Hellobee Boards

@Miss Ariel: Just curious: if calling Baghdad and speaking in Arabic alone makes you suspicious because “historically a lot of terrorist activities have ties to the Middle East” (which is what you’ve said in this thread); are you equally suspicious when you see a white male at a church, college, elementary school or movie theater, since historically, white men are the ones shooting up the US every week?

If not, why not? Is it because we shouldn’t judge large populations based on the actions of the minority of their members?

I cannot believe Southwest didn't fly him back at all. It's ridiculous he wasn't allowed on the current flight because it would seem after a few minutes of questioning that it was obvious he wasn't a threat. It sounds like the lady reported he said something about terrorists? It's ignorance and fear at its best.

I quietly pray before every takeoff thanks to some anxiety over flying. I have my seat mates give me looks but nobody ever yanked me off a flight.

@Miss Ariel: I appreciate your honesty!

I'm surprised they wouldn't fly him back at all. They must have tons of Arabic speakers that fly with them. It's not like it's that unique. But I have seen a very power tripping flight attendant once, not on southwest, that called police to meet the guy sitting next to me at our arrival. He really had done nothing wrong except tell the FA she was being ridiculous when she was.

But I don't get what people are saying about profiling. Sure everyone should be screened but going through customs in any country there's obvious profiling. My friend was complaining about the q she was asked the last time she passed through customs, I thought they were the standard q. So we figured out what she did differently that I usually do to get asked certain things.

@Meowkers: exactly what I was trying to say.

@Mrs. Carrot: how can you not care that the article is biased? Everything the guy said could be a lie or an exaggeration and you'd just take his word for it without hearing/reading the other side of the story? I get that you may be frustrated from your own recent experience but the customer is not always right. Not directed towards you but in general.

There are many people who bypass security. I won't elaborate further but our airport security is a joke and I always think about how easy it would be for a criminal/terrorist or a network of them to smuggle things in and out. Some have gotten caught in the recent past but I bet most continue to get by. I'm just saying this cause you mentioned he screened security and also that "we all go through" security. No, we don't, and if I was a criminal I would hope to be smarter than to try to smuggle an obvious contraband through TSA although many groups have tried doing so in the past (to prove a point that our security is too lax.)

How can you say airlines don't have specific security procedures??? Their own planes, crews and passengers were used as weapons!

@Tanjowen: I doubt questioning over an issue like this would only take a few min. You have a plane full of other passengers who may have tight connections (I see passengers regularly booking 30-45 min connections then freaking out if we leave a minute late) and it wouldn't be fair for the majority of the passengers to delay the flight for one person. And then if the airline believed the passenger was enough of a threat, it's fully within their right to refuse to board him or her on their airline not just on that one flight but for all others.

I'm not saying I'm pro-discrimination or anything to that matter. Maybe it really did suck to be him that day. There's just not enough to say based on this one article. In any case, flying is a privilege, not a right.

@Mrs. Carrot: @MoonMoon: My Christian Lebanese hairdressers and daycare lady (and her family) all speak Arabic as a first language. They also all speak English and French. Somehow I am not worried when I go to the salon that I am going to end up blown to kingdom come or that LO is getting indoctrinated over games and singalong time. Honestly, some people are stupid, racist assholes.

Also, my super white, blonde MIL says "inshallah"; the result of a lifetime of travel, which includes to the Middle East.

@Mrs. Carrot: you wrote earlier "security procedures" not "security screening." Airlines absolutely do have security procedures, and I know because I work for one.

@Ms maths: nope, I said just what I said, not what you're inferring. With both points, I meant IN GENERAL, better to inconvenience one passenger than the rest of the plane and that flying is a privilege for all, not just for some. It's a paid product that can be legally refused for a host of reasons the airlines make pretty clear, chief of them safety. I never said or implied he deserved the treatment he received simply for speaking Arabic on a plane. He may or may not have been completely innocent, but none of us on this board can know for sure.

I'm gonna have to go against the grain (with a few of you) and say that I don't think we can really judge based on this one article. I hope it's not as bad as the article makes it sound. I believe there are two sides to every story, and I absolutely believe there may be a security reason for the airline to not say much.

@catomd00: interesting that you pointed out if he was speaking Spanish or Italian, people wouldn't have batted an eye.

What if he spoke a language that's uncommon, but a Western language ... like Welsh. My bet is some other idiot would have thought he was speaking Arabic and they would have kicked him off anyway.

@SugarplumsMom: hypothetically, yes. I think there's so much electronic data out there that we know is being used (like targeted ads?), I don't see why airlines/tsa can't put the money towards some type of security system that tracks potential risk. Obviously the area your from wouldn't be a sole factor. But that information, with your travel history, with when you bought your ticket, what you used to pay for it, your demographic information, etc... can paint a pretty good picture of someone.

I'm sure you all remember there was a terrorist attack in a Belgian airport just recently. People are just a little bit on edge.

It sounds like the plane was getting ready for takeoff, and this kid was really excited about the UN dinner and talking loudly (and, to someone who's never heard inshallah, it sounded like he was invoking Allah). So this woman had seconds to decide if she's going to possibly be an asshole and ruin one passenger's day, or she's going to be polite and possibly everyone on the plane will not make it home. Maybe she suspected she's being unreasonable, but chose to say something because the stakes were so high.

@Mama Bird: I agree with you in that the woman had seconds to make a decision on whether or not to say something for what she thought was the greater good.
I think people shouldn't be afraid to speak up... For example in the San Bernadino case the neighbor had suspicions but didn't say anything because he didn't want to 'profile'.

But... the airline didn't handle this as they should've of. The man should've been questioned, cleared, and let back on the plane or given another flight. As far as the other passengers being late because of short connections, that is their own fault for booking that way, planes are delayed all the time.

@Shizaz: @josina: I agree! Once security had talked to him, the airline should have put him on a plane.

@hummusgirl: That definitely puts this whole thing in a new light, since she also spoke Arabic and understood what he was actually saying on the phone!

I don't necessarily think that Southwest handled everything as well as it could've, but it now sounds like this woman wasn't even being racist or ignorant like many of us assumed.

For the sake of argument....we don't know how well the woman speaks Arabic. Like she took some courses in college, or she's fluent?

Either way, it's a good reminder that we what you read in the news is not the gospel. It seems I'm reading partial stories or just plain wrong reportings on a regular basis these days.

@catomd00: true, but why is it okay to assume the worst of her, but not okay to assume the worst of him? Its hypocritical (not you specifically, but in general).