Seven Flights To, From U.S. Are Canceled

My Way/ AP ^ | Jan. 31, 2004 | BETH GARDINER

[FairOpinion]

LONDON (AP) - British Airways (BAB) and Air France on Saturday announced the cancellation of seven flights to and from the United States because of security concerns.

BA canceled four flights between Heathrow Airport and Washington on Sunday and Monday and one from Heathrow to Miami on Sunday. Air France canceled two Paris-to-Washington flights. There are no plans to raise the terror alert in the United States because of the latest threats, Homeland Security Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said.

"We remain concerned about al-Qaida's desire to target aviation, especially international aviation," said 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. We have shared this information with our international partners, and will work with them to put in place the appropriate security measures."

BA Flight 223 to Washington's Dulles airport will not fly on Sunday or Monday, but was to have departed Saturday afternoon, said an airline spokeswoman. Flight 222 from Washington Dulles to London also was canceled Sunday and Monday, the airline said.

The Saturday flight from London to Washington appeared to be running behind schedule, but no extra security was seen around the jet.

Dennis Lopez, 48, a lawyer from Tampa, Fla., boarding the plane, said the cancelations were unnerving.

"I'm a little worried and if I had another flight arrangement right now that could take me there I would definitely take advantage of that," he said.

He added that he had just arrived from Kuwait, and "I breathed a sigh of relief when I landed in London, thinking I was out of the area of most concern. ... It hadn't occurred to me that this flight could be a possible target."

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

Air France canceled its Flight 026 from Paris to Washington on both Sunday and Monday "for reasons of security," spokeswoman Veronique Brachet said.

The BA spokeswoman, who declined to be identified, said BA had made its decision 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 had been the subject of concern early in January, when it was canceled twice because of security fears and then delayed for hours several more times.

Six Air France flights were canceled between Paris and Los Angeles on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day after security talks between U.S. and French officials.

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.

"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."

The department said it could not immediately say why the flights were canceled, or specify the source of the intelligence - U.S., British or another government's - that led to BA's decision.

A British Department for Transport spokesman said only that 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 on condition of anonymity. "The first priority is always the safety of the traveling public."

[blam]

"Odd. It seems to always be British Airways and Air France, but not other carriers to/from Europe. Wonder why?"

Just heard on Fox News that ( as yet un-named) a US air carrier could be affected too.

[hannityforpres08]

*I guess it's thought like that, make me unfit to be president.......*




You got my vote also. If you were to run with the demo's you would at least be able to compete with the dean.

[Indie]

why did they PREANNOUNCE the flight cancellations?

Because it's more important to avoid loss of life and let the bad guy get away, than to risk lives to catch the bad guy. Simple. Someone actually has ethics for a change.

[Indie]

The solution.

Semper Fi....looks like neither of us are fit to be Pres...LOL.

[Donna Lee Nardo]

Yet, remember all the huffing and puffing when certain flights were cancelled in advance a few weeks ago?

[L`enn]

I would like someone to run on that platform and let the people decide.

[NautiNurse]

If the jet scheduled to arrive here is cancelled, then there is no equipment for the return flight.

[The Raven]

Super Bowl?

[The Raven]

The terrorists should lay low until the Dems take over...then it's bombs away {i'm kidding]

[jimbo123]

Here's the info on the cancelled US Flight

Continental Flight 17

DEPARTS ARRIVES

City: Glasgow GB (GLA)
Gate: 32
Scheduled Time: 12:15 p.m.
Actual Time: 12:08 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Fri., Jan. 30, 2004
City: New York/ Newark Liberty, NJ (EWR)
Gate: C138
Scheduled Time: 3:00 p.m.
Actual Time: 2:18 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Fri., Jan. 30, 2004

