Posted on 08/29/2007 7:55:36 PM PDT by Nachum
SAN DIEGO – A conflict between passengers at Lindbergh Field Tuesday night caused the overnight delay of an American Airlines flight headed to Chicago. Flight 590 was scheduled to depart at 11 p.m. for Chicago O'Hare International Airport but was rescheduled for Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. after some kind of dispute among customers started at the gate and continued onto the plane, said American Airlines spokesman Tim Wagner.
While Wagner said it is the airlines policy not to disclose any information about their passengers, televised reports claimed that the incident involved a group of six to seven Iraqi Americans and another passenger who was apparently uncomfortable that the men were speaking in Arabic.
The jet left the gate at 11:14 p.m. but did not take off and instead returned at 11:26 p.m. after a traveler with a child elected to get off the plane, Wagner said.
The airport's 11:30 p.m. curfew then prevented the plane from taking off, Wagner said.
He said 126 passengers had booked the flight, although he didn't know the exact number that boarded.
Christine Zugay of Chicago was on board flight 590. She said that after the plane's doors closed and everyone was seated, the plane left the gate and began to taxi toward the runway.
The pilot then came on the intercom and said there was a problem onboard the jet that needed to be taken care of, and that they were returning to the gate, Zugay said.
A few minutes later, the pilot notified passengers that the flight would have to be rescheduled due to Lindbergh Field's 11:30 p.m. curfew on departures.
Zugay said she did not see or hear any altercation on the plane, but that disembarking passengers were talking about a woman and a child who had left the flight.
Wagner said that no passengers were selectively taken off the plane.
He said that all of the flight's passengers had to disembark and that all were welcome to re-board this morning's flight.
“For us it was a customer dispute,” Wagner said. “We prefer to handle these issues on the ground.”
What can you say, Nachum? After 9/11, who doesn't know that Americans have a problem with sharing a plane flight with a group of Arabic-speaking Middle Eastern types. Prejudice? You bet, but in deference to our national painful memories, they should have shown far more tact if they were Iraqis Americans.
sounds like cair fear.
one passenger reported an issue so they removed that passenger and then when they left they had a unrelated mechanical issue.
Thank God I ain’t flying these days.
It’s a lot of work to take my size 11 Danner Ft. Lewis combat boots on and off to go through security. But, it’s comforting to have them on when the plane fills up with people with questionable intentions. I’d look forward to using my 230lb muscular bulk to smash them to bits if they start any sh*t on a flight I’m on.
Iraqi Americans?
The subtle injection of race-by association by the reporter seems to have escaped everyone.
What the hell is an Iraqi-American? If they are muslims, that is a useless meaningless phrase.
They were muslims being their usual stupid, arrogant, self-important selves.
Why isn’t this in breaking news? This was probably a freeper!
Same way with my safety shoes.
They go to great lengths to determine that there's a potentially lethal hunk of steel in them, and once that's confirmed, "thank you, sir, here's your shoes."
Ping.
How? By speaking Arabic?
Sorry, Arab’s must speak out and kick the radicals, or this will continue. Trust no one.
These supposedly Iraqi Americans (I have my doubts where their loyalties lay) men may have purposefully set up an incident as have a number of other Arab speakers.
These people are being encourage by terrorist enablers such as CAIR to TRY the system and patience of Americans.
Besides stopping illegal immigration from our Southern border how about clamping down on Middle Easterners.
If you want your answer in English, please press 1.
Si usted desea su respuesta en español, por favor la prensa 2.
Why the curfew after everyone has been screened and boarded? Do they have to rescreen everything if the plane returns to the gate?
Since TWA folded, Lambert Field closes down at 11:30 pm.
I should not have to press anything.
According to the Houston Chronicle, “The six Iraqi passengers had been training Marines at Camp Pendleton and worked for Defense Training Systems, a unit of International Logistics Services Corp. of Anchorage, Alaska, said Dave Stephens, the company’s chief executive officer....The Iraqis were on their way home to Detroit after training Marines who were headed to Iraq, XETV reported.”
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/5093983.html
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