Apparently you can’t strip in airports

by Mike Barish on

You’re late for a flight. Your clothes are wet and filthy. You have a change of clothes with you in the airport. What do you do? If you said, “find the closest restroom and put on your fresh duds,” then you are well on your way to staying out of jail in Salvador, Brazil.

It seems that two German tourists decided to just strip down and change their clothes in the middle of the Salvador airport. The two travelers said that they thought it “was normal” to change clothes like that in Brazil. Because it’s always Carnaval in Brazil, even at the airports.

Surely they must have had a good reason for attempting to get out of their clothes so urgently. Well, “one of them got wet during a boat trip and the other felt sick and vomited during the same trip earlier in the day.” Wait. He didn’t think to change his clothes immediately after vomiting? Did he spend the rest of the day in the vomit-covered shirt and only think to change when he got to the airport? How chunky was the vomit?

They have been charged with obscenity and could face up to a year in prison, where stripping down will have even worse repercussions.

No word yet on whether they continued to wear their German uniform of wool socks with sandals.

[Via Sydney Morning Herald]

United Airlines Pilot Arrested at Heathrow on Suspicion of Being Drunk

by Josh Lew on

A 44-year-old United Airlines pilot was arrested at London Heathrow this morning on suspicion of being drunk. The man’s name has not yet been released. He was arrested under Britain’s transportation safety laws, which include a strict limit on the alcohol levels of pilots.

United made a statement about the arrest:

“United Airlines’ alcohol policy is among the strictest in the industry and we have absolutely no tolerance for abuse or violation of this well-established policy. Safety is our No. 1 priority and the pilot has been removed from service while we are co-operating with authorities and conducting a full investigation.”

The man was scheduled to act as first officer on a United flight from Heathrow to San Francisco. He was arrested as the plane sat at the gate in Terminal One. He was bailed out of Heathrow’s police station soon after his arrest but will have to return on January 16th of next year to face an inquiry.

Ugandan pastor arrested for possibly molesting girl on flight

by Abha Malpani on

41-year old pastor and head of Ugandan church, Jackson Senyonga, was arrested at Oakland International Airport under the suspicion that he might have fondled the 13-year old girl seated next to him.

The religious community worker who is known to have dedicated his life to building orphanages in Kampala and heading poverty-relief initiatives, was taken to a jail in Dublin and released on bail; the case is now with the FBI.

Google Senyonga and you’ll find that he is head of a Christian Life Ministry that has 40,000 registered members; there are also numerous articles written by him and podcasts to listen to. He seems like he’s got a lot out there and is connected to many good causes.

The fact that he could have molested a child on a plane is reason enough to question what he stands for and all the good things he seems to be doing. It also makes you want to rethink where you choose to let your child sit on a plane.

Irrespective of the case’s outcome, this is a good opportunity for the FBI to investigate this man thoroughly.

Doctor turned over to FBI for trying to use front toilet in aircraft

by Abha Malpani on

A 65-year old Indian urologist was turned over to the FBI after he tried to visit the toilet in the front of the airline.

The first time the doctor tried to use the toilet on the Southwest flight, it was occupied by the captain, so he went back to his seat. When he saw the captain come out, he got up to go again when he was pushed back into his seat by airline staff. Apparently this was because it looked like he was trying to get near the cockpit, which is against the law if the cockpit is not secure.

This was explained to the doctor, however, when the plane landed there were police waiting there for him. He was handcuffed and taken to a detention center where they took his mugshots and fingerprints. Post a night in the detention center alongside 43 other accused people, the doctor was taken to court and asked to plead guilty to misdemeanor assault and pay a fine of $2,500.

Not knowing what to do and to avoid costly court proceedings, the doctor decided to plead guilty.

How crazy and paranoiac is this whole situation!? To me it looks like an old man on his way to a medical conference in Las Vegas attempts to use the bathroom on a flight and the next thing you know he’s been marked a criminal and is in court pleading guilty to an assault accusation.

Why couldn’t the airline staff just request him to use another bathroom on the plane? Why all this drama? Even if it was a case of racial discrimination post 9/11, it went far beyond reason. The poor guy must be traumatized and I don’t blame him.

Southwest Airlines defends how it handled the situation; they saw the old man as a potential threat because he wanted to get close to the cockpit. Excuse me, but that’s where the toilet was! The airline customer service sent him a compensatory letter with a $100 voucher for the next flight he takes on Southwest.

He is suing the airline for humiliation and arrest.

Other tales from the skies
Amazing and insane stories from a real-life flight attendant and co-pilot

Smuggle poppy seeds, face jail

by Iva Skoch on

I am sure that life has been better for the unfortunate Swiss person, arrested in United Arab Emirates (UAE) after the airport security people found “three poppy seeds on his clothing after he ate a bread roll at Heathrow airport,” as reported in The Times.

The charity Fair Trials International, which assists people facing trials abroad, issued a warning following a spate of arrests of visitors to Dubai and Abu Dhabi stating that carrying some foodstuffs and common over-the-counter medications could warrant a four-year prison sentence in UAE.

Among the banned substances are foods containing poppy seeds; melatonin, which is taken to ease the effects of jetlag; codeine, a common ingredient in pain relief medication, and any trace of drugs such as cannabis, however small. For a full list of substances banned in the UAE, click here.

Remember, no poppy seed bagels before flying to Dubai. It’s not a Jewish thing. It’s a poppy seed thing.

What strange things have been found on planes?


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