Air France Cancels U.S.-Bound Flights Over Security [flight to LA grounded due to terror warning]

Reuters ^ | 12/24/2003

[Excuse_Me]

paris to LAX...? right past Vegas, how conveinent.

More likely LAX to Paris, where the fuel tanks would be full, if the target were Las Vegas.

[ChefKeith]

true, unless they managed to get a NBC package on board before takeoff

[chito]

PARIS/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The French government asked Air France on Wednesday to cancel Paris-Los Angeles flights over Christmas after the United States provided information al Qaeda may have "infiltrated" the carrier.

Air france is a joke.. i used to fly them once a month from LAX to Paris and on both sides of the pond there security is a joke and inconsitent, on one flight i met a woman sitting next to me..turns out she was married to the pilot, next thing i know i'm sitting in the cockpit of a 747 going over the pole....with in arms length of the crew. so much for security and procedure...so AQ infiltrating the airline does not seem far fetched...

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=4042918

[Alberta's Child]

I'm just thankful that they agreed to the U.S. request.

There's no reason to thank them, since they had no choice but to abide by the U.S. request. If they refused, these flights would not have been permitted to enter U.S. airspace -- and it's a long way back to Paris from the east coast of the United States.

[hotpotato]

And your point is.... ?

[Newbomb Turk]

But I thought riding Afghanistan of the Taliban, capturing Saddam would put an end to all this?

Look at the map, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Syria are now almost island like by the fact that no one can cross Iraq.
We are making headway but it's not a NINTENDO war.

Remember Bush = Headway
Clinton = Head.

[Gracey]

That country is crawling with Muslims and French who despise U.S..

You're right. They are known for harboring terrorists and islamofacists. The Ayatollah(Iran) and many other Ayatollahs, lived in France for many years before coming back to Iran and upstaging the Shah of Iran. This, IMO, is when the suicide bombings and all the other terroristism grew to where it's at today, thanks to the mentality of Ayatollah Khomeni and France(harborer of Islamofacist terrorists).

[Dont Mention the War]

Just a thought but maybe they honored our request with the hope of getting contracts with Iraq reconstruction and make up for their financial lo$$. That IS why they opposed the war over there. Such lovely people ... .

According to multiple news sources, they honored our request only after we escalated it from a "request" to "strong pressure" to an outright threat to refuse to allow the planes to enter US airspace.

[Dont Mention the War]

Does that strike anyone else as a strange aside in a terrorism/security concerns article considering we are facing the first EVER case of Mad Cow disease in the US?

No. It's common for small towns and counties with a lot of farms to compare the number of people to the number of cows or chickens or sheep in the area when discussing the size of the place to outsiders.

[Gracey]

.., they honored our request only after we escalated it from a "request" to "strong pressure" to an outright threat to refuse to allow the planes to enter US airspace.

I didn't realize that France was THIS stupid. They really are suicidal.

[Sacajaweau]

Interesting numbers...6,7,8,9,0,1

67 = 68 = 89, 69 = 69, 70 =OL = ?, 71=IL=51......Just playing out loud on my keyboard.

Wonder if any of these planes would have got to a common point+- at some time and the time.

[livius]

Interesting. Muslims are very much into numerology, so there may be something to that.

[Sacajaweau]

I keep recalling the quote from the terrorist manual that Ashcroft exhibited to Congress: "Pick 4 targets".

The timing of the planes of 9-11 made the first hit (1)at just before the end of the morning news....after that, the timing was 2,3,4.

I picked up the pattern 2+2 = 4 very early and I see the possibility of 2+2 again and believe that is also what THEY are seeing plus much more. Hopefully, we'll pick up some additional chatter to take them down but I believe the rule is (according to the manual) "no inter-terrorist communications once an operation is started".

[BykrBayb]

Don't be repugnant. They cancelled the flight because of a credible threat. They don't want their planes falling out of the sky anymore than anybody else. If we received credible information from the French government we would do the same. That's how the real world operates and not the "freedom fry" world.

You mean they believe terrorism is a credible threat? Since when? Oh yeah, since it may be aimed at them.

[csvset]

A cartoon from LeMonde

[CyberAnt]

Hmmmm? According to FOX, France was told .. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LAND HERE! .. end of conversation. France cancelled the flight because we wouldn't let them land, not because France was being so concilliatory toward us.

Also .. the French arrested 6 (I believe) .. whom they have already released and now the French are saying we over reacted. The French will do anything to make us look foolish.