UK boy, 11, Passes Through 5 Security Checks and Flies Without Passport or Ticket?, page 1

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

reply to post by jude11

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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.

reply to post by SomeRawInfo

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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.

reply to post by RMFX1

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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