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American Morning
Air Security
Aired January 07, 2004 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: While America's terror alert level remains on high, a lot of the focus is still on international flights bound for the U.S. A woman attempting to board a Paris to Cincinnati flight yesterday afternoon aroused suspicions of French police, who then got the U.S. security involved.
Gary Tuchman is reporting on this story for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This Delta Boeing 767 stopped on the tarmac following its arrival at the Cincinnati airport, after a Saudi Arabian woman with a Jordanian passport who works as an electrical engineer boarded Flight 43 wearing a coat with wires poking out of it. That's what led to her getting kicked off this flight, which then left Paris without her.
But it turns out the wires were used to heat her motorcycle jacket, like an electric blanket. So, she was permitted to take another flight to the United States, but Flight 43 was still not going to be a routine journey.
Nancy Lusk was on the plane.
NANCY LUSK, PASSENGER ON DELTA FLIGHT 43: It was probably an hour or an hour and 20 minutes, and they told us all to stay in our seats -- in our deck seat. If you had traded seats with anyone else, go back to your deck seat. If you needed to go to the restroom, you were to be escorted there by a stewardess.
TUCHMAN: She said there was some apprehension aboard, but no evident out-and-out fear.
Since the orange alert was put into effect in the United States on December 21, 14 international flights have been canceled, seven delayed, and five diverted. In Cincinnati, all of the Flight 43 passengers disembarked and were re-screened, and never knew what was going on until after they got into the terminal, where Delta Flight 44 heading back to Paris was ready to leave with an on-time departure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
So, in the end, all is well here at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport.
That passenger, Nancy Lusk, told us that as the Delta flight was approaching the U.S. coastline, she looked out her window thinking she might see U.S. military jet escorts. Indeed, authorities tell us they did order an escort by military jets, but then canceled the request.
Bill -- back to you.
HEMMER: Gary, you mentioned they were re-screening the passengers after they got off that plane. Were any re-interviewed or interviewed for a first time there, other than that woman?
TUCHMAN: According to the passengers, 11 men were taken off the plane here in Cincinnati before the rest of the jet. Authorities are not telling us what they said to those men.
HEMMER: Gary, thanks -- Gary Tuchman at the Greater Cincinnati airport there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired January 7, 2004 - 07:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: While America's terror alert level remains on high, a lot of the focus is still on international flights bound for the U.S. A woman attempting to board a Paris to Cincinnati flight yesterday afternoon aroused suspicions of French police, who then got the U.S. security involved.
Gary Tuchman is reporting on this story for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This Delta Boeing 767 stopped on the tarmac following its arrival at the Cincinnati airport, after a Saudi Arabian woman with a Jordanian passport who works as an electrical engineer boarded Flight 43 wearing a coat with wires poking out of it. That's what led to her getting kicked off this flight, which then left Paris without her.
But it turns out the wires were used to heat her motorcycle jacket, like an electric blanket. So, she was permitted to take another flight to the United States, but Flight 43 was still not going to be a routine journey.
Nancy Lusk was on the plane.
NANCY LUSK, PASSENGER ON DELTA FLIGHT 43: It was probably an hour or an hour and 20 minutes, and they told us all to stay in our seats -- in our deck seat. If you had traded seats with anyone else, go back to your deck seat. If you needed to go to the restroom, you were to be escorted there by a stewardess.
TUCHMAN: She said there was some apprehension aboard, but no evident out-and-out fear.
Since the orange alert was put into effect in the United States on December 21, 14 international flights have been canceled, seven delayed, and five diverted. In Cincinnati, all of the Flight 43 passengers disembarked and were re-screened, and never knew what was going on until after they got into the terminal, where Delta Flight 44 heading back to Paris was ready to leave with an on-time departure.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
So, in the end, all is well here at the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky International Airport.
That passenger, Nancy Lusk, told us that as the Delta flight was approaching the U.S. coastline, she looked out her window thinking she might see U.S. military jet escorts. Indeed, authorities tell us they did order an escort by military jets, but then canceled the request.
Bill -- back to you.
HEMMER: Gary, you mentioned they were re-screening the passengers after they got off that plane. Were any re-interviewed or interviewed for a first time there, other than that woman?
TUCHMAN: According to the passengers, 11 men were taken off the plane here in Cincinnati before the rest of the jet. Authorities are not telling us what they said to those men.
HEMMER: Gary, thanks -- Gary Tuchman at the Greater Cincinnati airport there.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
