British Airways Cancels 3 U.S. Flights

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20040131/D80DRCQO0.html ^ | Jan 31, 9:06 AM | BETH GARDNER

[Huck]

LONDON (AP) - British Airways (BAB) has canceled three flights from Heathrow Airport to Washington, D.C., and Miami because of government security concerns, the airline said Saturday.

Flight 223 to Washington's Dulles airport will not fly on Sunday or Monday, but is to depart on schedule at 3:05 p.m. local time Saturday, said an airline spokeswoman. U.S. officials said Friday that new intelligence indicated Flight 223 and Air France flights from Paris to an unspecified U.S. city could be terrorist targets.

Flight 207 to Miami will not fly on Sunday, she said, but had departed Saturday morning.

The spokeswoman, who declined to be identified, said BA had canceled the flights on the advice of the British government. She cited security fears but gave no further details.

"The safety and security of our operations is our absolute priority and will not be compromised," the airline said.

BA's Flight 223 drew concerns in early January, when it was canceled twice because of security fears and then delayed for hours several more times.

Six Air France flights between Paris and Los Angeles were canceled during Christmas week.

"We remain concerned about al-Qaida's desire to target aviation, especially international aviation," U.S. Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said. "The U.S. intelligence community continues to gather specific credible threat information on international flights, as we have done in an ongoing basis in the past few weeks."

A British Department for Transport spokesman said the decision to cancel the flights was made "in the light of information received."

"Aviation security measures are adjusted from time to time, and occasional cancellations may be necessary," he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "The first priority is always the safety of the traveling public."

[camas]

why not put a seal in each row of seats and a couple of marines pilots in the cockpit and fly.

[Dog Gone]

Why are the terrorists so intent on this particular flight?

[traumer]

Airline industry - R.I.P.

[Huck]

Airline industry - R.I.P.

Not for business travel. And probably not for international either. What are people going to do? Sail to Miami?

[CarryaBigStick]

Agreed, they've already identified who the security risks are, just but put some team 5 guys on the plane snatch the bad guys in the act, and have little due process on the spot -right out the open aircraft door.