64 RAMP FORUM
GROUND HANDLING INTERNATIONAL FEBRUARY 2013
Shell shock sparks security scare
t’s been a time of questionable airport security, if examples within this issue are anything to go by. Air Vanuatu has started an investigation into how airport security staff permitted a man to board a flight to Auckland carrying an artillery shell in his luggage. What was even more worrying was that the shell was live. The shell was only discovered when the passenger arrived in Auckland and there declared the item to New Zealand customs staff. An Air Vanuatu spokesperson said that the airline had requested a report from the security company concerned. It appears that the traveller discovered the shell whilst diving in Vanuatu, and decided to bring it home with him.
Screeners: practice makes perfect
An internal report has shown that screeners at Newark Liberty International airport are properly executing standard pat-downs of passengers only 16.7% of the time. A report obtained by The Star-Ledger of Newark also shows that screeners identify and take appropriate action on prohibited items in only a quarter of all cases. However, the report also found that in
numerous categories, including the removal of prohibited items found during physical searches and in the exhibition of good listening skills, screeners performed their duties properly 100% of the time. The report was compiled by undercover teams of Transportation Security Administration employees from other airports who observed the Newark Liberty screeners at work over several months.
TSA officials conduct the evaluations at airports around the nation and use the results to improve their screening practices.
Boeing’s costliest drink?
Champagne on a flight is all very well but there are more expensive options, it seems. Nothing more prosaic than a beverage can (contents unknown) seems to have been the cause of an incident on an AirTran Boeing 717-200 in Milwaukee recently. A preliminary report, released by the National Transportation Safety Board, identifies a catering truck that approached the B717’s right front service door. In a statement, the driver of the vehicle said that a beverage can became lodged between the floor and brake pedal, preventing him from applying the brake as he approached
the aircraft. Because of the errant tin, the truck subsequently struck the B717. Damage was confirmed in the area of the production splice, that is, the joint where the forward portion of the fuselage is mated to the mid-section fuselage.
Hiss and miss on Mexican flight
Aircraft cleaners at Glasgow airport made a surprise discovery when they stumbled on a Mexican snake tucked away under a seat. The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that the quick thinking workers at the airport remained calm when faced with the 18 inch snake, which was uncovered after the flight had landed from Cancun. The reptile was handed over to above- mentioned organisation but it is not clear how this snake managed to be passed through security in the Mexican airport.
Cash and carry operation a little premature for thief
Everyone enjoys the tale of a bungled robbery but that which occurred recently in the US involves a rather substantial suspension of belief.
In this particular incident, an airport baggage handler has been accused of stealing a percentage of a US$96m shipment of cash that was being transported to the Federal Reserve Building in East Rutherford, New Jersey, from Dallas. The flight wasn’t a direct one, and so landed at Philadelphia International airport. The bags of money were then loaded into an armoured car for ongoing transportation to their final destination. It was whilst the bags were being offloaded from the armoured car for inventory purposes that officials became aware that one shipment had been opened and that currency was missing.
In all, some US$20,000 in 100 dollar bills had been removed. Unfortunately for the handler, these notes were not yet legal for circulation, since they bore a new design that would not be issued for several months. Because of this fact, the purloined currency was left in the accused’s vehicle, which was where the police eventually found it.
What women really want
The business travel network for professional women, maiden-voyage.
com, along with
inflightfeed.com (which is dedicated to highlighting pre-ordered and buy-on-board airline meals), has run an independent survey amongst professional women around the world to find out what women really want from airline meals.
Given that food at 35,000 feet often comes in for poor press, this survey is perhaps more pertinent than at first might be expected. And whilst most fliers simply put up with the choice of the day, is there a case for the female flier - and should she be treated slightly differently? Over 100 women (who travel regularly for business or for pleasure) were surveyed in relation to their inflight eating habits, special meal requirements, purchasing habits and their favourite airline meals.
Of the women surveyed, 76% stated that meals were either too heavy in carbohydrates or suited more to the male consumer. What, though, about those women who travel on low cost or airlines which do not offer free food? Only 20% said that they purchase something on board an aircraft and over 40% of women stated that they pre-plan their meals for their flight. On this basis there would seem to be a huge opportunity for airlines to improve their buy-on-board offering even further.
When the glamour of aviation finally wears off
An Italian male has been arrested for posing as a pilot in order to catch flights across Europe. This individual seems to have created a new identity for himself and flown on at least one Lufthansa flight and one Air Dolomiti flight as a third pilot, say press reports. He had even created a fake Facebook account in the name of his alter ego, making flight attendant friends along the way and posing in a pilot’s uniform. The imposter was finally brought to earth at Turin airport and was charged with endangering air transport security and impersonation.
Got a story or a comment? Please send your submissions to the Editor: alwyn@
groundhandling.com
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