Jewish Teen Causes Bomb Scare out of LGA - CHQ Diverts

[CFI2766]

Taking the religious, and 1st Amendment, aspects out of the equation, I could see why the FA was a little freaked out. The thing does look unusual, and not at all like something that needed to be done on an airliner.

Kudos to the FA. If I were the flight crew, I would want her act in exactly the same way. Something suspicious was going on in the cabin, let us know about it so we can get the plane on the ground.

No second guessing the FA. This only weakens the system.

 

[Amish RakeFight]

I agree. It's quite unusual looking. A young teen of religious persuasion rocking back and forth during prayer with wires strapped to his arm and head is a little strange, especially if you've never seen one before.

 

[filejw]

Of course if we hired people with a little bit more education.....

 

[Amish RakeFight]

For the record, I've seen this before. I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood. But to many others, it would seem odd.

 

[LowlyPropCapt]

I doubt I would be freaked out by a Muslim studying up on the Koran, either. Terrorists don't typically give you that kind of warning before they strike.

 

[Indy319FA]

Unfortunately it looks like there was a complete lack of common sense here. Coming from a part of the country where I had never seen this stuff before, I thought it was unusual when a young man started rocking (honestly I thought he might be in some kind of distress) and praying on one of my first flights out of New York. I politely asked if he was OK, and he said yes. I thought the boxes and straps were a little unusual, so I asked what he was doing and he politely explained the practices of his religion.

The most important required item a flight attendant brings to work is common sense. If you see something unusual, talk to the individual involved unless there is an obvious threat (such as a weapon, verbal threats, or threatening demeanor).

I'm sure the plaintiff lawyers will be lining up on this one.....

 

[T/SF34/A]

I've never seen or heard of this ritual, does it make me ignorant? Some of you guys are pretty forgiving. While this individual did make it through security, with his prayer boxes and no ill intentions, and on to an aircraft yesterday, who is to say that someone with evil intentions and a set of prayer boxes isn't plotting against the USA right now? Its unfortunate that something was made out of ultimately nothing but if you were on an aircraft, didn't have an understanding of what the kid was doing and your family was on the plane, wouldn't you be the slightest bit nervous?

 

[buscap]

Unfortunately it looks like there was a complete lack of common sense here. Coming from a part of the country where I had never seen this stuff before, I thought it was unusual when a young man started rocking (honestly I thought he might be in some kind of distress) and praying on one of my first flights out of New York. I politely asked if he was OK, and he said yes. I thought the boxes and straps were a little unusual, so I asked what he was doing and he politely explained the practices of his religion.

The most important required item a flight attendant brings to work is common sense. If you see something unusual, talk to the individual involved unless there is an obvious threat (such as a weapon, verbal threats, or threatening demeanor).

I'm sure the plaintiff lawyers will be lining up on this one.....

Good point, but was your praying jew rocking back and forth shortly after the Christmas day crotch bomber?

 

[Corbon]

Unfortunately it looks like there was a complete lack of common sense here. Coming from a part of the country where I had never seen this stuff before, I thought it was unusual when a young man started rocking (honestly I thought he might be in some kind of distress) and praying on one of my first flights out of New York. I politely asked if he was OK, and he said yes. I thought the boxes and straps were a little unusual, so I asked what he was doing and he politely explained the practices of his religion.

The most important required item a flight attendant brings to work is common sense. If you see something unusual, talk to the individual involved unless there is an obvious threat (such as a weapon, verbal threats, or threatening demeanor).

I'm sure the plaintiff lawyers will be lining up on this one.....

Common sense goes the other way too. If your religion involves putting a box on your head and wrapping your arm with straps, and you do it on an airliner a few weeks after someone hid a bomb in his underwear, you might make people a bit jumpy. I wouldn't blame anybody for giving him an immediate beatdown as soon as he saw the guy suiting up. Who knows, this could have been a test to see how we respond. Pretend to be a praying Jew, strap on your explosives undisturbed, and boom. Or maybe this just gave them some new ideas.

Either way, I can't find fault in the FAs actions.

 

[Indy319FA]

Good point, but was your praying jew rocking back and forth shortly after the Christmas day crotch bomber?

