David Kessens wrote: > Most european cities are served by Aer Lingus and by Ryan > Air which is quite possible the cheapest airline on earth. Only because I happened to see this today: > Airline ordered to pay for booting band The Associated Press Article > Launched: 02/06/2008 07:08:27 AM PST > > LONDON—A British judge has ordered budget airline Ryanair to pay $7,800 to > members of a calypso band who were ordered off a plane at gunpoint after > another passenger said they were acting suspiciously. > > Ryanair said it had not decided whether to appeal the ruling. > > Five members of the London-based Caribbean Steel International band were > aboard a flight waiting to fly from the island of Sardinia to London on Dec. > 31, 2006, when a passenger alerted the crew of "suspicious" behavior. > > The band members were sitting separately on the plane, even though they had > been together in the departure lounge, the passenger reported. > > The men were removed from the plane by Italian police with guns drawn, though > they were later cleared by airport security. The pilot refused to let them > back onboard, citing the "anxiety" of the other passengers. > > District Judge Roger Southcombe ruled Tuesday that the men had been > unreasonably removed from the plane. He awarded them $1,570 each in damages. > > In the judgment, Southcombe said the damages awarded reflected the band > members' "embarrassment at being the only black persons removed from the > aircraft at gunpoint for no just reason, their inability to be with their > families and friends on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (and) the overnight > stay in the cold in Liverpool." > > The men were flown to Liverpool and spent the night of Jan. 1 outside the bus > station after missing the last bus to London. -- Dave Crocker Brandenburg InternetWorking bbiw.net _______________________________________________ Ietf@xxxxxxxx http://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf