Weirdest thing that has ever happened to you at the airport?

[Superfly]

Back in 2008,my wife and I were on our return flight from Vegas to Colo. It was late July,about 110 degrees. Got on the plane, started to taxi, plane turned around and returned to terminal. Pilot said something about a short delay because of a mechanical issue. Sat there at least 45 mins. burning up. Start departure. Seconds b4 lift off, plane throttles down,return to terminal. Hear pilot and others arguing. All sorts of personel going thru plane and working under plane for about an hour. People litterally passing out and not allowed to leave airplane. NO a/c at all,engines not running. Finally start taxiing again. Wife in freak out mode,many others appear to be in same mode. Seconds before lift off,engines throttle down again,return to terminal. Mad stampede by passengers rushing to exit plane. Get back to concourse, look at plane, one of the engines is ablaze. Three hour wait for a back up plane. ...close call

:shock:

 

[ModerationNow!]

My son, who is always patted down because he is brown (Korean), had his fiancee patted down today also.

They then chose her at random to search her bag. They found a bag of unopened grits that I gave her (special kind I've only found down south) and they actually checked the bag to make sure it wasn't explosive.

What's the weirdest thing you've had happen to you at the airport?

Although I haven't had a DNA test to see whether or not I have the .01% of black, Latino or American Indian DNA that would automatically qualify me as either a black man, a Latino or a Cherokee warrior, I still "look like" a white guy. However, I too have been pulled to the side and made to go through more intrusive and extensive searches, despite not carrying anything that would outwardly look suspicious. That happened to me while black, Asian and Latino people were fast tracked through without being through an extensive search. In fact, in my experience, the vast majority of people going through airport security ARE fast tracked, regardless of outward racial appearance.

If there is an obvious case of govt security workers intentionally singling out people for more extensive searches, for no legit reason other than race, then that employee should be investigated and proper procedures made more clear to everyone. I will point out that the job of airport security IS airport security, not affirmative action. In other words, if Irish separatist terrorism suddenly started up again, and for some reason they made it clear that they planned on causing terror in America, often by highjacking planes, then I would expect the airport security to pay extra attention to people who are obviously Irish! Somehow I bet that hardly anyone from the other side of the aisle would have a problem with that practice, because the affected people would be white! In the same way, we SHOULD pay extra attention to anyone who fits the profile of a group of hateful mass murderers!

What's more important, A). saving LOTS of lives, or B). not temporarily offending someone?

 

[Superfly]

Although I haven't had a DNA test to see whether or not I have the .01% of black, Latino or American Indian DNA that would automatically qualify me as either a black man, a Latino or a Cherokee warrior, I still "look like" a white guy. However, I too have been pulled to the side and made to go through more intrusive and extensive searches, despite not carrying anything that would outwardly look suspicious. That happened to me while black, Asian and Latino people were fast tracked through without being through an extensive search. In fact, in my experience, the vast majority of people going through airport security ARE fast tracked, regardless of outward racial appearance.

If there is an obvious case of govt security workers intentionally singling out people for more extensive searches, for no legit reason other than race, then that employee should be investigated and proper procedures made more clear to everyone. I will point out that the job of airport security IS airport security, not affirmative action. In other words, if Irish separatist terrorism suddenly started up again, and for some reason they made it clear that they planned on causing terror in America, often by highjacking planes, then I would expect the airport security to pay extra attention to people who are obviously Irish! Somehow I bet that hardly anyone from the other side of the aisle would have a problem with that practice, because the affected people would be white! In the same way, we SHOULD pay extra attention to anyone who fits the profile of a group of hateful mass murderers!

What's more important, A). saving LOTS of lives, or B). not temporarily offending someone?

Did you pull this from the "Racial Profiling" textbook?

 

[beefheart]

My son, who is always patted down because he is brown (Korean), had his fiancee patted down today also.

They then chose her at random to search her bag. They found a bag of unopened grits that I gave her (special kind I've only found down south) and they actually checked the bag to make sure it wasn't explosive.

