Co-pilot joke cancels flight
 

It's too bad that a pilot can ruin your vacation:

An Air France co-pilot who was arrested Friday night for remarks he made at a JFK security checkpoint may have been making a joke, passengers say.

Co-Pilot Phillipe Riviere was arrested and taken into custody at JFK Airport Friday night at about 9:30 p.m., when comments he made at a security checkpoint raised security concerns.

Air France Flight 009, which was scheduled to depart JFK at 11 p.m., was canceled and rescheduled for Saturday morning following Riviere?s arrest.

It's unclear exactly what he said that raised a red flag with airport screeners, but witnesses tell NY1 that he appeared to be making a joke.

?Apparently, one of the co-pilots got testy at the security and didn't like getting searched so much, and said ?Well, what do you think, I have a bomb on me??,? said one Air France passenger.

?We learned that one of the pilots or copilots had made either a threatening joke or a joking threat,? said another traveler.

Airport regulations prohibit people in security areas from referring to terrorist-related subjects, even in jest.

The Air France flight took off Saturday morning after being rescheduled from the previous night.

One of those mind boggling "DUH" moments...

The report I heard said that the co-pilot refused to take off his shoes to be put through the xray, and then reportedly said something about having a bomb in his shoes.
Hey folks, that'll do it!

Perhaps he had holes in his socks

Maybe he was in line behind Bashful, with the stinky shoes, and was trying to warn them of a suspected bomb in Bashful's shoes . . .

There were definitely some "holes" involved here, Mucky, but I don't think they were in his socks! Sheesh! You would think that if anyone understood that bombs on airplanes was not an appropriate subject for jokes, it would be an airline pilot. What an idiot!

Wonderful! When will people learn that bomb jokes are NOT FUNNY! We are taking Air France in October! Hope nothing like that happens - would not want to miss a whole day of vacation!

His serious lack of judgement speaks volumes. I wouldn't want this guy flying any plane I happen to be on. Let's hope he wasn't drinking before the flight.

To make matters worse, the 10:30 p.m. flight was cancelled and, according to the report I read this morning, Air France did not make any sleeping arrangements for the passengers before they flew out the next morning.

jg1234 - many thanks for the worthless personal observation that is not only wrong, but uncalled for on a travel forum. Where you a sniper or perhaps backstabber in a previous life?

A friend who is a cop at SFO says that they get about one nut a week acting in a similar fashion.

my dear degas, you should be honored that jg1234's one and only post was a silly swipe at you.

Invite this poor, misguided soul down to Georgia and give him some of that famous moonshine you and little wife brew up. He'll know the real meaning of TOXIC then!

chatnoir, you have a very toxic personality to highlight my previously secret moonshine operation. I'll wager a gallon of my finest that jg1234 gets his mama to dial the IRS hotline so he can rat me out!

Who is this jg1234?
How did he or she contribute to this forum? Maybe she is the copilot's girlfriend. I myself would be very suspicious of this idiotic equation
Uncle Sam=toxic personality.Well, if goes to proof, that there are those among us who should not be...
On the other hand, I have not flown Air France for a very long time. If I feel like going "oui oui", I go US Airways and get miles!!

degas, this jg1234 character is either "prixy" acting out again or somebody from the french tourist board who wants to sour you on going to France again.

All your trips have been a disaster for French-American relations - the ugly Paris swimming pool incident might have been the straw that broke the camel's back!

Guys, I have a question since I am taking this very flight next month.
Isn't Air France responsible for putting up the 300-plus passengers who had to wait overnight due to the cancelled flight? How about all the people who missed connecting flights once in Europe?
This wasn't an act of God, or weather or even an equipment failure. This was clear negligence and stupidity on part of an Air France employee who was in a position of authority and trust. Shouldn't the airline be liable?