Fisk Univ. President Escorted Off Flight

[peterh]

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-fisk-president-flight,0,3403739.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Fisk University's new president, Clinton administration Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary, was escorted off a flight and questioned by the FBI after she became abusive and tried to get into the cockpit while the plane was delayed on the tarmac, authorities said.

O'Leary said she simply wanted to get off the plane.

"I regret the unfortunate misunderstanding that occurred," she said in a statement. "The situation was resolved. At no time was I rude or disrespectful to anyone."

The United Airlines crew told police that O'Leary was "getting loud and abusive" after the flight was diverted to Richmond, Va., because of storms Thursday night, said Cpl. Frank Donkle of the Richmond International Airport Police.






Brain farts are an equal opportunity employer…..there’s been a few times I would’ve liked to have gotten off a plane but kinda knew what the answer would’ve been….chill O’Leary, you were probably in 1st class could have had a glass of wine instead….

[Cocoa]

1. lots of Clinton people in the news

[struggle4progress]

2. More info:

Friday, 07/23/04
Police escort Fisk's chief from plane
By IAN DEMSKY and MICHAEL CASS
Staff Writers

<snip>
O'Leary wanted to get off the plane as it waited on the tarmac for more than an hour after being diverted to Richmond, Va., yesterday evening because of storms, said Cpl. Frank Donkle of the Richmond International Airport Police.
<snip>
''I regret the unfortunate misunderstanding that occurred (yesterday) evening. The situation was resolved. At no time was I rude or disrespectful to anyone. I answered all the questions that were asked and resumed my journey.''
<snip>
When airport police arrived, they found O'Leary sitting calmly in a seat, Donkle said. They escorted her off the plane, and she was then turned over to local FBI agents for questioning.
<snip>
Bell, the airport spokesman, said he was not aware of any charges that had been filed or were pending in connection with the incident.

http://www.tennessean.com/education/archives/04/07/54794437.shtml?Element_ID=54794437

[iamtechus]

4. Hazel O'Leary is on the UAL (United Airlines) board of directors.

She joined UAL in 1999. I suspect that there's more here than meets the eye.

[struggle4progress]

10. Ah, yes!

http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,50572,00.html

[alilenas]

16. Hmm,this seems suspicious

It seems bizarre to me that United Airlines would treat a member of its Board of Directors in this way. It also seems bizarre that the FBI would feel the need to question a former cabinet member. I wonder if this article is even true or is it a bit of disinformation dropped by the news media on yet another Clinton cabinet member?

[Trillo]

3. It has been my experience,

that written records of incidents always use terminology that support the action undertaken: this wording often has little truth with regard to what really happened. It's like the employees have been trained by companies with "what to write" in incident reports.

It sure would be nice if companies trained employees in integrity and honesty instead of whatever convienient excuse justifies the actions being documented.

Curiously, adademic institutions are one of the greatest offenders of this. Still, one would like to believe that some educators don't routinely lie.

[MallRat]

5. Hastert: "I am profoundly troubled again."

WASHINGTON, July 23/ -- Today, House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) released the following statement regarding allegations that former Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary was disruptive on a United Airlines jet while awaiting takeoff:

"I am profoundly troubled by allegations that former Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary demonstrated abusive behavior on an airplane, reportedly attempting to force her way into the cockpit. This repugnant behavior on behalf of yet another member of former President Bill Clinton's staff elicits some worrying questions:

"What could the hard-working, God-fearing, patriotic flight attendants have possibly said that could drive Secretary O'Leary to lash out in such rage?

"Did her behavior entail simple impatience with a delayed flight or were her intentions something more sinister? Was this a bungled attempt to kill thousands of Americans by flying the plane into another skyscraper? Given the new post-9/11 world we live in, this question must be raised.

"It is my understanding that Secretary O'Leary shoved several flight safety information cards into her pantyhose to smuggle them off the airplane. Was she attempting to deny the American people the right to learn how to use their seats as a flotation device in the case of a water landing?

"Ms. O'Leary has a lot of explaining to do. The American people don't want cover-ups when it comes to the War on Terror. They want the truth. And so does the U.S. House of Representatives."

:P

[MallRat]

6. kick

Aw, c'mon. I worked hard on this bogus press release... somebody read it!

:kick:

[struggle4progress]

17. Hastert is clearly a troubled man. eom

[loudsue]

18. I just read it, MallRat! WAAAAY good!!

Thanks for the laugh!! Unfortunitely, it mirrors too closely what's been going on in all seriousness w/ the fascists lately!

