Tewwowism Paranoia, Then Again Maybe We SHOULD Consider Government Officials to Be Threats…

I know you’re not supposed to joke about aviation security, but seriously was this really a threat?

A former Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Sir Geoffrey Henry, has been removed from an Air New Zealand flight for remarking that he was a terrorist when boarding the plane.

According to Air New Zealand,

Safety of our passengers and crew is of paramount importance so the passenger was escorted off the aircraft.

Bet the flight became that much safer!

Sure, the former Prime Minister is an idiot. You didn’t joke about bombs in an airport long before 9-11. Hard to imagine what was going through the guy’s head, this wasn’t funny. But hard to imagine as well that anyone believed he was a threat to have on board the aircraft.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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  1. You said it – he is an idiot. He’s lucky not to be charged.

    We’ve had footballers in Australia making jokes between each other like, “Mate, did you remember to load the bombs?” Whilst pax put up with unnecessary delay, these idiots get away with a slap on the wrist at best.

    Paranoia? Maybe. But did these individuals really need to make those remarks? Goodness grief, NO!

    Now if you were talking to your friend Jack on the phone before take-off……

  2. Not a threat, but I am glad to see the no-special-treatment rule applied.

    People hate security’s intrusion into their lives (not just pax, things like logging in, swiping badges, etc). When the famous or powerful don’t have to follow the rules, it just makes us hate it more.

    For example, I find it mildly annoying to have to turn off electronics when the cabin door closes, but was really angry when a captain sitting next to me in F was allowed to continue to use his phone until he lost signal after takeoff.

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