Security: Flight to Bermuda Grounded in Philly
 

http://bernews.com/2010/10/security-...ded-in-philly/

A US Airways flight bound for Bermuda this morning [Oct 7] has been grounded before takeoff from Philadelphia International Airport due to a security problem. Passengers were removed from US Airways Flight 1070 and the plane has been towed away and is being searched.

The international media is reporting that Philadelphia police say initial reports from the scene indicate a person lacking a security badge was helping load the plane.

Police told Action News that at around 12 noon Bermuda time today, two US Airways employees were loading Flight 1070 to Bermuda.

A third man helped the two employees and, police say, he was in a US Airways uniform without identification. The man then walked away and can’t be found. Those two employees then alerted authorities, who stopped the plane.

Homeland Security, police and bomb squad members arre on the scene. There is no word yet on if anything dangerous was on the plane.

According to U.S. Airways spokesman Todd Lehmacher there were 102 passengers on board, it is unclear how many are Bermudians. There have been no injuries reported, nor any safety issues to the passengers.

It was only days ago that Bermuda had two planes grounded also due to a security issues, as 31-year-old Lorenzo Lottimore was found attempting to access a plane at 3am in the morning.

Without knowing any more than what's in this article, my guess is that it was an employee who had either lost (most likely) or forgot his id. PHL is a big station & not everyone would know everyone. Now based only on what's given. the only thing I would question is why they can't find the employee.

How could an employee access the secure area (terminal, ramp, work spaces) without having a security badge?

Makes me wonder why TSA doesn't screen everyone who enters the secure areas of airports, eh?

They can't. No entrance with out the badge, that's why I think it got lost(happens alot).

Could a person slip through in a crowd coming to work?

Not probable, but yes it's possible. I don't know anything about PHL but here imo they wouldn't get far.

Piggybacking is always an option.

More likely, the guy had his badge and it was just not displayed properly.

This could very well be true. It's not suppose to happen, but employees do have a tendency to put them in a pocket to keep from loosing them.

Let me understand this, 2 US Air employees with ID ALLOWED another uniformed US Air employee to help them load the plane FIRST (no questions asked?) Then, they decided or discovered next that the helper had no ID badge and hit the panic button, thus a security breach.

The flying public had NOTHING to do with this security incident but got yanked off the plane to be rescreened & "handled" again, no doubt for TSA & airline's incompetence. Well, it's likely nobody will missed any connecting flights out of BDA from this delay, just less time on that beautiful island & its secluded beaches.

and one less stop at the Swizzle Inn.

Swizzle Inn, Stagger out.

From another source:

When the employees asked the man for identification, the man ran off, drove away and has not been located.



http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/...ncident_100710

FOX news say they've just issued "all clear" but with no other info:eek:

Fox News just said no threat :rolleyes: but they still haven't found the un badged person. Interesting to say the least.

Yeah-- anyone loading bags should get one of those armband badge holders.

That probably means they didn't find any WEI after searching the plane; I'll bet they re-screened the passengers just to be safe.

Yes, this situation is almost as wierd as the fact that this thread went to ten posts before someone noted this blindingly obvious fact.

I've noticed that some airport ramps can be accessed with just a punch code lock, especially if you are accessing it from the jetway..

You mean, out of an Abundance of Caution :rolleyes: