UK boy, 11, Passes Through 5 Security Checks and Flies Without Passport or Ticket?

I'm thinking they might already be relaxing their vigilance on security for the upcoming games. The only question is...why?

news.ca.msn.com...

LONDON - The 11-year-old boy didn't have a passport, didn't have a ticket, didn't have a boarding pass, and got all the way from England to Italy on his own. For him, the 1,000-mile (1,700-kilometre) journey was a great adventure — and his excitement led to his discovery.

How does this happen? Even the stewerds would know that someone isn't in their right seat and kids aren't allowed to fly unescorted are they?

For the airport, airline Jet2.com and the British government, Tuesday's incident was an embarrassing breach of security days before the start of the Olympics. Ben Vogel, editor of HIS Jane's Airport Review, said he wasn't familiar with all the details of the Manchester incident but said it's a fundamental security principle that people aren't allowed aboard an aircraft if they have no right to be there — whether or not they passed through a security scanner. "It's not good, is it?" he said. "It is a security breach, if a non-threatening security breach."

And to top it all off, they say it's not actually a breach of security even tho he passed thru 5 security checkpoints. So if this isn't a breach, what is?

Airport manager Craig, however, said "it's not technically a breach of security" because the boy did go through the normal security scan. "The boy was no threat to the aircraft," he said. But he admitted the boy passed through five security checks before boarding the plane.

Tight security all the way from the entrance to the gate to the plane etc. And yet this kid sails through. So what if it was really a kid used by some fanatical group as a decoy or even a bomber himself?

These days you can't even fart in the terminal without raising suspicion or being groped. Adults, kids, babies and seniors...all. And this kid just jumps on a plane without a ticket OR a passport?

Something isn't right here at all IMO.


Peace

Problem, Reaction, Solution.

"Clearly we need even more stringent searching of children. What if that was your child who somehow left the country without you knowing?"

You can see it coming...

Originally posted by ErgoTheConfusion
Problem, Reaction, Solution.

"Clearly we need even more stringent searching of children. What if that was your child who somehow left the country without you knowing?"

You can see it coming...

edit on 2012/7/25 by ErgoTheConfusion because: (no reason given)

Sure, have the parents call for even tighter security at airports...ask for more Police State please.

Could be.

Peace

Real life home alone right here. Why on earth did he try to go to Rome by himself haha?

Pretty ballsy though but kids mingling with a large family will always be more likely to get overlooked AND he still had to go through all the scanners and stuff so it wasn't a COMPLETE breakdown in security.

Here in the states you have to have a ticket/boarding pass to get through security, so how is that not a security breach?

Is the definition of a security breach not when someone gets through security when they shouldnt be allowed to? You know, breaching the security...

If i sneak into a house, but dont take anything or pose any threat, am i still breaching the homes security? I am sure using the same defense in court would get me locked up.

Really shows you how things have changed since 9/11.

A very similar story, was at the time, the perfectly reasonable, and adorable plot for Home Alone 2. In fact, it wasn't particularly unbelievable that a little kid managed to fly to New York unattended without a boarding pass.

It happens in real life in 2012 and it turns into cause for more power to be handed to the airport gestapo... the good hard-working folks of the TSA, you know, morons.

reply to post by jude11

I experienced something weird on my last travel to Spain as well. Security here in Norway is normally rather strict so that you have to show passport several times. This time not a single one in my group was asked to show passport or any identification at all, even though we went through several security checkpoints where they should have checked it.
If someone had gotten hold of my ticket, then they could have easily gotten onboard using my name.

The Manchester Evening News quoted Sarah Swayne, a passenger on the return flight, as saying the boy didn't seem to be fazed by the fuss he had caused.

"He just sat there chatting away about how he'd been trying to run away from home," Swayne was quoted as saying. "He seemed quite innocent, really, and I don't think it had sunk in how serious the situation was."

Do some people forget that they were also children at one stage? Who didn't want to run away from home and go on an adventure. I would have loved to try catch a free flight, but I guess it was too easy back in the days.. and thinking about it, we were technically safer. It's strange how that works.

I wonder if his parents had to pay for the flight in the end?

So we are to believe that an 11 year old boy who was last seen with his mother in a nearby shopping centre, made his way on his own... all the way to the airport... to board a plane to rome... and avoid lots of security checks, okay you can derive your own conclusion to what i am trying to say but OH my days. Only last week we have G4S not being able to supply full security for the games, the already relaxed passsport checks at Heathrow, and now more flaws in the security of airports, I smell some sort of public transport terror signs, like they are trying to feed you little bits of information, which they will later blame for any other type of attack, just to show that imagine that kid had, had a bomb, ? and just walked his way onto this plane, and why would an 11 year old boy, Que in line with people and board a plane to Rome? Was he trying to get away from his family members? I mean apparently he was out shopping with his mum, seems a bity wild to go board a plane do you not think!? Its a Wild Concept guys

reply to post by SomeRawInfo


It's not all that wild. Maybe he was trying to run away? Oh and another thging, as someone who travels fairly regularly, I can completely see how it could happen with the kid mingling in with families at the boarding gate. Infact, I travelled all the way to Spain and back from another EU country not all that long ago without having my passport checked once.