What's the weirdest thing you've had happen to you at the airport?

I've spent more time stranded than most, as I flew standby for the last 25 years or so. One time, I made the mistake of going to Hawaii over New Year's Eve, so, on Jan 1 I got bumped 5 times over the course of 12 hours. On one flight, the gate agent said "you have a seat, provided that Mr. Whatever doesn't show up in the next 5 minutes....and 4 minutes and 30 seconds later....here he comes....

One time at St. Petersburg Russia, I see them going through bags like crazy, evidently lots of Poles were buying all kinds of stuff to resell for more money to tourists. I brace for the usual shakedown, I run my bags through the scanner, hand my passport to the guy and he looks at me and says "American!!, you have great cigarettes!" and names some brand that I've never heard of, and waves me through security. I wanted to say "Wait one hour, I'm gonna go and buy a few pounds of caviar and some ermine coats and a case of vodka..."

 

[beefheart]

Was standing on the carpet at PDX and a couple asked if I could move my feet out of their carpet/feet pic.

The carpeting at PDX is legendary. Seriously, lots of stories about it, people take pics of it all the time. PHX tried for something similar, but not nearly as cool.

 

[beefheart]

Oh, I forgot, I was flying LAX-PHX and we shared the gate area with the LAX-LAS flight. Al "Grandpa" Lewis was flying to Vegas with his daughter. Al was a strange guy, heard all kinds of weird stories about him. Anyway, he was super gracious with everyone, way cool. I also was walking outside between terminals at LAX once and walked past the coolest looking guy I've seen, wearing a beret and a silk jacket...Samuel L. MF Jackson. One of the few celebs that is cool looking in person!

Most surreal airport experience....I had a free stand by ticket on Garuda Indonesian airlines back when they flew out of LAX. Boarded an ancient 747-200, and we flew 6 hours to Honolulu, we all got off, back on, then 9 hours to a refueling stop on the tiny island of Biak, landing around 3 AM. Again, we all had to get off, got herded into this open air terminal area where a bunch of New Guinian dancers came out and performed for us all dressed in native garb. I was so tired and lagged at that point, I really doubted that I was there, or that I was still on the plane dreaming...

 

[beefheart]

Last month, GF and I flew to Costa Rica. We get into San Jose at night, slightly hammered and ready to spend the night before going on to our destination. My bag comes up on the thing, I grab it, go to the ATM and pull out some Colones with my debit card.

We get to hotel, eat, go to the room, I go to my bag to get my toothbrush....uh, what's this? Not my bag? It is a big, unique bag, never seen another like it. I freak, there is tag with a phone number, GF calls and wakes up an irate woman in Minnesota, we explain to her about the bag, its her husband's, we find out his hotel, have our hotel call his hotel and take an Uber (which is illegal in CR) to reunite him with the bag. He wasn't on our flight, his bag got sent on it as it missed his flight. Next morning, I go to pick up my bag and realize that I left my ATM card in the machine the night before...gone. I go and pull $400 worth of Colones off my credit card. No one stole the card, it never got used. Rest of the trip was fantastic, we got all the weird stuff out of the way early...

 

[beefheart]

I was on a six-hour airplane ride with an illiterate meth addict. He was quite the character.

LOL! I was on a flight once PHX to Kona, Hawaii. Guy gets sick on the plane, they put him in the lav right across from my seat, ask for a doctor. The FA does a link up with a doctor, the guy was going through some bad withdrawls. Now, you got to remember that from the US mainland to Hawaii is the longest stretch of overwater without an alternative landing site. So, when you fly there, there is a point at which the plane has to commit to continue to Hawaii rather than turn back. We were pretty close to that point (yeah, I had my gps mapping going on my tablet). So, I am sitting there, just saying in my mind to the doctor and the FA.....take your time...go slow....don't diagnose anything yet! Thankfully, we got to the commit to Hawaii point, at which time I stopped worrying about whether the meth head was well or not.

