who was airlifted to shore for a medical emergency. Customs met us on the ramp and processed him while we moved him to the rescue. Again, very quick, but no non-Americans get out of the airport until CBP says so.