Posted on 12/07/2009 7:20:47 PM PST by STARWISE
Rumors continued to circulate Monday via e-mail and the Internet about what exactly happened on an AirTran flight at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in November.
At the time, AirTran told Channel 2 Action News that an unruly passenger on a cell phone forced the pilot to take the plane back to the gate. Monday, a passenger said the situation went well beyond that.
“It was extremely intense. I’ve never experienced anything like that,” said passenger Brent Brown.
Brown runs a security consultant company and is a frequent flier. But even for him, he said the events of Flight 297 were disturbing and frightening. As the Houston-bound flight taxied to the runway, several in a group of about a dozen men of Middle Eastern descent started walking the aisles and using their cell phones, Brown said.
Brown said he could tell from the flight attendants' actions that the situation was more than just a single passenger misbehaving.
"This was a big step ahead of that. You could tell that they were distressed and that they were getting very much uncooperative people in the back," said Brown. "So when the pilot turned the plane around, not only was I not surprised I was proud that he had made that effort to secure the cabin."
Back at the gate, Brown said the situation did not improve. He said he was sitting toward the front and he never saw law enforcement enter the plane. He also said that no one informed passengers of what was going on.
"They weren't speaking to us. And they didn't speak to us at all for at least an hour. Our only interaction was with the crew that was already upset at the way they were obviously being handled," said Brown.
Within days, the incident went viral on the Internet which prompted news coverage. Internet rumor control sites seemingly couldn’t make heads or tails of the incident. AirTran responded by posting an article that called most of the claims an "urban myth."
"And then after the fact, when (AirTran) apparently issued a statement that says, in effect, that this was a customer service issue or someone was on the phone...they're dead wrong," said Brown.
The crew, including the pilots, decided not to continue with the flight.
Brown said AirTran put about 10 of the 12-man group back on the plane with a new crew. Most of the original passengers chose not to re-board and instead got on a different flight.
Because of privacy laws, the airline would not identify any of the men involved in the November incident.
An AirTran spokesman called the incident "isolated" and said the airline considers the case closed.
That guy was totally credible. Thanks for posting this...
Where were you on 9-11? Getting your truther story straight?
Okay, can’t argue with that. We’re splitting hairs here, but most local stations visually emphasize their affiliation with their national network. No logo at the page posted.
You’re a f()@%*ng IDIOT!
Snopes.com is the work of the husband-and-wife team of David and Barbara Mikkelson, who have taken their passion for urban myths to the Web since 1995.
Great interview. It was definitely a dry run and I don’t blame the guy for equivocating about it due to law suits and possibe retaliation.
Happy Allahu Akbar—Barack Hussein Osama
You are a Muslim enabler.
I respond..they have been duped by snopes.
“The linked page shows no ABC logo And you really have to dig even on their home page to find abc. Not familiar with the Atlanta market.”
WSB is so well known you don’t have to be familiar with the Atlanta market to know who they are. The companion radio station is one of those giant 50,000 watt “legacy” stations - the call letters WSB ARE Atlanta.
LOL. Maybe they get MORE credibility if they hide the ABC association. I know I would
Snopes are a bunch of left winger nutters.
“And don’t believe Leftwing sites such as Snopes automatically.”
I could not agree more.
Kind of like Wikipedia.
Oh, for crying out loud. The major networks avoided mentioning Climategate for two weeks.
I believe Neal Boortz is based at Atlant’a WSB.
Atlanta’s
This same thing happened on the when the Flying Imams story hit FR in 2006. Strange....
"Imams removed from flight agree to settlement"
The agency and US Airways acknowledged the six imans taken off a flight in 2006 were improperly treated.
Source
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.