One more thing worth pointing out is that the official line on this is that it was not a security breach, because the kid passed through the security checks at every point. If he had a bomb they would have found it. It's just a pity that they are so focused on checking kids for bombs these days that they forget to check for their parents.

Having travelled through Manchester Airport many times, and knowing the type people that work there, as well as the security set up. This does not surprise me that he got to the gate. That's easy. However I am surprised that he got on to the plane.

The gate agent is supposed to check passports and boarding cards of EVERY person boarding. Additionally the cabin crew are supposed to do a head count to ensure it matched the passenger manifest. UNLESS one person was left behind, and the extra boy, was not seen as the head count matched.

It would be interesting to know if a person missed the Jet 2 flight to Rome that day, after checking in.

reply to post by RMFX1


That is probably because you were traveling inside the Schengen Zone, but you should at least have a boarding card. The UK is not part of the Zone so passport checks are supposed to be mandatory.

reply to post by SomeRawInfo


There is no real passport check in MAN or any other UK Airport when departing. You get your boarding pass checked briefly to make sure you are a passenger, So for a child hiding with a family it could be easy. An adult, would not be allowed through.

if the child passed security screening, then he should not have had anything dangerous on him. The security checks in MAN are actually very good technically.

The issue here lays with the gate staff. They should not have allowed him to gain access to the plane. even if hiding with a family.

OK you have 4 boarding cards and there are 5 of you? Who is this kid??? He's not mine. OK Unnapcompanied minor, should be escorted by airport staff, it's not rocket science. But I guess the human error system failed this time

Even the stewerds would know that someone isn't in their right seat and kids aren't allowed to fly unescorted are they?

reply to post by jude11


Not necessarily. I was a flight attendant a few years ago and there was no way to know who was in the proper seat since FA's don't check tickets. The exception is when someone is occupying the seat of another ticket holder and that person complains. Most FA's don't care where people sit as long as other passengers aren't complaining or if it isn't screwing up the weight proportions for takeoff.

As far as an unaccompanied minor, again, there is no real way the flight attendants know for sure that he isn't with an adult on the plane. Most unaccompanied minors are escorted by the gate agents and handed over to a flight attendant with paper work so the FA knows to "babysit" him during the flight. Without the paperwork, he really wouldn't seem out of place as long as he did't cause a disturbance in which his parents or guardian should be notified about.

reply to post by gemineye

or if it isn't screwing up the weight proportions for takeoff

Yeah those 30 year old weight averages, and new "hand luggage" bags are a real problem for weight and balance in the US!!

Thank the gods for over powered engines.

Originally posted by gemineye

Even the stewerds would know that someone isn't in their right seat and kids aren't allowed to fly unescorted are they?

reply to post by jude11

 

Not necessarily. I was a flight attendant a few years ago and there was no way to know who was in the proper seat since FA's don't check tickets. The exception is when someone is occupying the seat of another ticket holder and that person complains. Most FA's don't care where people sit as long as other passengers aren't complaining or if it isn't screwing up the weight proportions for takeoff.

As far as an unaccompanied minor, again, there is no real way the flight attendants know for sure that he isn't with an adult on the plane. Most unaccompanied minors are escorted by the gate agents and handed over to a flight attendant with paper work so the FA knows to "babysit" him during the flight. Without the paperwork, he really wouldn't seem out of place as long as he did't cause a disturbance in which his parents or guardian should be notified about.

edit on 7/25/2012 by gemineye because: tripped my own grammar nazi alarm

Ok, since you have experience, I will defer to you on a few points as it can get busy etc.

But what about the boarding pass? Both at the gate and at the plane entrance? We are asked to show at both points.

Peace

Ok, since you have experience, I will defer to you on a few points as it can get busy etc. But what about the boarding pass? Both at the gate and at the plane entrance? We are asked to show at both points.

reply to post by jude11


This is partly correct in that he shouldn't have gotten past the gate, but once past the gate, tickets usually aren't required to be shown at the plane entrance on most airlines unless things have changed since I was working flights or the last time I flied. The gate agent should have stopped him. TSA or whoever acts as security shouldn't have even allowed him to get to the gate to begin with though. The fact that anyone... even a kid, was allowed to get through without a ticket was the fault of TSA first, before anyone else. It's fairly common for a child not to produce a ticket but the gate agent should not have allowed him to board the plane without first asking him who he was flying with. When he wasn't able to point out a parent or guardian, the whole ordeal would have been prevented right there. The very first to be at fault would have been security themselves though since nobody is allowed past security without a ticket, badge or other documentation. I suppose it would be easier to pass by TSA than a gate agent since kids usually don't carry their own tickets and TSA agents don't actually take the tickets and tear them or mark them like gate agents, but the fact that several of them apparently DID make that assumption that he was flying with someone else goes to show that security is rather lax compared to what it typically is. Since it was an international flight, his passport should have been checked by customs so they are definitely at fault too. TSA doesn't always check the ID of children. Customs officials do. Still, TSA should have stopped him before he passed through customs so I blame them.