Airline bans 105 people for making security ‘jokes’
Thomas Cook Airlines has revealed that it stopped more than 100 passengers from travelling in the last six months, because they made ‘jokes’ about having a bomb in their luggage.
The Times reports that the airline banned 105 people between January and June this year; all had made jokes about carrying a weapon.
The newspaper quotes one woman who told check-in staff: “Saddam Hussein gave me a bag to carry on board and it is ticking,”, while another said; “I have got two bags of Semtex – would that be okay?” Unsurprisingly, both were among those refused boarding.
A spokesman for Thomas Cook told the newspaper: “They may think it’s funny but you should see the colour drain from their face when you say to them they are not travelling and they see two policemen approaching.”
He added that the number of jokers appears to be on the increase: “People seem to think it is acceptable again – we have a sense of humour but in matters of security there is no joke.”
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