FLASH: BA flights cancelled by refusal of British pilots to fly with armed marshals on board

drudge report ^ | 1/2/2004 | Drudge

[hadrian]

FLASH: Cancellation of British Airways flights is not in response to U.S. safety concerns, but rather is being prompted by refusal of British pilots to fly with armed marshals on board... Developing...

[LayoutGuru2]

[SpottedBeaver]

how does one say "bloody stupid on the part of the pilots" in British pilot-speak?

"Bloody Wankers"

[America's Resolve]

And the American people are in no mood to fault a President whose threshold question is "Would you let your son or daughter fly on that plane?", as Bush stated to Ridge.

I agree Nita. I suspect that there's NO way that the American people will take the President to task for setting his decision on that question.

I certainly don't. As far as I'm concerned, the President has a LOT of leeway in protecting this country.

Security, security and yet more SECURITY! Frenchies/Brits don't like it, they don't HAVE to fly here. shrug

Godspeed

[endthematrix]

B Airways should increase their terrorist passengers with the knowledge that NO armed air marshals are on-board. On the other hand the USA ensures boarding of terrorists by proclaiming that there is no way to have air marshals on all flights.
But they are there, for sure.

[Libertina]

As far as I am concerned, if these countries want to be uncooperative - fine...DON'T come to the US. (As if the Brits aren't going to have face their own country being a staging ground for the inevitable war between their native citizens and new Islamic invaders.)

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The French laugh at the Brits....

And the world laughs at the French...

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

The Brits are our most loyal friends.

I agree in general. But don't forget. Is Tom Daschle our friend. Is Ted Kennedy? How about Bill and Hill? Or many other communist/socialist Senators and Representatives?

The Brits in general, yes. But what about their Politicians? IMO their socialistst are every bit as damaging to our socio-economic fabric as are our socialists. Nonetheless, Blair has been a leader on a par with GW, no doubt about it. One could only imagine what these two men really know about the dangers that we currently face.

[wardaddy]

Is this the same gene pool that once owned more of the world than anyone before or since and generally left places better than they found them?

If not, then where did those Brits run off to?

Don't anybody say "here"...we are on the same slope just lagging a bit Thank God.

[longjack]

This info from earlier today based on information I saw in a German paper. They quote an aviation expert.

This post/thread: FR....'Real and Definite Threat' Caused BA Flight Cancellation..#573

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The aeronautics expert Philip Baum, editor of the magazine "Aviation Security International", assumes there are detailed secret service tips. "I think they must have credible knowledge which indicates that certain airlines on certain routes are possible targets for terrorist attacks". It could be possible, however, that the USA could have demanded the presence of armed marshals on board and the BA pilots could have decided not to take off because of that.

"Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung"....British Airways streicht wieder Flüge

Translated by longjack

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The article uses the quotes just as I have them, which makes it likely this guy said it, but, then again..

longjack

[Squantos]

No slope here WD....flatlander through and through.....:o)

Too many folks living paycheck to paycheck and afraid to say or stand for fear of losing their jobs or getting a bit of dirt on a pristine career........IMHO

Stay safe and don't tell anybody what I just said.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Nicely said!

[My Dog Likes Me]

Yes, I think you're right. The Brits have extensive experience with Irish terrorists and thus have instituted a sophisticated watch system of their own. They've been there and done that, as it were, and I cannot imagine a British pilot freaking out over the thought of armed security personnel on his flight.
Weird story. This has to be disinformation.

[Bobby777]

"Bloody Wankers"

LOL ... that's it!

[OldFriend]

Druge is busy trying to find flattering pictures of her heinous and unflattering pictures of our President!

[Tommyjo]

Nonsense. This is just the media picking up on a story which broke the week before. The Unions are involved in discussions. Just because it is British Airways doesn't mean that all the pilots are British!

[savedbygrace]

Good point. The article alnick linked in #10 says the source for this was ONE official.

[steveegg]

Who has the NYT schadenfreude ping list?

[hershey]

And why would we publish sensitive intelligence that would probably get our guys shot or beheaded like Daniel Perle? Better to put out a number of 'possible' reasons and misinformation.

[hershey]

What are the French saying about the Egyptian crash? Just an unfortunate accident? I bet not.

[GeronL]

The French government will do just that. They would be too embarrassed to admit this was terrorism. Egypts' economy is 50%, thats half,based on tourism.

Neither will allow this to be terrorism. Even if they have to announce its cause as a technical problem before the wreckage is even located.