Status: Arrived Early

Continental Flight 17

DEPARTS ARRIVES


City: New York/ Newark Liberty, NJ (EWR)
Gate: C126
Scheduled Time: 5:30 p.m.
Actual Time: 5:21 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Fri., Jan. 30, 2004
City: Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
Gate: 60
Scheduled Time: 8:35 p.m.
Actual Time: 8:44 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Fri., Jan. 30, 2004



Status: Arrived Late

Continental Flight 17

DEPARTS ARRIVES

City: Glasgow GB (GLA)
Gate: 32
Scheduled Time: 12:15 p.m.
Actual Time: 12:06 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Sat., Jan. 31, 2004
City: New York/ Newark Liberty, NJ (EWR)
Gate: C130
Scheduled Time: 3:00 p.m.
Actual Time: 2:02 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Sat., Jan. 31, 2004

Continental Flight 17

DEPARTS ARRIVES

City: Glasgow GB (GLA)
Scheduled Time: 12:15 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Sun., Feb. 1, 2004
City: New York/ Newark Liberty, NJ (EWR)
Scheduled Time: 3:00 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Sun., Feb. 1, 2004

Status: Cancelled

Continental Flight 17

DEPARTS ARRIVES


City: New York/ Newark Liberty, NJ (EWR)
Scheduled Time: 5:30 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Sun., Feb. 1, 2004
City: Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
Scheduled Time: 8:35 p.m.
Scheduled Date: Sun., Feb. 1, 2004

Status: Cancelled

[Hotdog]

"Super Bowl?"

Now that statement got my attention!

[The Raven]

They'll shoot 'em down......no way they'll get near Houston/

[The Raven]

What I don't understand - is that now that we, the US, know what they do...there's no element of stealth or surprise.....we can shoot them down if we have to. No way they'll get near anything of value.

[jimbo123]

If they nuked New York tomorrow an hour before kickoff, the game would not be played. The cancelled Continental flight from Glasgow to New York, continuing to LA was the operative flight. They'd have a full tank of fuel and a dirty bomb on board. Thank goodness the flight was cancelled. Hopefully they found the device that was supposed to have been onboard.

[festus]

;It would be highly symbolic to conduct a jihadi sacrifice
;on that day.

Better yet why don't we choose that day to launch a major offensive attack on these legions of darkness. I for one would love the irony.

[CindyDawg]

Depends on value, I guess. Hundreds of people on planes would die. Our government would be forced to kill them. I think the terrorists would like that more than hitting buildings even though more would die because they would be forcing an action that we hope never has to occur.

[jimbo123]

Here's the scheduled flight arrival times for the cancelled flights:

BA 207 2:25 pm arrive at Miami
CO 17 3:00 pm arrive at Newark
CO 17 5:30 pm depart from Newark to LA (2nd leg)
BA 233 6:20 pm arrive at Dulles
AF 026 6:30 pm arrive at Dulles


If BA 207 didn't make it to Miami, then we'd have advance warning about the other flights that are already in the air and they could have fighter escorts for CO 18, BA 233 and AF 026.

Notice the 10 minute difference in arrivals between BA 233 and AF 026.

BA 207 could be a diversion with the real plot being:

2nd leg of CO 17 depart at 5:30p to hit NYC
BA 233 at Dulles at 6:20p
AF 026 at Dulles at 6:30p

All three flight operating within a 1 hour window.

Superbowl at 6:00 pm ET

[dagnabbit]

I think El Al may have cancelled flights in the past, but their rigorous non-PC-crippled screening, and air marshalls on every flight, seem to keep Islamic terrorists off their planes these days.

[KangarooJacqui]

I think El Al may have cancelled flights in the past, but their rigorous non-PC-crippled screening, and air marshalls on every flight, seem to keep Islamic terrorists off their planes these days.

As far as I know, British Airways and Air France refuse to use air marshalls AT ALL. (Anyone know more about this than I do? I also know Air New Zealand won't have them on their planes, either...

Don't these countries realise that it could happen to them? Insanity. Sheer insanity...

[Eala]

Thanks. It looks like Continental got hit by this too.