Passengers Stage 'Lord of the Flies' Mutiny on Delayed Plane

[n2doc]

BY UJALA SEHGALMAY 28, 2011
Nothing is as frustrating as being cooped up on an airplane that is stuck on the runway amid never-ending delays. But something holds people back from taking it out on the plane crew, namely, the live-preserving instinct not to aggravate those responsible for keeping the plane in the air after take-off. But passengers aboard a Middle East Airlines flight at Heathrow had no such concerns, and staged a mutiny that one passenger compared to the "Lord of the Flies," the Daily Mail reports.

The Beirut-bound flight, with 230 passengers aboard, had to abort a 5pm takeoff on Thursday from Heathrow Airport after already missing its original 1pm departure due to a thunderstorm. As waiting time approached seven hours, the passengers started to crack. One passenger told the Daily Mail that "the atmosphere was very tense and a middle-aged man told the crew member he was an idiot... and that was when the pushing and shoving began. The captain came out once and I told him he had failed in his duty, to which he replied I should fly the plane."

Things turned to chaos from there. "Disgruntled passengers argued with crew, raided the galleys and started ‘pushing and shoving,’ name-calling, and engaging in 'fisticuffs,'" another witness said. "People are hysterical." Meals were stolen from the galleys. A Lebanese woman passenger was said to have suffered "heart palpitations," and a 50-year-old male passenger became "so worked up" he needed to be given oxygen.

Up to eight police officers boarded the plane at 5.50pm, but there were no arrests. The (amazingly dedicated) airline said it did not disembark the passengers because it was hopeful of getting a take-off slot and did not want to miss it. Eventually the flight took off for Lebanon, apparently with all passengers still on board and no further incidents.

more
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/05/passengers-stage-lord-flies-mutiny-delayed-jet/38263/

[treestar]

1. Article doesn't say but were they literally on the plane seven hours

Seems the wait for the thunderstorm might have been in the airport.

[Tempest]

4. Yes it does

"had to abort a 5pm takeoff on Thursday"

You don't abort a takeoff sitting in the chute in the terminal.

[Aerows]

7. And that's bullshit

After a few hours, it's pretty damn clear it's time to go back to the airport. There is no valid reason for keeping people cooped up on the runway for seven hours, just because you think it can't be aborted. That's stupidity.

[treestar]

11. Pilot and crew are stuck on there, too

One would think they would not find it any more bearable.

[Avant Guardian]

2. How come I'm never on any of the fun plane rides?

The most excitement I ever get is bad turbulence.

[Patiod]

14. I was on one once - 5 hour on tarmac, 5 hours in flight

Over 100 degrees out, and huge thunderstorms/thunderclouds. But we could also see clear skies. So the pilot and airline kept thinking that the plane would be allowed to take off any minute. Literally every half hour he'd make an announcement saying it looked like we'd be taking off in 30 minutes.

Sat on the tarmac for over 5 hours in the heat before being cleared for a flight from PHL-SFO (another 5 hours).

Thank God for once in my sorry life I had been upgraded to first class (I'm never upgraded). So we had a constant supply of cold water when the pilot TURNED OFF THE AIR CONDITIONING to save fuel. But not so the people behind the curtain.

Eventually, the people in steerage (where I normally sit) rebelled, and came into first class to beg for water, which the flight attendants happily provided. But why did the passengers even have to ask?

[monmouth]

3. I'm having a "30Rock" flashback...n/t

[xchrom]

5. they should at least let people off the plane and back into the terminal.

i was stuck once on the heathrow taemac for many hours.

they wouldn't even let us back into the terminal -- we were virtual prisoners.

[Aerows]

6. If you are stuck on the freaking runway

for more than an hour, it's time to let people of the damn plane. I was stuck in a packed plane on the tarmac in Chicago for 2 hours. It's sheer hell. If I would have been stuck on a plane for seven hours without ever taking off, I'd have lost it, too.

That's complete BS. People will put up with just about anything these days if someone else convinces them that it "has to be this way" or is "for their own good".

[WolverineDG]

8. Reminds me of an AirFrance flight from Hell I was on several years ago

just after the advent of cell phones. We were delayed in Paris, then a storm settled in over Houston, causing the plane to fly in circles until we were almost out of fuel. We diverted to DFW, where we were told we could disembark & be put on other flights to our final destinations. And then we sat at DFW for several more hours, not allowed to get off the plane because (quote) there are no Customs & Immigration personnel at DFW. At that point (and mind you, we'd already been on the plane about 5 hours longer than scheduled), people started grumbling. The captain then said that in addition to having to remain on the plane, we would have to sit there ANOTHER 4 HOURS, until we could get a slot for take-off. All hell broke loose at that point.

I got my ticket & my cell phone & called Continental customer service (this was back when they had a code-share with AF). I politely asked when my flight was supposed to arrive & was told the flight was near IAH & should be landing within the hour. Me: "Okay, you might want to call the pilot & tell him that because I'm on the plane right now & we're stuck at DFW for another 4 hours."

Apparently several other people were making calls to CO as well, because within 10 minutes of my phone call, the flight attendants huffily told us we couldn't use them anymore as it was "against the law." Bull shit.

And wouldn't you know that within another 5 minutes, we were cleared for take off, a full 3 hours 45 minutes ahead of schedule?

Airlines get what they deserve when they pull shit like this on passengers.

dg

[Nye Bevan]

9. They murdered a bespectacled chubby kid? (nt)

[alfredo]

10. They thought it was Karl Rove

[KittyWampus]

12. Honestly, I might lose it too after 7 hours. Just the thought freaks me out a little.

[dickthegrouch]

13. Difference between Brit and US Cops

Brits trained far better to handle unusual situations. They didn't need to arrest anyone. If the same thing happens in the US? Half the plane would be in handcuffs and put "in the system".
Kudos to the trainers in Heathrow.