:kick::kick:

[indypaul]

25. Great Job Mallrat but

I'm sure Tom Delay should be in here somewhere. One
cannot simply disturb Denny without really pissing off Tom.

[Cocoa]

7. hahaha

nice job. :D

[90-percent]

8. bogus press release

I liked it.

the sign that its good is that you have to be about halfway through before it dawns on you that its satirical, not an actual piece of reporting.

Good Job

-85%, guilty of being a lurking freeper until proven innocent

[daleo]

15. That was good

n/t

[SemperEadem]

9. Ha! United Airlines complaining about rudeness?

This is the rudest airline in business!!!! What about 4 years ago during Christmas season when their pilots decided to do a blue flue stunt, which grounded flights and caused the passengers to have to scramble to get to their destination by Christmas? They were supposed to issue me a voucher for another flight, but never did. They were rude to the passengers their company inconvenienced because they didn't want to treat their pilots right. United sucks! Never fly that airline--if they go out of business, they deserve it.

Fly Frontier Airlines---they rock!!!!

[Gin]

11. ya got me..I was pissed at haster.

g

[abelenkpe]

14. I will never fly United

They are cheap and rude and I have had several bad experiences on their flights where I ended up waiting on the runway for two hours, or ended up stuck in an airport delayed by 18 hours. Not to mention lost luggage, seat assignment screw ups that separated family members and once even forgetting the meal I ordered. Was I ever compensated for these problems? No.

Southwest and Jet Blue are good. Haven't tried Frontier yet. Are their seats nice and comfy?

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

23. I've been recommending Frontier to family/friends for months now

I travel quite a bit in the region, and most of my target destinations have drive times of 4-8 hrs. I figured spending the time to drive was worth not dealing with the hassles of flying. I had just about quit flying altogether, when I had a time crunch and had to fly instead of making the 8 hr drive. I took Frontier, one of their Airbuses, and it was so enjoyable I flew again the next month. Roomy seats, (no first class), friendly employees, state of the art planes. Far better than UAL (which I quit flying with in 1994, after a series of UAL sponsored travel nightmares) MKJ

[alarimer]

12. I don't blame her

For wanting to get off the plane. Now, trying to do so is another story. But still most airlines suck in their customer service. They leave you sitting on the tarmac for hours (or seemingly hours anyway) and don't let people get up to use the restroom. They won't answer simple questions about what is going on if there is a problem. Sometimes they outright LIE about it and then they bitch about someone getting a little rude to them. They act like the people on the plane are not customers to be dealt with politely like any business worth their salt would but rather as problems to be suffered through.

[Miss Authoritiva]

13. Friends and family kid me for being a train person, which is

hard to be in the US, considering our rail system, but when I read people's complaints about flying (even pre-9/11), I just smile to myself. Problems getting to the airport, problems getting on the plane, then they seal you in like you're just so much cabbage in a cargo hold, won't let you use the restrooms, unexpectedly kicking you off the plane in a city 300 miles away from your scheduled destination, losing your baggage.

And you're supposed to be extremely grateful that you didn't crash and burn during the whole process. What a great standard for customer satisfaction!

[robcon]

19. If O'Leary tried to use her Board of Directors position...

to get off the plane/abuse the crew, then she deserves whatever bad publicity she gets.

I don't know the facts, but that could have happened.

[saigon68]

20. Any bad thing about Clinton will be put out by Rove

The Bush Criminal BASE needs constant feeding of swill like this to maintain arousal.

[TahitiNut]

26. While I agree, I'm sure no fan of (_itch) Hazel.

The DOE is an inherently corrupt Department, imho, even though many of its employees might try to do their best. The DOE is over 90% private contractors - a HUGE hog trough. There's more waste, fraud, and abuse than I could shake a stick at. Hazel was blind to this - and that's being generous.

[BlueCollar]

21. let me guess...

there was alcohol involved at some point?

Working in the business I hear about lots of incidents weekly...and it's almost always got alcohol somewhere in the equation...

[BiggJawn]

22. Maybe that's the problem..."could have had a glass of wine instead…."

Maybe she'd polished off several of those dinky bottles....

[LibDemAlways]

24. Years ago my dad was

on a plane that was diverted to Las Vegas because of fog at LAX. The plane was parked at a gate, but the passengers weren't being allowed off. Finally, he decided he'd had enough. He picked up his briefcase and told the attendant he was getting off. A minor ruckus ensued and the captain appeared, declared that holding a person against his will is called kidnapping, and ordered that my dad be allowed to leave - which he did.

I think legally the airline is on very shaky ground when they refuse to let passengers off when the plane is parked at an airport gate.