N965VJ

Linkage

GUWonder

Perhaps the Indian government should put a ban in place against the private contractors providing additional security screening for the likes of this flight and then the shoe carnival nonsense wouldn't happen in India either even for CO's flights from India to the US.

There is an official list of people who -- by law -- are exempted from airport security screening in India, but I don't recall former heads of state being exempted by law from such screening (although it's possible). I am pretty certain that at least three or four former Indian Presidents have been screened -- even if just a cursory screening -- even when flying just domestically within India but I am not certain if that is because they and associates may not have played up the DYKWIA/DYKWHI card.

While the former Indian President is a quite thoughtful and nice person ordinarily and certainly acted that way on his CO flight day to the US, he is legally only to be exempted from screening if Indian law has it that his given position or named person is exempted from screening. [Of course there is the difference between practice and policy, but in this regard the law should trump all.] There are some placards at some Indian airports that should be up that list the exempted positions, and the airlines -- even US airlines using contracted security -- are to be in compliance with Indian law as regards that too.

An Indian government ban against private contractors and foreign governments doing or setting security standards at Indian airports -- even for flights departing to the US -- would result in the end of the limited version of the shoe carnival in place in India. Too bad these complaining Indian MPs and other Indian government/political officials don't have the guts to actually push that through into law.

Spiff

Agreed. India and all other nations should tell the US that there will be no additional harassment permitted on any flight and that if the US has a problem with that, then the US can go pound sand and get the hell off their soil.

yyzvoyageur

If this is such a great concern, the Indian government should provide Mr Kalam with a private aircraft.

GUWonder

Better advice would be for the Indian government to put an end to private security contractors and foreign governments driving any aspect of the security screening at Indian airports. Then this kind of shoe carnival garbage wouldn't exist.

I won't be mourning someone's throwing shoes at the likes of Kip Hawley and other foolish defenders of airport security screening nonsense such as the shoe carnival.

Mats

The Indian Government isn't really responsible. The screening by contract agents for flights by US-based carriers is a result of FAA/TSA regulations. The United States, not India, has mandated the searches.

I think that EVERYONE is frisked prior to boarding Continental and Delta flights at Indian airports, so it's not like he was pulled out of line.

Even if there is a "Get out of jail free" card to avoid security, this was a different security screening, unrelated to the regular Indian checkpoint.

Spiff

And that's where the Indian government should step up and tell the US: NO, you will not do this at our airports.

jkhuggins

I'm sorry ... isn't everyone supposed to be screened on US-bound airline flights, no exceptions?

If it's somehow undignified for dignitaries to be screened, isn't it just as undignified for the rest of us?

yyzvoyageur has it right: if you're going to fly on a commercial flight, then you get to be treated just like any other commercial passenger. If that's too undignified, there are alternatives like private charters.

(And if that means that screening of commercial is passengers is undignified, then perhaps there might be some incentive to change those procedures ...)

(Yeah, I know how likely that is ...)

N965VJ

Hey, at least he didn’t pull a DYKWIA.

Centurion210

He could have stayed home.

But is he a diplomat?

Was he traveling in an official function?

No. He is just another traveler.

GUWonder

This happened on India's territory and India's law rules India's land, including that related to legal exemption from security screening for flights operating in and from India regardless of who owns the equipment or where that equipment comes from. Where India's law have a requirement and/or exemption for security, CO is required to follow that law while on or over India's territory and private firms engaged in security operations are not exempted from Indian law inside India. If CO or the US government don't like the Indian laws but want to fly from India, tough luck for CO and the US government as they are required to comply with India's laws including those related to exemptions when operating inside of India.

GUWonder

A valid diplomatic passport in his name is still made available to him by the Indian government.

Most of his travels still are related to official functions and he isn't exactly eager to visit any children or grandchildren to visit in the US since he has none.

etch5895

In reality, no one should be exempted from whatever the security screening of the day is.

India can very well tell the US that they will no longer allow a certain type of security screening at their airport, and the US can just as easily tell India that no flights originating from India will set down in or overfly US airspace.

GUWonder

He's eccentric but he's also a very decent and usually humble person in as much as I know of his dealings with my family.

GUWonder

That's a determination for sovereign countries to make and for those who don't believe in exemptions to lobby against even while following the law as long as it is the law. By the way, some airports in some parts of the world still exempt everyone from security screening.

But here we have CO -- a private company -- required to comply with Indian law. The Indian government can dictate to CO how it is supposed to act inside India. CO's only threat of merit for being forced to comply with Indian law in this regard too is that it will pull out from India if required to comply with Indian law. However, unless CO pulls out of India, the airline must abide by Indian law when it comes to how airport security screening is conducted inside India.