Woman throws tantrum after missing her flight

by Jeffrey White on


(UPDATE 1:45 p.m.): I’ve updated this post just now to put a new video of the incident up that has a translation of what this woman is screaming about (some readers have speculated whether she was on her way to some funeral or emergency, but the translation does not really support this theory).

A woman was captured earlier this month at Hong Kong International Airpot going absolutely crazy after arriving at the gate for her Cathay Pacific flight to San Francisco, only to find out that the airline had closed the gate and the plane was taking off without her.

The airline claims that it had been calling her to report to the gate. As she had not shown up, a Cathay Pacific spokesperson told the news agency Agence France-Presse that per security requirements baggage handlers unloaded her luggage from the plane and the crew closed the gate to boarding.

Watching this video is sort of like watching the ebb and flow of a really impressive storm, how it moves between moments of unbridled intensity to moments of calm. Another analogy is that of a baby crying its lungs out.

And look at how she talks to her husband!

The video was apparently shot on a mobile phone by a crew member standing behind the ticket counter.

I just have one question: If this had happened in the US, would the Transportation Security Administration have arrested her? I’m betting yes.

Thanks to Robert Gale for passing this along.

Click the pictures to learn more about other “problem women” …

Plane crashes and traffic accidents

by Jamie Rhein on

The first thing I read this morning was the news about the plane crash of Flight 3047, a stark contrast to the landing of Flight 1549 into the Hudson. Perhaps, this is why Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III has down played his role as a hero. One different step and the outcome could have been the terrible version. The version that makes someone’s heart stop for a second and think, “There but for the grace of God go I.”

Tom wrote about Beverly Eckert’s death in Flight 3047’s crash which adds more drama to an already over the top story. When I read the news story, I flashed to all the times I’ve heard planes when visiting my aunt who lives in Florence, Kentucky right under the flight pattern of the Greater Cincinnati Airport. At certain times of the day, if you’re in the backyard, you have to pause a conversation because the noise is so loud. My in laws who live near Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland have a bit of the same problem, but not quite as bad.

If you think about all the planes that fly low over buildings every day, making smooth landings or taking off with ease, it’s astounding. The principles of physics and our abilities to ward off disasters mostly work like clockwork. Still, when one reads about an accident such as Flight 3047, all the safe flights seem diminished somehow.

We wonder if we’ll be lucky enough to have a Chesley B. “Sully” Sullenberger III piloting the plane, or someone else, even if the someone else was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, just like a traffic accident where the road was unexpectedly slick and a car slid through an intersection to plow into oncoming traffic. Car crashes, much more common, barely last in our thoughts past the few minutes we saw them, unless we recount the tale when we arrive at our destination.

Plane crashes have a way of sticking with us. Maybe that’s why there’s a higher anxiety when people fly. Heavy people, whiny children, crowded overhead bins, no snacks, a delay–all add to feelings that something awful could happen. It’s easier to transfer our feelings of a lack of control to the people who are sitting next to us than wondering what might come next. I’m just musing here. But, it’s a thought. Still it is safer to fly–and most car accidents happen closer to home. Like everyone else, I’m wondering what could have possibly happened to cause such a tragedy.

9/11 widow dies in Buffalo plane crash

by Tom Johansmeyer on

Beverly Eckert, widow of 9/11 victim Sean Rooney, perished on Continental Airlines Flight 3407 last night. She was on her way to Buffalo to celebrate what would have been her husband’s 58th birthday. While in town, she had also planned to participate in the presentation of a scholarship award at Canisius High School. She had created the scholarship in honor of her late husband.

The crash of Continental Flight 3407 occurred at around 10:20 PM, when the plane hit a home in Clarence Center, NY. It resulted in 44 on-board fatalities: all 40 passengers and all four crew members. A person on the ground was killed, as well. Twelve local residents were evacuated, and firefighters were quick to respond, as the crash site was close to the local fire station.

The crash has been described as feeling like “a mini-earthquake” and “a large explosion.”

[Via CNN, photo via thebuffalobean]

TSA to test encrypted boarding passes

by Jeffrey White on

Can any moron make a fake boarding pass? Some security analysts say so, and the Transportation Security Administration seems to be taking that threat seriously.

The TSA has announced that beginning this year it will test encrypted boarding passes at most of the country’s airports, with an eye to eventually making the paper boarding pass obsolete.

What exactly does this entail? The TSA says it is considering purchasing nearly 2,500 boarding pass scanners (they look like any bar code scanner), which breaks down to roughly one scanner for every airport security checkpoint in the country. At test airports, TSA workers will scan boarding passes with these scanners rather than simply comparing the name on the pass to an ID, reports USA Today.

It is the bar codes on these boarding passes that will be encrypted, making it nearly impossible, in theory, for a terrorist to forge.

This is good news for those travelers out there who rely on mobile devices. If airlines are forced to give up their paper passes for the new encrypted passes, it will usher in for good an era where boarding passes will be e-mailed to your PDA or other mobile device and all you’ll have to show at the airport is a bar code that will be scanned at security.

Suffer through coach with dignity

by Tom Johansmeyer on

In three hours, I’ll be boarding a plane for an eight-hour flight – assuming we don’t get held up on the runway. So, when I saw “How to make the most of flying coach” on MSNBC.com, I hoped for some great advice. It would have been timely … if it was provided at all. Instead, Travel + Leisure’s Reid Bramblett only explained how much it sucks to pay for a non-alcoholic beverage and watch a shitty movie while wedged between two long-lost friends who have never met before.

“These days, it’s not easy being comfortable – and happy – in coach,” he says. Really? Since Bramblett was little help, let me give you a few tips you can use.

First, put your carry-on in the overhead bin, even though you’re encouraged to put it under the seat in front of you. Though it inconveniences the airline, you’ve now recaptured a bit of space for your feet. You may not be able to stretch your legs fully, but you won’t be as cramped. Be sure to take your book, magazine, bottle of water and iPod out of your bag first. There’s no need to disturb the lucky guy who got the aisle seat.

Bring enough to keep yourself distracted … but not too much. There’s nothing worse than running out of reading material when you’re on a long flight, but over-packing can be a burden as well. Do you really need all seven magazines? Even if you don’t read them, you’ll have to carry them.

Eat before you fly. It’s no secret that airline food blows, and it’s easier to say “no” on a full stomach. Bring a few snacks along (again, don’t go overboard) in case you need a quick fix. This should help you avoid unidentifiable airline grub.

Liquor gets mixed reviews. I know some people who love to have a few drinks to take the edge off (and maybe help them sleep). I tend not to imbibe when I fly. It dries me out and makes me a little lightheaded, worsening an already wearying the experience.

Finally, the best thing you can do is leave any expectations you have at the ticket counter. You’ll only be disappointed anyway. Instead, walk into the airport knowing that you only have to complete the experience; you don’t have to enjoy it. The destination is your reward for perseverance.

[Via MSNBC]