Six British Airways passengers file ‘false imprisonment’ rep

[oz_mark]

Strange story, and I don't know what there chances of success are, but I hardly think they were imprisoned.


From: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10627204/

BERLIN - Six German airline passengers who said they were being held against their will on an aircraft stuck on the runway for hours during a snowstorm have filed "false imprisonment" charges, German police said Saturday.

The passengers filed charges against the pilot of a British Airways flight from Berlin to London that sat on the runway for seven hours before it could take off, a federal police spokesman said.

 

[straitman]

Re: Six British Airways passengers file ‘false imprisonment’

Strange story, and I don't know what there chances of success are, but I hardly think they were imprisoned.


From: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10627204/

BERLIN - Six German airline passengers who said they were being held against their will on an aircraft stuck on the runway for hours during a snowstorm have filed "false imprisonment" charges, German police said Saturday.

The passengers filed charges against the pilot of a British Airways flight from Berlin to London that sat on the runway for seven hours before it could take off, a federal police spokesman said.

To say what I really think would probably get me into trouble. :wink: :cry:

Bearing in mind that we are only hearing one side of the story, I still think that they will be hard pressed to prove "false imprisonment". I'm quite sure that no one really (Captain included) relished an extra seven hours on board. 8)

 

[QF WP]

Geesh, better to be struck on a runway for 7 hours than have an accident and lose your life..where do some people think up these fanciful ideas. The captain wasn't taking off because he had the safety of all pax and crew on his mind.

 

[thadocta]

Geesh, better to be struck on a runway for 7 hours than have an accident and lose your life..where do some people think up these fanciful ideas. The captain wasn't taking off because he had the safety of all pax and crew on his mind.

OI! You are supposed to be on holidays!

I am speculating here that they wanted to get off the plane and not travel, and it was decided that they couldn't - for varying reasons it wasn't possible.

Dave

 

[Mal]

I'm not sure I'd be too happy after waiting 7 hours on the tarmac in a plane.

I wouldn't sue anyone though. Does make you wonder what stopped them from being able to b*u*s the pax back to the terminal / return to the terminal or do something else to help overcome the conditions the pax would have had. Maybe the snow was just too deep or something. Suprising the police could turn up and get to the plane, but they couldn't deplane pax.

Will be interesting to see how it turns out. Doubt the passengers have a legitimate claim. Maybe BA will compensate them....

 

[JohnK]

Interesting story.

Not quite 7 hours but we were imprisoned ~3 hours at LHR on a flight ATH-JFK on TWA many years ago. Soon after take off we were told that they had lost an engine and were re-routing to LHR but me thinks it was because flight was only scheduled as 1/2 full but so many people turned up for flight at the last minute they had to turn people away. So we waited all this time on-board at LHR for catering to be re-organised.

Any other theories. Don't know how engine would have been fixed in that time.

 

[oz_mark]

Interesting story.

Not quite 7 hours but we were imprisoned ~3 hours at LHR on a flight ATH-JFK on TWA many years ago. Soon after take off we were told that they had lost an engine and were re-routing to LHR but me thinks it was because flight was only scheduled as 1/2 full but so many people turned up for flight at the last minute they had to turn people away. So we waited all this time on-board at LHR for catering to be re-organised.

Any other theories. Don't know how engine would have been fixed in that time.

Depends what was wrong. Could have been as simple as a dodgy sensor.


Note how I resisted the urge to say they didn't really lose the engine, it was just hiding.

 

[Yada Yada]

Re: Six British Airways passengers file ‘false imprisonment’

To say what I really think would probably get me into trouble. :wink: :cry:

Don't mention the war? :shock:

I sat on board an NZ plane in SYD back in 2002, bound for LAX, but could not depart because of a malfunctioning IFE system. Wasted 2 hours.

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Six British Airways passengers file ‘false imprisonment’

To say what I really think would probably get me into trouble. :wink: :cry:

Don't mention the war? :shock:

I sat on board an NZ plane in SYD back in 2002, bound for LAX, but could not depart because of a malfunctioning IFE system. Wasted 2 hours.

I've done that on a QF plane as well. And there have been many instances of waiting for an hour or so for one reason or another. Sometimes they have been accompanied with several just 5 mintues more announcements.

 

[serfty]

Re: Six British Airways passengers file ‘false imprisonment’

I've done that on a QF plane as well. And there have been many instances of waiting for an hour or so for one reason or another. Sometimes they have been accompanied with several just 5 mintues more announcements.

Worst I've had was being cooped up for 2 hours on a crowded 763 that was sitting on the tarmac in CNS. (a &$%*@%%$ ZX.) We had been boarded for a flight to SYD but had to wait while the ground staff tried to OPEN the forward Starboard cargo Door so they could get to the cargo inbound from SYD.

Why the **** they boarded us before that door was open I can only conject. I can assure you it was not much fun in the early afternoon of a steamy CNS day sharing an aeroplane with many PAX who were suffering the effects of a morning in CNS humidity. This in a craft not fitted with personal directional air vents. Pheuu.. :evil:

 

[Mal]

Probably the worst would be when the APU (Power supply for when the plane is on the ground and the engines are not turning) fails.

A 747 in reasonable weather will turn into a sauna extremely quickly. Other planes are not much better.

 

[JohnK]

Note how I resisted the urge to say they didn't really lose the engine, it was just hiding.

When the captain announced thay had lost an engine, I thought it had fallen into the mediterranean.

 

[MetroAir]

Loooong time ago, somewhere in Africa (so long ago I can't quite remember where) flying on BOAC (thats how long ago), we were delayed about 4 hours on the tarmac while they cleared buffalo off the runway.

Lots of men running around waving arms which only confused the situation.

I was young and thought it was funny at the time but the 'plane was very, very hot.

 

[NM]

Note how I resisted the urge to say they didn't really lose the engine, it was just hiding.

When the captain announced thay had lost an engine, I thought it had fallen into the mediterranean.

Maybe that is why it only took 3 hours to get going again. They thought they had lost it, but close inspection at LHR managed to locate the engine hiding under the wing.

 

[sully]

The reference to those passengers who were able to leave the plane says it all. Anyone wanting to leave the plane with checked in luggage would be refused for the obvious reason of security. If you wanted to leave the plane your bags would have to be unloaded. Imagine doing that on a frozen runway, not to mention the safety issues for the ground staff.

I would imagine the most distressed of all on board would have been the cabin crew as they would have been having an ever increasing level of invective hurled at them as those seven hours ticked by. Especially given that the passengers would have to stay off the grog for fear of escalating their level of frustration.

Any word on BA's response?

 

[Kiwi Flyer]

Last week we had about an hour stuck aboard a crowded and rapidly sweltering bus on the tarmac waiting to board an Air France aircraft at a remote stand. Bus was sent out far too early as the aircraft was still being worked on. Interesting to see the hive of activity (and inactivity from several folk who looked like supervisors or maybe union reps?). But unpleasant nonetheless.