yesterday afternoon my husband and his business partner where on a flight from Colongatta to Sydney with one of the cheap carriers. A young ethnic man (mean no offence to anyone)sat at the window in seat A in row 21, my husband was allocated seat C in row 21, his partner on the other side of the isle. As the plane taxied out the young man started mumbling under his breath and pointing and counting out children versus adults.
While the hostess did her saftey thing one row in front, he started chanting and saying things like "the bomb is set". The hostie gave my husband a look of "is that what I just heard", he nodded to her and she dissapeared up the isle. The engines slowed, the plane did a U turn and without one word to passengers, went back to near the terminal. The hosties did not come back out and my husband (who is not small!!, an ex detective) said he had many plans running through his head of how he was going to contain the passenger if he moved. He chanted and mumbled all the way back to near the terminal. AFP boarded the plane and arrested the man, they did a quick search of the overhead locker he shared with hubbie and told him that he had no luggage. Another passenger come up to the front where this conversation was taking place and told the cops that the nutter was with another man of similar appearance at the airport, but they didnt want to look at tapes , or check other passengers on board. Nor did they search the rest of the plane,nor bring a bomb dog through, (the dog was in Brisbane and it would take too long!!). The captain then announced that the flight would leave in 5 minutes, hubbie and mate said not with us on board, unloaded their luggage and left. From what he told me, the cabin crew where not happy, other passengers around them looked scared but stayed on board.
As it turns out, the flight made is to Sydney , but who would have been accountable had a tragedy happened mid air? I also wondered how often this sort of thing happens.
Hubbie also said that the pre flight security check for sharps seems pointless as same airline served Crownies in glass bottles, one quick blow and the broken bottle is a weapon.
Hope I havent detered anyone from flying, international flights seem to have better security and the Bintang comes in a can. :)