Did not a similar incident happen when a plane from Bolivia was forced to land in Austria after possible orders by the US in a search for Ed Snowden?
Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
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Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#92Earlier quoted context omitted.
The DOT has very specific rules about passenger compensation for passengers "bumped" off of flights via denied boarding: https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer... "Over 2 hour arrival delay 400% of one-way fare (airlines may limit the compensation to $1,550 if 400% of the one-way fare is higher than $1,550)" What they did in your case was illegal. Which has happened at Spirit before: https://www…
When did this go into effect? Years back we tried to land twice due to fog then had to wait overnight with no accomodations to take the bus zero compensation. Still won't fly Southwest because they merged with the offender.
Weather cancellations/delays don't count as denied boarding. These rules apply only if you're bumped due to overbooking.
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#93Earlier quoted context omitted.
How many cameras do you think exist capable of capturing a MIG-29 at 50k altitude in low population density areas? I doubt there are pictures of most military interceptions of passenger flights, which is no reason to doubt they happened.
Approximately 171, although only ~1/6th of them belonged to someone with a portside window seat. (Based on the passenger numbers, assuming 3+3 seating, and assuming everyone has, on average, one smartphone with a camera).
The escorting aircraft would not need to fly side by side with the passenger aircraft. They could just fly behind, above or bellow the aircraft quite easily and not be seen by anyone on the aircraft.
Not to mention that Air to Air missiles have a range in the tens of kilometers and the MIG-29 has sensors to observe the aircraft up to 100 km away.
I don't think any of the passengers would have been aware in the slightest if the MIGs where flying 5 km behind the passenger aircraft.
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#94Did not a similar incident happen when a plane from Bolivia was forced to land in Austria after possible orders by the US in a search for Ed Snowden?
I, too, am curious about the contrast between these two situations. Presumably the US was truthful about the reason for the diversion, while Belarus apparently lied.
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#95Did not a similar incident happen when a plane from Bolivia was forced to land in Austria after possible orders by the US in a search for Ed Snowden?
Not just any plane, but the plane of Bolivian president!
[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales_grounding_incident
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#96Earlier quoted context omitted.
Approximately 171, although only ~1/6th of them belonged to someone with a portside window seat. (Based on the passenger numbers, assuming 3+3 seating, and assuming everyone has, on average, one smartphone with a camera).
The escorting aircraft would not need to fly side by side with the passenger aircraft. They could just fly behind, above or bellow the aircraft quite easily and not be seen by anyone on the aircraft. Not to mention that Air to Air missiles have a range in the tens of kilometers and the MIG-29 has sensors to observe the aircraft up to 100 km away. I don't think any of the passengers would have been aware in the slight…
International intercept procedures are that one of the intercepting aircraft flies next to the intercepted aircraft.
https://www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2015/media/intercep...
Of course, they could also intercept from a bigger distance or threaten the plane with surface to air missiles and no jets at all.
Intercepting from a bigger distance has the downside that the pilot cannot see the fighters except on electronic displays, all of which have zero security (just like the radio used to communicate with ATC). I wonder how long until someone "intercepts" an aircraft with an SDR and a directional antenna.
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#97Worth noting the incident in 2013 where the US and EU collaborated to ground a plane to target a whistleblower: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales_grounding_incident
Yes, Snowden's treatment is appalling. What does it have to do with this case?
Nothing. It is however valid to point out the staggering similarity where a nation state forces an airplane to land in order to arrest/try to arrest a person the government considers a criminal.
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#98Worth noting the incident in 2013 where the US and EU collaborated to ground a plane to target a whistleblower: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evo_Morales_grounding_incident
Yes, Snowden's treatment is appalling. What does it have to do with this case?
> Yes, Snowden's treatment is appalling. What does it have to do with this case?
Really ?
Dead, deep in you heart, ask yourself what the USA would have done if Snowdon or Assange were on a Mexican flight over the continental USA to Canada.
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pilot was told their flight was being diverted due to a suspected bomb on board. What "game of chicken" would make a pilot doubt that instruction and chose to keep flying, given what the information they were being presented at the time? It's not like they called to the plane and said "we'd like to kidnap a passenger, please land" and the pilot went along with it.
The game of chicken was "divert to an airport that's further away than your intended destination or we will shoot you down". What would make the pilot doubt the instruction would be the fact that the diversion airport was significantly further away: https://www.flightradar24.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/0...
The game of chicken was ... to obey the request of the ATC of the airspace that the aircraft was in. It's _normal_ to do that.
Re: Ryanair’s statement on diversion to Minsk Airport
#100I wonder if EU airlines will now start avoiding Belarusian airspace if they aren't actually flying in to Belarus. Or I wonder if they will just disclose the flightpath prior to take-off. If I was an Russia/Belarus opposition journalist, I'd be scared shitless to fly around the EU and risk something like this happening.
Yes, some, at least for now