Passengers frustrated at lack of information
Tuesday 29th January 2013, 8:30AM GMT.
The airport was closed yesterday morning after a door was left open overnight on a Flybe plane, sparking a security alert. A police bomb disposal van can be seen on the runway apron. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 1301662)
THE airport authority was criticised yesterday for a lack of information-sharing by early-morning passengers who saw their flights delayed by three hours.
Some 200 people were held up after an unsecured door on a Flybe aircraft on the stand sparked a security alert at about 6.30am.
The delay was progressively extended, although passengers were told no more than that it was a security alert.
One announcement said the runway was closed, while from the window of the cafeteria people saw light aircraft coming and going.
Mike Smith, 67, was travelling to Southampton for medical care.
‘It’s typical Guernsey,’ he said. ‘There’s a lack of information and somebody must know how long the delay will be. A doesn’t know what B is doing and nobody seems to care.’
Saturday 18 May
- Former traffic warden tore up own ticket
- Win - £100 National Gardens gift voucher
- Chaos Festival preview
- Michael Meinke on running the Sahara
- Sport - 'Make it a green day'
Campaigns
Voice For Victims
Voice for Victims is a campaign aimed at promoting the rights of those affected by child sexual abuse.
This is Guernsey
Guernsey Press
Useful Links
Two main points about info;
- not getting any info, and
- getting info that was clearly wrong.
Airport Director was giving much more info to BBC Guernsey than to his customers (yes passengers are customers of the airport, so too are those dropping and collecting passengers)
Anyone else notice that the web cam that normally shows the parked planes was pointing to the control tower during the incident, and then back to the planes later in the day?
Why did it appear to take 2 hrs for police to arrive?
Does the airport have any back-up plan if this had lasted longer, eg tow a plane to the end of the runway and process passengers via a cargo shed or maybe the aero-club?
Report abuse
Are they going to sack the clown that should have secured the door and therefore caused the inconvience ?
Report abuse
Surely security organisation should be checking the parked aircraft throughout the night and not at 6:30 am?
Report abuse
it is amazing really when you think about it, in this day and age we have all these ways of instantly communicating with people and yet the powers that be can’t simply communicate with passangers at an airport. No doubt the “Elf & Safety” brigade and other pen pushers were all to busy with their clip boards and yellow high viz jackets trying to look important to even consider the passengers!
Report abuse
Surely it’s not beyond the means of a member of the security staff, to check through the security camera records to find out exactly what happened. This shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Are there any on duty at night?
If so what do they do?
Report abuse
I hate the ‘typical Guernsey’ jibe. The ridiculous attitude which involves frantic/masochistic self-pity is nothing but a waste of time and does not reflect the island in any way.
Report abuse
Mr Leray says it could take 10 days to find out what happened.
Why not phone Flybe and ask, which Idiot left the Door Open and caused all the Delay?
Report abuse
It is so easy to hide behind ‘procedures’ as an excuse for disrupting hundreds of passengers, when a degree of common sense should have prevailed
As for the lack of proper communication with the passengers in the terminal, there is just no excuse
Report abuse
I wonder if they would they would close Heathrow or Gatwick for 3 hours if a door was left open on an aircraft. Surely you tow the aircraft away from the terminal and deal with problem allowing other aircraft to arrive and depart. Remember of course that arriving aircraft couldn’t possibly have been affected as they weren’t even in the island at the time of the “security breach”. At least some passengers could have got away on time. I feel sorry for those who missed medical appointments in the UK as a result of this.
Report abuse
Arriving aircraft wouldn’t have been affected but remember that aside from a few trislanders the aircraft are based in Guernsey so couldn’t leave in order to fly the return.
Report abuse
Not all aircraft are based here. The aircraft operating flights from Exeter and Birmingham are both UK based so at least these could have operated.
Report abuse
Who knows what was going on?
Airport did right procedure as any others would have done. So you moaners are happy to fly with a potential threat on board?
Report abuse
They were right to check out the aircraft but the point I am making is that aircraft which were not in Guernsey at the time couldn’t possibly have a potential threat on board as a result of this and should have been permitted to land. Even private aircraft owners were stopped from flying in the end. You are not telling me that they then went on to inspect every single light aircraft in the hangars?
Report abuse
Oh man the complainers.
Imagine if a plane exploded and killed hundreds.
Who am I kidding, people would still bitch and moan.
Report abuse
2013
The year of the shambles.
Report abuse
Soph, no one doubted the requirement to inspect the aircraft … the frustration was that no information was given as to why was happening. We were informed the runway was closed, yet we could see planes landing and taking off …. then nothing from the airport authorities … rumours were arriving via Facebook and other websites … one airport worker even told me “you all know via Facebook so what’s the point in updating you” … even if we were told it takes an hour to search a plane and 2 planes need searching that would have helped … so long as people are informed of what’s happening they tend to be happy, rather than being treated like mushrooms ….
Report abuse