Shocking new terrorist plot ...

VS arrivals for LHR seem to be uneffected for this evening. DEL and BOM arrivals are both on schedule and the dayflight from EWR is only an hour down...

I thought these would have been cancelled or re-routed this evening -given the statement from morning that all inbound LHR flights have been cancelled. [:?]

Originally posted by catsilversword

Originally posted by Decker
Just use TSA approved locks and always lock. They're getting cheaper by the year .

TSA? What are those? Are they available in the UK???

What it refers to are locks approved by the Transit Security Agency (TSA) in the US. Basically, you can lock your luggage to prevent theft as it passes through the airport, but the security people have master keys so they can open them if they choose your bags for a search.

Would you feel reassured that no one else has ever got a master? Well at least theft is less likely.

Originally posted by tosh_5
im watching msnbc news and there saying its a threat to american passengers. Dont they realise brits will be on there as well.

I love the way America always projects itself first through its media, we could learn a lot of lessons from that. But I also get really annoyed by it on occasion - this plot, perpetrated in the UK and Pakistan and wherever, targeted against UK and US civilians and infrastructure (and less face it many more UK civilians since we make up the vast majority of transatlantic travel especially during this holiday season, and that part of the plot was to blow up the planes over UK cities), deserves a more global understanding by certain sections of the media in America. Reference my comment earlier on Bush's speech. It wouldn't hurt to say the US 'and the UK' as we would do in the opposite.

I have a friend who is flying UC to Australia @ 10.30 tonight. He was 'phoned at lunchtime by a VA staff member to say that his flight was still scheduled to take-off & to let hime know what items he could take on board.

[Neil]

mmm interesting, i think the TSA lock sounds a good idea, much prefer my case locked but sooo annoying when you get it back to find its been broken because of a search, this sounds like a solution

Neil

[Decker]

FWIW these are the ones we use although we tend to buy them in the US.

Originally posted by Roxy-Popsy
I have a friend who is flying UC to Australia @ 10.30 tonight. He was 'phoned at lunchtime by a VA staff member to say that his flight was still scheduled to take-off & to let hime know what items he could take on board.

Now that is great customer service - very reassuring given the situation..... Wonder if all W and Y passengers got called also???

[Neil]

Originally posted by Decker
FWIW these are the ones we use although we tend to buy them in the US.

Thanks Decker, good price too, I thought they would be quite a bit more expensive[y]

Neil:)

[buns]

This has been a very interesting thread to read through - not least to see how views have altered as events have unfolded.

What is clear is that as the airline industry and security authorities implement processes to thwart known threats then, as is the way of terrorists, new avenues will be attempted.

The work of the security agencies should be praised as their actions have no doubt saved countless lives and most probably done much to preserve the already fragile airline industry itself.

I am sure none of us would see the total demise of air travel, but I suspect that this threat will be replaced with another method some time in the future[:(!][:(!]

Good fortune to all those scheduled to travel over the next couple of days

buns

Originally posted by Decker
FWIW these are the ones we use although we tend to buy them in the US.

These locks are the biz. Since we got ours ( 2 or 3 years ago) we have not had them bust open (tempting fate [ii]). They are on sale widely in the US - ours come from Target priced at around $7-ish

My friend that is flying UC to Australia is in the clubhouse but his flight is delayed until 2am. Any more news & I'll let you know.

[preiffer]

Just got this in from VS about my flight this weekend:

Government agencies in both the US and the UK have advised of additional security measures applicable at all UK airports and all flights into the UK from US airports.

Virgin Atlantic intends to operate all flights as planned on the 10th and 11th August 2006, although long delays are expected. Airport Check in' s will open 4 hours before the scheduled departure time. We urge all our passengers to check-in on line or by using airport kiosks where installed. Passengers booked to depart on flights from London Gatwick tomorrow, are encouraged to use our Twilight check-in service, which will be open at Zone A, South Terminal, until 21:00 this evening. Once checked in we urge all passengers to go straight to security in order for the searches and other security screenings to be completed.

Passengers who do not wish to travel from the UK or US today (10 August) can rebook for travel up to and including 30 September 2006 in the same booking class, subject to availability. Please telephone our contact centres to arrange this.

Our full flight disruption policy can be viewed here. A copy of our Conditions of Carriage can be viewed by clicking here.

The following measures are to take place with immediate effect:

Flights Departing From UK Airports

Passengers may take through the airport security search point, in a single (ideally transparent) plastic carrier bag, only the following items. Nothing may be carried in pockets:

pocket size wallets and pocket size purses plus contents (for example money, credit cards, identity cards etc (not handbags)).
travel documents essential for the journey (for example passports and travel tickets).
prescription medicines and medical items sufficient and essential for the flight (e.g., diabetic kit) However liquid medication e.g. insulin may only be carried with supporting documentation from the owners Doctor that verifies it as authentic.
spectacles and sunglasses, without cases.
contact lens holders, without bottles of solution.
for those travelling with an infant: baby food, milk (the contents of each bottle must be tasted by the accompanying passenger) and sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight (nappies, wipes, creams and nappy disposal bags).
female sanitary items sufficient and essential for the flight, if unboxed (e.g. tampons, pads, towels and wipes).
tissues (unboxed) and/or handkerchiefs.
keys (but no electrical key fobs).