No it was 1 month after the shoe bomber. I also was working on the day the liquid bombers were caught. If dealing with these types of situations scares you to the point you have no common sense, then maybe you need to get out of this business. We are supposed to be trained professionals in the back of the aircraft and use some modecum of common sense when dealing with difficult passengers. Some can do it, and some cannot. This incident displays a serious case of poor judgement which will likely cost Chautauqua/Republic a bunch of money when its all over.

I wouldn't blame anybody for giving him an immediate beatdown as soon as he saw the guy suiting up. Who knows, this could have been a test to see how we respond. Pretend to be a praying Jew, strap on your explosives undisturbed, and boom. Or maybe this just gave them some new ideas.

Either way, I can't find fault in the FAs actions.

Good thing you're not a police officer. With your judgement you'll be in jail before too long.

 

[Abernathy]

No it was 1 month after the shoe bomber. I also was working on the day the liquid bombers were caught. If dealing with these types of situations scares you to the point you have no common sense, then maybe you need to get out of this business. We are supposed to be trained professionals in the back of the aircraft and use some modecum of common sense when dealing with difficult passengers. Some can do it, and some cannot. This incident displays a serious case of poor judgement which will likely cost Chautauqua/Republic a bunch of money when its all over.



Good thing you're not a police officer. With your judgement you'll be in jail before too long.

Just because he's a jew doesn't mean his religious "rituals" are immune to scrutiny. Get over yourself.

 

[buscap]

No it was 1 month after the shoe bomber. I also was working on the day the liquid bombers were caught. If dealing with these types of situations scares you to the point you have no common sense, then maybe you need to get out of this business. We are supposed to be trained professionals in the back of the aircraft and use some modecum of common sense when dealing with difficult passengers. Some can do it, and some cannot. This incident displays a serious case of poor judgement which will likely cost Chautauqua/Republic a bunch of money when its all over.



Good thing you're not a police officer. With your judgement you'll be in jail before too long.

Poor judgement for the praying dude, maybe.

And I doubt if the FA's six week training course covered this one.

I hope your 'common sense' and political correctness does not get a bunch of folks killed.

In this case common sense actually dictates that the FA not be judged so harshly.

 

[Indy319FA]

And I doubt if the FA's six week training course covered this one

Actually it was a 3 week course in this case.

I hope your 'common sense' and political correctness does not get a bunch of folks killed.

In this case common sense actually dictates that the FA not be judged so harshly.

I know exactly how this FA was trained. That's why I can say there was a serious lapse of common sense here. I have dealt with this exact situation many times. How many times have you had to deal with a disruptive passenger face to face? I have been there, done that, several times. I would submit that never having worked in the back end, you don't have the first clue what it is like to deal with a problem passenger when you are all by yourself, or as a member of a cabin crew.

Political correctness has nothing to do with it. I have no problems taking appropriate action to guard the safety of the crew and passengers when needed, and have done so on a couple of occaisions. In both instances, I determined there was a threat to safety only because I noticed something unusual and questioned the passenger. That is a far cry from this situation. Having dealt with this same situation many times, I can tell you it does not take a lot of investigation to see there is nothing threatening about some plastic tape and a box.

 

[Whydoitry]

Some of you guys are going to be in real trouble when you make it to a legacy airline that flies across the pond.

The FA is an idiot, and I, as the CA would be pissed off if this had happened to me. Did the FA approach the "disruptive" passenger? Are we to make an emergency landing anytime that someone takes out a religious article, or performs one of their rituals?

Get a grip people.

 

[buscap]

You could be right, but given that it was a single FA, with nobody else to bounce the situation off, I hate to see him/her judged so harshly.

We are all the victims of our experiences and obviously this FA had not spent much time in the New York diamond district or the back of a widebody flying international. Just as the young passenger had not been well counseled on the doos and don'ts of air travel.

I can think of a few Nazarene snake charming rituals which would most likely result in a diversion!!

Point is; don't judge the FA so harsh.

Common sense could've easily led the FA to believe Richard was only "smoking in the restroom. Just let him finish and we'll talk to him when he gets out."