 

[beefheart]

One perk of being an airline employee. I was flying standby Prague to Frankfurt on Lufthansa (oddly enough, it was on the same 3 week trip that took me to Indonesia). Flight was completely full, revenue passengers got bumped. The ticket agent called my name and a woman's name. We were both airline employees for other airlines. Agent says "the plane is completely full, do you mind sitting in the cockpit jumpseats?" DUH...hell yes...we get escorted past everyone and I had a flight with the greatest in flight entertainment ever. Pity the flight was so short, but I am a flight sim geek, so I knew the A320 cockpit very well. Of course, once I got to Frankfurt I got bumped on the flight to Luxemborg, so I had to take a train with 2 transfers....

 

[ModerationNow!]

Did you pull this from the "Racial Profiling" textbook?

Not sure what that means, considering that I DID say that it shouldn't be allowed for security people to single out people simply because of race. But at the same time, if there was a sudden surge in airport, airplane related terrorist attacks, involving radical terrorists from Portugal and Thailand, should security workers focus more attention on NON-Asian & NON-Portuguese nationals as opposed to focusing on people who actually DO fit the profile, just so you feel more 'fair minded' and/or virtuous? My ancestors came here from Scotland well over 200 years ago. But if there was an outbreak of Scottish looking people blowing up airplanes, then I would EXPECT ANY reasonable, rational security experts to pay more attention to people who look Scottish, even if that meant that I was singled out!

I wouldn't want to act so selfish and arrogant that I made a big stink over security people DOING THEIR JOBS! Should I, or anyone else, be SO selfish and unconcerned about the public's safety, that I become 'offended' when they are just trying to protect society, and should I DEMAND that they instead waste their time harassing people of races who ARENT likely to blow up the airport! Doing that seems a WHOLE LOT more of a dick-move than just being reasonable and respectful of the people and the situation they are trying to protect me and everyone else from!

This whole exaggerated, irrational attitude against allowing security people to more efficiently and effectively protect us, has been manufactured by the political left to create a whole new group of (non)victims! It gives them yet another soap box to use for political gain, while making the terrorists' jobs easier!

 

[Superfly]

Not sure what that means, considering that I DID say that it shouldn't be allowed for security people to single out people simply because of race. But at the same time, if there was a sudden surge in airport, airplane related terrorist attacks, involving radical terrorists from Portugal and Thailand, should security workers focus more attention on NON-Asian & NON-Portuguese nationals as opposed to focusing on people who actually DO fit the profile, just so you feel more 'fair minded' and/or virtuous? My ancestors came here from Scotland well over 200 years ago. But if there was an outbreak of Scottish looking people blowing up airplanes, then I would EXPECT ANY reasonable, rational security experts to pay more attention to people who look Scottish, even if that meant that I was singled out!

I wouldn't want to act so selfish and arrogant that I made a big stink over security people DOING THEIR JOBS! Should I, or anyone else, be SO selfish and unconcerned about the public's safety, that I become 'offended' when they are just trying to protect society, and should I DEMAND that they instead waste their time harassing people of races who ARENT likely to blow up the airport! Doing that seems a WHOLE LOT more of a dick-move than just being reasonable and respectful of the people and the situation they are trying to protect me and everyone else from!

This whole exaggerated, irrational attitude against allowing security people to more efficiently and effectively protect us, has been manufactured by the political left to create a whole new group of (non)victims! It gives them yet another soap box to use for political gain, while making the terrorists' jobs easier!

So you are doubling down.

Don't profile based on race! It's wrong!

Oh, but profile based on race if you want! Gotta keep us safe, yanno!

My son is not a ****ing terrorist. :lol: He's South Korean. :roll:

 

[molten_dragon]

What's the weirdest thing you've had happen to you at the airport?

I randomly ran into my aunt and uncle at the Denver airport. We happened to have layovers there at the same time one gate apart. Definitely one of those "small world" moments.