Hammer0425

If this moronic flight attendant's "mistake" has adverse affects on the Known Crew Member (KCM) program for dues paying ALPA pilots - the ones who paid for the development of KCM over the course of years and who it was intended for - s/he might want to think about just staying in Italy.

chollie

If it has adverse effects, it won't be the FA's fault.

It will be the bureaucrats and politicians who use this incident as an excuse to 'strengthen' the KCM program so that this 'can never happen again'.

AlwaysFlyStar

I hope this will make the world realise the importance of screening incoming international pax to ensure that guns don't make it into those countries at all. The fact that somebody could "accidentally" leave their gun in their bag is appalling.

Bob'sYourUncle

Fully agree. Our governments should not be accepting any obscure USA criteria for who is a "safe flyer" and who is not. It's the same reason I'm opposed to anyone arriving at our airports who is "TSA Pre-Checked". There is zero accountability as to what goes on behind the scenes with any of those programs. Case in point, somebody was in possession of an illegal gun on our streets.... Hopefully the EC will take action (but probably not... )

Always Flyin

Your post in nonsensical.

Joanna2360

According to Italian news reports, the flight attendant was in Rome on Saturday night, the night that there were shootings in the city, something that is unusual in Rome. Because the Italian authorities found ammunition with the gun, including spent bullets, they are opening an investigation to discover whether there is a connection between the flight attendant and the shootings, even though the possibility of a connection may seem unlikely.

I was at FCO the morning of the arrest--hence my keen interest in this thread--preparing to board another US flight out of FCO, 719, which was delayed 3 hours for a "mechanical" problem. It may be that there was a "mechanical" problem, or it may be that the authorities were additionally checking all of the US Airways crew members. (I did not witness the arrest and did not know about it until yesterday.)

According to at least one news source, the flight attendant apparently offered three different answers in response to the question about how she happened to be carrying a gun and ammo into FCO (see link below). She said she was doing a friend a "favor." She said she had not been checked in the US, because checking was sporadic. And she said that she had taken her son's bag by mistake, unaware that it contained a gun.

She seems to be in prison. Since the Italian legal system, like the British system, presumes a person to be guilty until proven innocent, she is for the moment in very deep trouble.

Here is a link to the news report that I have summarized above:
http://www.cinquequotidiano.it/news/...manette-19205/

NWIFlyer

I don't know the specifics of the Italian legal system, but I can promise you that the British one presumes a person to be innocent until proven guilty. My best guess is that most European systems, with some local tweaks, work off the same principle.

It is perfectly possible that the FA was refused bail, and was therefore (using British parlance) remanded in custody. I would expect anyone caught with a gun in an airport to be treated with a certain amount of suspicion in the UK, and I doubt Italy is much different.

None of this prejudices her trial.

chollie

Changing her story is a bad mistake - whether she just panicked and tried to get off with exculpatory 'white' lies or she was (shockingly) up to something.

You'd think she's been an FA long enough to have a better understanding of the likely repercussions from something like this, unlike an infrequent flyer, for example.

Given her statement, hard to believe there won't be at least a temporary knee-jerk reactionary stepping up of random KCM bag checks.

PointWeasel

It is a regular occurrence at the US-Canada that CBSA officers discover firearms that were undeclared by US citizens. In far too many cases, the offender is told that the firearms are not permitted in Canada and they can be left at the border and retrieved upon return into the US. Mind-boggling to me, but happens many times daily.

I do feel for the FA. Her action were careless without a doubt, but I highly doubt there was any ill-intent and thankfully there is nothing more to the story in that regard.

irishguy28

Excuse me? That is totally incorrect.

From the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe:

From the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union:

Both Italy and the United Kingdom, as members of both the Council of Europe and the European Union, are bound by both.

bkafrick

This is the same ridiculous argument that "law-abiding citizens" shouldnt have to subject themselves to additional rules.

She's a good guy until she turns into a bad guy.

Everyone is a law-abiding citizens until they arent.

How would you know she wasnt a bad guy? Just because in hindsight, nothing happened? We have no idea what her real intentions are.

Orange County Commuter

And here's our big issue.

WHY are these folks trusted????

WHY am I subject to harassment and these "law abiding citizens" get to bring on banned things???

WHY!

bkafrick

The program expedites flight-crew member access to sterile areas of airports, reduces passenger-screening line congestion, enhances security, and makes airport checkpoint screening more efficient for all who depend on air transportation.
Source: http://www.knowncrewmember.org/Pages/Home.aspx

Bottom line, the ALPA (i.e. Pilots Union) wanted to make it easier for their members to get through security. So they came up with a program, lobbied for it, and got it.

exbayern

The program resulted in her bringing the gun into the US airport, on board an aircraft, and around Rome.

How does that enhance security?

bkafrick

Well, obviously that quote is "union speak".