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CNN Saturday Morning News
More British Airlines Flights Have Been Canceled
Aired January 03, 2004 - 09:12 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.
SEAN CALLEBS CNN ANCHOR: And we have more now on those canceled British Airlines flights. Joining us from London's Heathrow Airport, our Robyn Curnow with the very latest information. Good day to you, Robyn.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good day.
BA flight 223 is due to take off in an hour, 3:00 p.m. local time here. Passengers would have checked in already, many probably waiting to board the plane. Two hundred and sixty-eight people were booked to take this flight. It not sure yet just how many showed up today.
But a good percentage, obviously, are waiting back there in terminal four to board this flight that has been fraught with so much controversy after over the past few days.
In fact, one must think, what is going through their minds at the moment, Sean, as they are preparing to make this journey, a journey that's been canceled twice, and a journey that really has been focused on a real specific intelligence threat to the specific flight? But the Department of Transport here in the UK saying, Thumbs up, it's OK, it's safe.
But one does wonder, what is going through the minds of those passengers as they prepare to board flight 223 this afternoon, Sean.
CALLEBS: Well, Robyn, if you can, tell us about the passengers, the ones you have seen, the ones you have had spoken to this morning. What's their reaction? Are they nervous, anxious, frustrated, or just happy to finally get this thing going?
CURNOW: Well, the overriding emotion that I've been picking up here, as I've been quizzing people as they have been wheeling their trolleys into terminal four is one of fear, actually. The one man I spoke to, a couple who live in Washington, D.C., said they were terrified at the prospect of taking this flight, that the whole experience over the past few days had been distressing and unnerving.
One lady who wasn't even flying to D.C. but was flying to Boston said that she had been having nightmares all night and that she had had a really bad night's sleep.
Everybody seems to be feeling pretty jittery about this flight and the security concerns around it.
CALLEBS: Well, right now, BA flight 223, what, less than an hour from takeoff? What's the situation there right now?
CURNOW: Well, it is less than an hour from takeoff. Like I said, people probably waiting to board the flight now. We do know that this hasn't (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- while this has been given the all-clear, this flight, after two days, there has been another flight here that BA has canceled today, the Saturday afternoon flight to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia has been canceled due to security fears.
So this has been a week of severe disruptions to international travel. Many of them, many of those disruptions and cancellations surrounding British Airways flights, and many people saying in the press here that this has been the worst week for international travel in terms of disruptions and delays and security concerns since September 11.
So real concerns here at Heathrow. And everybody, I think, just concerned and worried, but also thankful that there have been so many real tight security around these flights, and they're just hoping to get on BA 223 and the others safely and get home safely.
CALLEBS: Exactly. Robyn Curnow, I think everybody is going to wait for several hours from now when we can all say a plane landed safely in Washington today, and that will be real news for the first time in a long time. Robyn Curnow from Heathrow Airport, thanks very much.
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 3, 2004 - 09:12 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS CNN ANCHOR: And we have more now on those canceled British Airlines flights. Joining us from London's Heathrow Airport, our Robyn Curnow with the very latest information. Good day to you, Robyn.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good day.
BA flight 223 is due to take off in an hour, 3:00 p.m. local time here. Passengers would have checked in already, many probably waiting to board the plane. Two hundred and sixty-eight people were booked to take this flight. It not sure yet just how many showed up today.
But a good percentage, obviously, are waiting back there in terminal four to board this flight that has been fraught with so much controversy after over the past few days.
In fact, one must think, what is going through their minds at the moment, Sean, as they are preparing to make this journey, a journey that's been canceled twice, and a journey that really has been focused on a real specific intelligence threat to the specific flight? But the Department of Transport here in the UK saying, Thumbs up, it's OK, it's safe.
But one does wonder, what is going through the minds of those passengers as they prepare to board flight 223 this afternoon, Sean.
CALLEBS: Well, Robyn, if you can, tell us about the passengers, the ones you have seen, the ones you have had spoken to this morning. What's their reaction? Are they nervous, anxious, frustrated, or just happy to finally get this thing going?
CURNOW: Well, the overriding emotion that I've been picking up here, as I've been quizzing people as they have been wheeling their trolleys into terminal four is one of fear, actually. The one man I spoke to, a couple who live in Washington, D.C., said they were terrified at the prospect of taking this flight, that the whole experience over the past few days had been distressing and unnerving.
One lady who wasn't even flying to D.C. but was flying to Boston said that she had been having nightmares all night and that she had had a really bad night's sleep.
Everybody seems to be feeling pretty jittery about this flight and the security concerns around it.
CALLEBS: Well, right now, BA flight 223, what, less than an hour from takeoff? What's the situation there right now?
CURNOW: Well, it is less than an hour from takeoff. Like I said, people probably waiting to board the flight now. We do know that this hasn't (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- while this has been given the all-clear, this flight, after two days, there has been another flight here that BA has canceled today, the Saturday afternoon flight to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia has been canceled due to security fears.
So this has been a week of severe disruptions to international travel. Many of them, many of those disruptions and cancellations surrounding British Airways flights, and many people saying in the press here that this has been the worst week for international travel in terms of disruptions and delays and security concerns since September 11.
So real concerns here at Heathrow. And everybody, I think, just concerned and worried, but also thankful that there have been so many real tight security around these flights, and they're just hoping to get on BA 223 and the others safely and get home safely.
CALLEBS: Exactly. Robyn Curnow, I think everybody is going to wait for several hours from now when we can all say a plane landed safely in Washington today, and that will be real news for the first time in a long time. Robyn Curnow from Heathrow Airport, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
