Two men were arrested at Istanbul Sabiha airport Tuesday after jumping from a jetbridge onto a tug pushing back the plane they were supposed to be on.
A father and son from Israel turned up late for their flight to Tel Aviv on AnadoluJet. By the time they made it to the gate their flight was pushing back. The jetbridge had been detached from the Airbus A321 – but it hadn’t left the gate – so they made a run for it, presumably planning to leap from jetbridge to the aircraft like Fonzi jumping the shark. Need I mention that the plane’s door was closed?
When they made it out to the end of the jetbridge they climbed down onto the tarmac – and jumped onto the tug that was pushing back their flight. Security responded and detailed the two men while awaiting law enforcement.
Via Twitter translate,
This has happened today at the Sabiha Gökçen airport in Istanbul. Flight TK7708 operated by #A321NEO TC-LTU of #AnadoluJet was already making the return to Tel Aviv when two people arrived late.They entered through the finger and jumped onto the platform, with the intention of boarding the plane. One of them got on the tractor vehicle, demanding that the plane return to the gate (something that obviously was not going to happen). Airport employees held the two passengers until the arrival of the authorities and both have been detained. The plane ended up leaving an hour and 15 minutes late.
#HSMözel | Sabiha Gökçen'de Hareketli Anlar 🙄🏃
▫️Henüz bilinmeyen detaylara göre; muhtemelen uçağın biniş saatini kaçıran iki yolcu köprüden uçağa atlamaya çalıştı.
▫️Yabancı uyruklu olduğu düşünülen yolculardan birisi ise köprüden atlaktan sonra ilginç hareketlerde bulundu.… pic.twitter.com/eBgRhYXGQO
— HavaSosyalMedya® (@HavaSosyalMedya) July 4, 2023
Just three weeks ago a man dangled from a jet bridge after missing his flight, slipping onto the tarmac. And it’s only been just over a week since three Israelis were held in a Turkish prison after filming a flight attendant doing her safety demo.
Did they really think they were going to make it….
Is the human race IQ decreasing or what.
Back in the 70s and 80s on Southwest at least, if you were running late, desk agents would call ahead to the pilot and tell them to wait and hold the door open so you’d make your flight. Different times!
They thought they could just hop on the Bus, the AirBus.
I’ve read it was a father and his two sons.
True – but even I can’t believe this story, 1980 Sunday after Thanksgiving afternoon at Delta JFK, flying back to college, only 2nd flight of my life, I (stupidly, ignorantly) stayed in the bar with drop off friends until 1 minute before departure time. At the gate, the agent grabbed my ticket then led me down a long maze of steps to the tarmac. He waived said ticket at the pilot through his window and they popped out a set of stairs, (I want to remember – from the PLANE) and opened the door for me. I said “thanks for waiting” and took my seat like this was perfectly normal.
My pronouns are Fat/Drunk/Stupid apparently for a reason…
Well, they’re ENTITLED to board that plane, aren’t they? Why didn’t everyone realize this? I suppose there’s some reason that the plane was held up … so the pax could watch these idiots maybe?
Lol @TLU. 🙂 I too remember a time where trying to board was still possible until the very last minute. My best two stories are with USAIR/American:
1) I’m visiting my summer camp campers during a visiting weekend i Chicago in November, circa 1996. They always hold it on the Sunday before Tgiving, and since I have ZERO money, get the cheapest flight, which is at 6:30am. I get there, to the gate!!!!, at exactly 6:10am, but I was told the plane already pushed back…. Now, if that happened today???? lol. It would never happen… and not only because I am EP. But part of me wishes I could fight back, back then.
2) I’m trying to escape NYC in 2015ish. I’m flying through EWR and though I thought I left plenty of time, I really didn’t. Get to the gate. Flight already ‘loaded’. But wait! Gate agent says, “Hang On”, and then simply says go!. I have just a laptop bag, no carry on. I go to the end of the jetway and not only is there no one there, the door of the plane is closed! I knock! And then, magically, gate staff appears from the outside door and signals to the crew, and they unlock the door.
I don’t think that would happen anymore, but you never know. I was EP in 2015… so maybe a difference? Who knows.
Late connection, about 25 years ago. Got to my international flight after the gate had closed, but they left the ramp door open. So I run down the ramp, banged on the closed door. After a few second, the door popped open again, and a surprised flight attendant asked me what I wanted. I waved my ticket at her and said, “I’m on this flight!”. She just told me to grab a seat, and I sat up in business class the whole way home!
Wouldn’t happen today, of course…
Really their IQ was next level and didn’t get what they think on their mind OMG!. It was a stupide idea I ever heard .
You can’t fix stupid!
In 1983 I got off a plane from Luxemborg to USA via Iceland. There was some promotion where you had to stop in Iceland and it had to land in Luxemborg to help promote tourism. Luxemborg city has a cool castle but not much else, so hopped the train and got out town that night.
I think the final stop on my return leg was Boston. There was a plane leaving for Chicago from Iceland on the tarmac. They let me change planes since it was closer to my final destination. I walked on the tarmac from the BOS plane to the Chicago plane. The attendant found me an empty seat and continued on home. Don’t think she even checked my passport or ticket.
In the late 90s to 9/11, I used to fly US Airways shuttle to NY…would arrive at DCA at 7:30, buy my ticket and get on the 8:05 shuttle to LGA. Different times.
Why had the door from the waiting area to the jet bridge been left open? Where was the gate agent?
Yes, the guys were foolish, but someone else let them try their stunt.