Every time I read stories about folks being held hostage on airplanes--not by terrorists, mind you, but by airlines--I wonder to myself how I'd do in such a situation. I honestly think that I would not do well, and that I would get into serious legal trouble.
Here's why. If I were a POW or a hostage held by the Taliban--I'd sorta know why I was there. I wouldn't like it, but I would recognize (mostly by the guns held to my head) the authority of those who had taken me and the likely consequences of my resistance.
But put into a situation like the one in the link? Hell no. I'd see no authority, and I'd rather take my chances in court after being arrested and taken off the plane than sit there and have basic rights abridged.
What do you think?
Sunday, August 16, 2009
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3 comments:
No reason to stand for that.
I was on a flight in which an L-1011, that's one of those massive wide bodies Eastern used to fly, landed at the wrong airport near Santo Domingo in a storm, at a military landing strip without a jetway to roll up to the door. Official plans were to wait until one could be transported from another airport, something that in the dominican republic could many take hours just to organize, let alone execute.
The crew knew the delays in store, and took it upon themselves to convince the locals -- who were standing around helpfully holding automatic weapons on the plane -- to bring over cargo-loading platforms and a couple of old buses and they led the 300 or so passengers 1 by 1 down the elevator into the galley below, out the emergency exit onto the tarmac, into the waiting buses, and off to the right airport, all in a couple of hours. Several crew members stayed with the plane to avoid any unwelcome visitors in the night.
Several hours later, official word came in to continue to sit tight, arrangements had been made for food and water to be delivered to the passengers within a few hours and a consultant was being flown in to determine how they could be removed from the plane.
Fortunately, instead of sitting miserably in place for 8 hours or more, those passengers were likely already at their destinations.
I'm surprised that both CW and GoHP have forgotten the most important action one who is held "tarmac hostage" can take to relieve the stress: push the button on the arm rest and recline your seatback the full 5.32 degrees and rest comfortably for the duration. I'd rather fly cargo than coach.
Everybody who has flow has a horror story. We came back to RDU from a visit to Ireland (the land of drunks and peasants) in Jan. '02. We actually had a blizzard and there was snow everywhere. We pulled just up to the terminal but had to wait until the snow was cleared to actually dock. No one wanted to clear the snow. The airline and the airport staffs fought about it for two hours while we waited, fifty feet away. Bastards! Remember when flying was fun? Now it's like being hauled on a Fort Jackson cattle-cart.
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