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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nikole Wollerstein who wrote (197113)	8/13/2006 11:05:54 AM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

He forgot the basic rule of medicine; "First, do your patient no harm."

To: Nikole Wollerstein who wrote (197113)	8/13/2006 11:51:57 AM
From: sylvester80	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

NEWS: Chaos & Flight Cancelations Increase at Heathrow [ed: looks like the alleged would be terrorists won even without having to fire a single shot. This is going to cost western governments billions.] "Those Who Would Sacrifice Liberty for Security Deserve Neither." -Benjamin Franklin Sunday August 13, 8:06 am ET Nearly 1/3 of Heathrow Flights Canceled; Airlines Blame Airport Operator for Delays biz.yahoo.com LONDON (AP) -- Airlines canceled almost a third of flights from Britain's busiest airport Sunday, plunging travelers into a fourth day of travel chaos triggered by the foiling of an alleged airplanes bombing plot. Many passengers were also missing their flights because they were stuck in lengthy security lines, prompting airlines to ask the government to bring in police to speed up the security checks. British Airways scrapped 30 percent of flights from London's Heathrow Airport on the instructions of the airport operator British Airports Authority, or BAA. The airport operator said 70 percent of flights on all airlines at Heathrow were expected to operate, but warned that tough new screening measures for passengers and luggage meant delays were inevitable. BAA's chief executive for Heathrow, Tony Douglas, said the airport was doing its best, but that delays "will go on until the security threat level is reduced." Home Secretary John Reid acknowledged that the security measures would have to be altered. "The present regime is time limited," Reid told British Broadcasting Corp. television. "We know it is not indefinitely sustainable." In the wake of the foiled plot to bomb as many as 10 airplanes over the Atlantic Ocean, authorities introduced tough new security measures, including individual searches of all passengers and a ban on carry-on luggage except clear plastic bags containing travel documents and a few essential items. Reid said Transport Secretary Douglas Alexander had asked U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to ease the restrictions imposed by the United States, which include a ban on passengers carrying liquids aboard flights. On Sunday, British Airways canceled almost 100 flights to Europe from Heathrow and scrapped all its domestic flights from London's second airport, Gatwick. Most long-haul flights were operating, although 10 BA flights to the United States were canceled. Scores of flights from Britain to Europe and the United States also were canceled Saturday. Passengers were delayed so long by the strict new security measures that many missed their flights. British Airways said it "cannot rule out the possibility that flights will once again depart without all their passengers because of ongoing problems with BAA's security search process and baggage operation at Heathrow Airport." Some airlines accused BAA -- which operates seven of the country's major airports -- of failing to cope with tough new anti-terror security requirements. "The airport's baggage system cannot process all of the passengers' bags and where passengers have been able to check their bags in, the lengthy queues in the airport security search area means that passengers are unable to get to the departure gate in time," BA Chief Executive Willie Walsh said. Budget carrier Ryanair appealed to the British government to use police and army reservists to speed up searches at overloaded airport security checkpoints. Ryanair, which has its British base at Stansted Airport, northeast of London, said it had complied with BAA orders to cancel more than 60 of its Stansted flights this weekend, about 20 percent of the total, but said this overloaded security situation must be fixed by Monday. "Ryanair and other major U.K. airlines cannot keep canceling flights and disrupting the travel plans of tens of thousands of British passengers and visitors solely because the BAA cannot cope with the new body-search requirements," chief executive Michael O'Leary said. "If the British government is serious about defeating terrorism and not allowing the terrorists to disrupt normal, everyday British life, then it must provide the additional security staffing."

To: Nikole Wollerstein who wrote (197113)	8/13/2006 12:04:26 PM
From: sylvester80	Respond to of 281500

NEWS: Security Chief says airline terror measures ‘unsustainable’ By Ben Hall Published: August 13 2006 14:06 \| Last updated: August 13 2006 14:06 ft.com Stringent security measures imposed on airline passengers last week against the threat of a terrorist attack are unsustainable, John Reid, home secretary, conceded on Sunday. With airlines and airports operators locked in a blame game over the continuing chaos at Heathrow and other airports, Mr Reid acknowledged the government had introduced a “terribly inconvenient regime” of restrictions on travellers and said it would need to be changed. “The present regime is time limited. We know it is not indefinitely sustainable,” Mr Reid told the BBC. The government was working with airlines and BAA, which operates Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted to put in place new security procedures. Ministers are under growing pressure to intervene to alleviate the chaos at airports stemming from tighter security measures. David Davis, shadow home secretary, on Sunday called for troops to be deployed at airports to help speed up checks on passengers. “BAA is clearly not set up for this level of scrutiny and it does seem to me there is an argument for some resources being put in there, and put in there quickly, to try and rescue as many holidays as we possibly can,” he said. Disruption at London’s airports remains severe, three days after security controls were tightened drastically, with passengers banned from taking hand luggage aboard aircraft. British Airways has cancelled a third of its flights from Heathrow and 20 from Gatwick, while Ryanair has cancelled 30 of its flights from Stansted. Mr Davis was echoing the call of Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, for government to provide “additional security staffing, either police or army reserve personnel, to prevent London’s main airports grinding to a halt over the coming days”.