Qatari squabble delays BA flight
MILAN – A row over the seating of the wives of a Gulf VIP held up a British Airways flight from Milan for almost three hours, resulting in some 50 fellow passengers missing connections.
The trouble began when a party of seven from Qatar boarded BA’s 3.55pm flight from Linate airport to Heathrow. According to Italian media, they consisted of two men, the three wives of the head of the group, a cook and another servant.
The leader of the party, said to be a member of the ruling al-Thani family, was reportedly appalled to find his wives had been seated elsewhere and, in each case, alongside an unknown male passenger.
A report in the UK’s Guardian newspaper said after failing to arrange an exchange of seats, he and the other man tried to involve the pilot.
A BA spokesman was unable to confirm the identities of those involved, but he said: “Two passengers stood up whilst the aircraft was taxiing and refused to sit down.
“All passengers have to have their seat belts fastened in preparation for take-off. As these passengers would not comply, the captain had no option but to return to the terminal and offload the passengers in question.”
By the time the plane, carrying 122 passengers, reached the terminal, the group said it would continue. But the pilot refused to take off. After mediation by the police and a representative of the Qatari embassy, the group left the plane.
By then, the pilot had lost his landing slot and it was not until after 6.30pm that the aircraft departed. The Qatari party got seats on an Alitalia flight at 7.40pm.
TRIVIA NOTE: British Airways lost an average of 3,000 bags a day in 2006, according to the Association of European Airlines.
Ian Jarrett
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