In addition to this please note:
All passengers must be hand searched, and their footwear and all the items they are carrying must be x-ray screened.
Pushchairs and walking aids must be x-ray screened, and only airport-provided wheelchairs may pass through the screening point.


Flights Departing From US Airports

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be implementing a series of security measures. Although the TSA is not restricting the carriage of hand luggage all items are being hand searched at the departure gate and this is causing significant delays. It is therefore strongly recommended that you carry only the most essential items to speed up the security process and minimise flight delays.

The TSA have advised that the following measures are to take place with immediate effect:

No liquids or gels are allowed past the airport security checkpoint and they are not allowed to be carried either in hand luggage or on your person, except:
Baby formula, breast milk, or juice if a baby or small child is travelling.
Prescription medicine with a name that matches the passenger's ticket.
Insulin and essential other non-prescription medicines.


In addition, customers may not bring liquids and gels purchased inside the airport onboard the aircraft. Examples of liquids and gels include beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, toothpaste, hair gel and items of a similar consistency.

Virgin Atlantic advises its customers to ensure that only items complying with these requirements are carried on board aircraft. All other items must be placed in checked baggage or left behind.

General Information for all passengers

Excess baggage charges will be waived to facilitate the carriage of additional checked baggage that would otherwise have been carried in the cabin.

We have been advised that customers in possession of non-compliant items will be stopped at the security checkpoint and re-directed back to the check in hall. With the additional security measures applied at the security checkpoint and the departure gates, passengers are advised to make their way quickly through security and arrive as early as possible at the departure gate.

Customers are advised not to carry personal belongings, which are valuable, or fragile without ensuring it is covered for loss or damage under their own personal possessions/ travel insurance. We cannot accept any liability for such items including laptops or cameras should passenger still wish to carry them.

Regular updates on the situation will be available on our website. However, if you feel that you need to speak to our Contact Centre, please expect delays.

Further information may be found at

http://www.dft.gov.uk

http://www.tsa.gov/

Through tickets and onward flight connections

Currently the facility to connect to other flights without passing through immigration is not available in any UK airport, therefore any passenger with a flight connection at a UK airport must clear immigration, collect their luggage and check in with the next airline.

Some domestic and short-haul flights to/from UK airports have been cancelled. Any passengers travelling on Virgin Atlantic "through tickets" connecting to/from Virgin flights to any of these cancelled services can re-book or cancel their flights and receive a refund. Please contact your point of sale.

Passengers whose cancelled connecting flights are issued on separate tickets i.e. "non-through tickets" will not be entitled to a refund of their Virgin Atlantic flight, should their connecting flight with another airline be cancelled.

Passengers on Package Holidays

Should check with their tour operators before re-booking their flights as their polices may not be the same as ours.

Virgin Holidays passengers should check their website at

http://www.virginholidays.co.uk

Virgin Atlantic apologises for any inconvenience caused but trust that you will understand our need to comply with these imposed measures. We would like to thank all passenger for their patience, understanding and positive attitude throughout this difficult situation. Our airport teams are so appreciative of the support and co-operation they have been given.

The Flying Club team
Kind regards,

Interesting about the removal of excess baggage charges during the disruption [y]

Let's just hope people don't see that and take advantage of the no excess baggage! The last thing needed will be everyone turning up with extra cases just because they can!!!

Although clearly it is a very good gesture, although I would have thought they may have just extended the limit by the normal carry on allowance!!! - or reading it again maybe that is what they mean

The locks look really good. Does anyone which stores sell the locks in the US

Apologies if any of this has been posted before, my internet broad band is down and I'm relying on dial up so haven't been through every page of this discussion.

Having been at work at VS today.....very busy...luckily in my job I do not have to deal wih Pax directly.!!....inbound flights landing on time, problems then start as T3 on a normal day is just about at capacity, so with outbound delays, there is nowhere for the landing aircraft to park, so for a fair part of the day there were long delays before a parking stand was allocated. Often this was on a remote stand requiring buses for the passengers. As the buses are provided by the BAA, and they were very stretched, it did take some time. One very big problem was first thing (ie early morning, 5.30 am) when early shift staff were arriving for work, due to the security clampdown, which affected staff as much as passengers, it meant that a lot of staff didn't get into work for several hours. Now bear in mind planes were still landing....many of the staff that had been on duty all night then stayed on to help...but this was still short of the normal compliment so problems arose. Delays to the outbund flights were mainly due to the security in the terminals slowing up pax checking in etc as well as the US authorities taking longer checking pax list before letting US bound flight leaving the UK. From the feedback we were getting in the ops meetings I attended today, most pax understood the situation. hopefully tommorow will be a bit easier in the terminals. Unfortunately there will be delays, especially as a lot of the departure today were late, this will of course have an effect on tomorows arrivals and therefore departures as well. Extra staff have been called in to help over the weekend. please help by heading the BAA/security advice regarding handbagage, it will really help
Do hope it has not caused to mush inconvinience for you all.

