The delayed plane sat on a baking Italian runway for almost three hours
Posted on 07/28/2007 7:52:08 PM PDT by SkyPilot
Three Arab princesses were thrown off a packed British Airways flight after refusing to sit next to male passengers they didn't know.
The delayed plane sat on a baking Italian runway for almost three hours
The dispute - in which the three princesses from the ultra-conservative Qatar royal family demanded segregated seating - left the London-bound plane delayed on a baking Italian runway for nearly three hours.
Furious passengers whistled and clapped as the row intensified before the captain eventually ordered the women to be escorted off the plane.
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani: related to the Princesses
The princesses, wearing traditional Arab dress, were returning from a day's shopping in Milan. They arrived at the city's Linate airport and boarded Heathrow-bound flight BA 563, which was due to take off at 4pm on Thursday.
The women, all relatives of the oil-rich emir of Qatar, Bader Bin Khalifa Al Thani, were booked into business class in a party of eight which included the emir and an entourage of cooks, servants and other staff.
After passengers had fastened their seat-belts and the plane had taxied on to the runway, two male passengers in the entourage got up to protest about where the women were sitting.
According to the customs of Qatar and other Gulf states, women are not allowed to mix with men who are not relatives.
Cabin crew tried to rearrange the seats but passengers travelling together refused to give up their allotted places. The captain tried to mediate but after more than two and a half hours of wrangling he ordered the bulk of their royal party off the plane.
It is understood that five of the eight - including the princesses and the men who left their seats to protest - were removed.
Police and diplomats from the Qatar consulate in Milan were also called in before the plane eventually took off. The rest of the Qatar party left Milan later on an Alitalia flight.
A BA spokesman said: "The people were offloaded because they failed to comply with safety instructions when the aircraft was taxiing. Two passengers stood up and refused to sit down."
A spokesman at the Qatar embassy in Rome said: "This was a private matter and we have nothing to say."
Arab princesses kicked off British Airways plane to jeers and whistles ...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1873033/posts
Arab Princesses Kicked Off British Airways Plane to Jeers and Whistles after Refusing to Sit...
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1872932/posts
Qatari royals halt British flight [Sheikh’s wives refused to sit near men]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1872924/posts
When are people going to get fed up with this crap?
It’s OK. I might have missed it if Sky Pilot hadn’t posted it tonight.
Reminds of that Star Trek episode, Friday Child I think, where McCoy gets an earful from some space princess who throws a hissy fit because he was trying to treat her for a burn because no lowly male could touch a royal. (/geek)
Capt’n. What took you so long?
Inasmuch as they were "escorted off the plane" (read: tossed out on their ear), it appears that people are *already* getting fed up with supinely caving in to Islamic "temper tantrums". Expect more of this as time goes by, and Islamic attitudes fail to adjust...
the infowarrior
The way it looks, not until the Muslims are on their front porch with a saber.
The ragheads are lucky they were on a British plane and not an American one.
Stupid towel heads would have gotten thrown a beating at a minimum.
It sounds like they have. It’s about time the rest of the world showed the balls to give them the heave ho.
WHOO HOO!!!!!
Way to go!!!
Sadly, I see retaliation in the future. Some sort of terrorist attack. We need to clamp down hard on that, too.
ping
It sounds like they need to buy a few extra seats next time.
I later asked a Jewish friend and he told me he knew of no Jewish law forbidding Jews from sitting next to gentiles on a plane.
Is this anything like "Snakes on a Place?"
I later asked a Jewish friend and he told me he knew of no Jewish law forbidding Jews from sitting next to gentiles on a plane.
Some people are just a-holes. I would not want to change my seat just to accommodate some shmuck like this. But I wouldn't want to sit next to him for eight freaking hours either.
Look, I might get flamed for this, but can we not respect their culture? How hard would that be? You closed-minded bigots (directed to the Western World).
Do I really need the /s?
The people are fed up but governments allow this crap to continue, and that’s why it does.
Don’t need it in my eyes.
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