[Decker]

Brookstones/Sharper Image...

Golfman

Thanks for your comments. I'm sure we all appreciate the extra work and long hours you, and other airport and airline staffers perform in these times.

Good to hear your views and input.

Thanks Decker

Originally posted by preiffer
Just got this in from VS about my flight this weekend:

Shame they can't do this in plain English and a series of bullet points ... VS do have a propensity to wordiness that, if reduced, would I think help clarity and direction to passengers.

Whatever we may think of Blair/the government etc, you have to marvel at the way the security forces have moved in and sorted things out. It seems to me that while there was all the hullabaloo about the Forest Gate raid, a bigger operation was going on with lots of lengthy surveillance, evidence gathering and sound judgement from MI5/police which resulted in many arrests overnight. There could have been thousands of lives lost mid-air en route to the USA, with Virgin, BA, United, American airlines amongst possible targets for terrorists. It makes me shudder at what might have happened. Watching all the chaos at LHR today made me realise just how big a deal all this is, and that the folk who have prevented carnage from taking place have a place in our hearts - Police, intelligence agents and indeed those people from within the terrorists' community who risked their lives in supplying info that have likely kept thousands of innocent people alive.

It still continues to amaze me that we, here in the UK and London and presumably at slightly greater threat than people in Arkansas, get worse news from our media than our US friends. Here's the latest from CNN:

"Terrorists were in the "final stages" of a plot to simultaneously blow up as many as 10 jets leaving Britain for the U.S., sending the planes and thousands of passengers into the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday."

Or:

"Two of the suspects recently traveled to Pakistan and later received money wired from there, senior U.S. government sources said.

Among those arrested were a Muslim charity worker and a Heathrow Airport employee with an all-area access pass, according to Britain's Channel 4."

"A senior congressional source said it is believed the plotters planned to mix a British sports drink with a gel-like substance to make a potent explosive that could be ignited with an MP3 player or cell phone. The sports drink could be combined with a peroxide-based paste to form a potent "explosive cocktail," if properly done, said a U.S. counterterrorism official."

"Two of the suspects left "martyrdom tapes," according to sources familiar with the details of the British investigation."

... find any of this in UK media at the moment ... errr no, don't we *****foot around the issues and pander to our communities.

Originally posted by slinky09
It still continues to amaze me that we, here in the UK and London and presumably at slightly greater threat than people in Arkansas, get worse news from our media than our US friends. Here's the latest from CNN:

"Terrorists were in the "final stages" of a plot to simultaneously blow up as many as 10 jets leaving Britain for the U.S., sending the planes and thousands of passengers into the Atlantic Ocean, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said Thursday."

Or:

"Two of the suspects recently traveled to Pakistan and later received money wired from there, senior U.S. government sources said.

Among those arrested were a Muslim charity worker and a Heathrow Airport employee with an all-area access pass, according to Britain's Channel 4."

"A senior congressional source said it is believed the plotters planned to mix a British sports drink with a gel-like substance to make a potent explosive that could be ignited with an MP3 player or cell phone. The sports drink could be combined with a peroxide-based paste to form a potent "explosive cocktail," if properly done, said a U.S. counterterrorism official."

"Two of the suspects left "martyrdom tapes," according to sources familiar with the details of the British investigation."

... find any of this in UK media at the moment ... errr no, don't we *****foot around the issues and pander to our communities.

Slinky a lot of this has to do with our legal issues for when/if these suspects come to trial. In the US their media is free to comment on a case even while trying to get the alledged criminal. The whole reason the British Press resist a lot of the information is that our legal system from day one of trial could call for a case to be dismissed because the BBC reported that x received money from y a known terorist and that will be argued by the defence means these people would not be subjected to a fair trial which they and everyone else in this country deserve.

I know we now are in a media hungry world but certain elements of any situation will not come to light until during or after a case. Remember a couple of months back the group of suspects that MI5 taped talking about bringing down a BA plane and storing a load of fertiliser. If that was released before a trial then even the most intellegent amongst us would find it hard to stay on the facts that you hear in a court room and only them. This is the British justice system and one of the best in the world in my opinion.

i would like to thank the security forces of the uk for there hard work in foiling the what would of been a mass loss of life.
My hat goes off to all involved.

Well said Ade.

Lets not forget that anyone, and I do mean anyone has the absolute right to be considered innocent prior to trial.

In these days of detention without access to laywers or charges being filed lets never forget the REAL meaning of justice.

Well said Ade99.