Malaysia Airlines Flight Goes Missing En Route to China

[Anonymous]

Anyone one else get an eery "Scandal"-esqe B6-13 feeling about this?

Plane goes down in the ocean, there are fake passports and passengers that didn't board the plane. No one knows why.

[Anonymous]

Tickets of non present passengers bought by Iranian man, breaking news.

[Anonymous]

I think fake passports and people not boarding the flight are relatively common.

They wouldn't have a stand-by option if people were always there to claim their seat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also reports now that 5 additional passengers checked in but never boarded the flight. The airline says their luggage was removed, but who knows if that is the truth.

This is definitely becoming more and more interesting as details are released. The poor passengers and families.

This happens in every single airport, every single day, and is so so so common, for almost always very benign reasons.

Benign reasons such as? I can believe it being innocent and not unheard of, but to say it is "so so so common" sounds like you are just stating an opinion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think fake passports and people not boarding the flight are relatively common.

They wouldn't have a stand-by option if people were always there to claim their seat.

There are stand-by options because of rampant overbooking, not because of rampant cases of passengers getting as far as checking in but then not actually boarding. I would think true no-shows don't usually make it as far as the airport, much less make it as far as checking in but then changing their minds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also reports now that 5 additional passengers checked in but never boarded the flight. The airline says their luggage was removed, but who knows if that is the truth.

This is definitely becoming more and more interesting as details are released. The poor passengers and families.

This happens in every single airport, every single day, and is so so so common, for almost always very benign reasons.

Benign reasons such as? I can believe it being innocent and not unheard of, but to say it is "so so so common" sounds like you are just stating an opinion.

...unless one of the ground/baggage crew was in it and did not remove all bags needed to be removed...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also reports now that 5 additional passengers checked in but never boarded the flight. The airline says their luggage was removed, but who knows if that is the truth.

This is definitely becoming more and more interesting as details are released. The poor passengers and families.

This happens in every single airport, every single day, and is so so so common, for almost always very benign reasons.

Benign reasons such as? I can believe it being innocent and not unheard of, but to say it is "so so so common" sounds like you are just stating an opinion.

It happens very regularly. For people who changed their flight after checking in, or canceled a trip due to sudden changes (from a personal emergency, to "boss actually needs you in the office tonight"), or whatever. To checking in, but missing your flight because you got held up at security, or distracted, or didn't pay attention to your departure time. Or maybe you fell asleep at the wrong gate, and didn't realize there was a gate change.

It happens all the time, all day, every day, at every airport. Ditto for stolen passports or ID. Air travel is still the safest form of transportation, but it will never be seamless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also reports now that 5 additional passengers checked in but never boarded the flight. The airline says their luggage was removed, but who knows if that is the truth.

This is definitely becoming more and more interesting as details are released. The poor passengers and families.

This happens in every single airport, every single day, and is so so so common, for almost always very benign reasons.

Benign reasons such as? I can believe it being innocent and not unheard of, but to say it is "so so so common" sounds like you are just stating an opinion.

...unless one of the ground/baggage crew was in it and did not remove all bags needed to be removed...

Wow. Didn't think of that. Definitely plausible...

[Anonymous]

How can miles and miles of oil slicks not be related? Meaning, how can they *know* that two, huge, miles-long oil slicks not be related?

Ok here is an idea; throwing it out there. One theory for the Burmuda Triangle is that methane gas could periodically burble up and that you can't fly in or over it; you just drop out of the air. I have no idea if this is a credible theory or not; just remembering it. If there are trenches in that area maybe they release gas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also reports now that 5 additional passengers checked in but never boarded the flight. The airline says their luggage was removed, but who knows if that is the truth.

This is definitely becoming more and more interesting as details are released. The poor passengers and families.

This happens in every single airport, every single day, and is so so so common, for almost always very benign reasons.

Benign reasons such as? I can believe it being innocent and not unheard of, but to say it is "so so so common" sounds like you are just stating an opinion.

My brother missed his connecting flight at Christmas. He got lost in a big airport he was not familiar with and didn't get to his gate in time. His bag actually continued on to his final destination and he picked it up when he finally arrived.

A colleague of mine a couple years ago was at the airport bar (right across the hall from his gate) and didn't hear them calling his flight, or his name, the three times they did that. He was hitting the booze and not paying attention to the airport loudspeaker, which apparently did not broadcast inside the bar.

I missed a flight I'd checked in for before, but it was due to insane traffic on the way to the airport. My bags were with me, in the car, so not removed from airplane OR sent through to final destination.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Another dumb question: how do we know the plane crashed/disintegrated rather than was hijacked to another location? Is there a way to block radar from knowing where the plane is? I mean, I assume it blew up and/or crashed....

This is an interesting theory. Wouldnt it be crazy if the passengers showed up safe and were being held for ransom. Kind of like those
Pirates who are highjacking ships off the coast of somalia and demanding money.

it would be wonderful but it sounds like a "Lost" episode. I was going to type "I just can't see that happening IRL" but IF the Malaysians are really lame/negligent, then maybe it's possible that a plane got by undetected…

I'm more concerned about the 5 male passengers that didn't board but their luggage did? I think for people who don't show up for a flight, it's because they are running late and don't make it to the baggage counter. Or the fall asleep/wrong gate theory, but that feels like more of a mistake a solo traveler would make, not five people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think fake passports and people not boarding the flight are relatively common.

They wouldn't have a stand-by option if people were always there to claim their seat.

There are stand-by options because of rampant overbooking, not because of rampant cases of passengers getting as far as checking in but then not actually boarding. I would think true no-shows don't usually make it as far as the airport, much less make it as far as checking in but then changing their minds.

Overbooking should tell you that the airlines are betting people aren't going to make it to the airport/gate.

I'm sure you've been in the airport and heard the pleas of airline staff looking for a specific passenger in the terminal. I hear them threaten to pull their bags almost every time I fly. I've also been on flights that had to wait while someone's bag was removed from the plane.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can miles and miles of oil slicks not be related? Meaning, how can they *know* that two, huge, miles-long oil slicks not be related?

Ok here is an idea; throwing it out there. One theory for the Burmuda Triangle is that methane gas could periodically burble up and that you can't fly in or over it; you just drop out of the air. I have no idea if this is a credible theory or not; just remembering it. If there are trenches in that area maybe they release gas.

Maybe the oil sample analysis they did showed that its not any of the chemicals (oil, jetfuel etc) used in aircrafts? Could be a ship in the area that was dumping oil, even a ship far away dumping used oil which moved several miles with the ocean currents. Maybe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How can miles and miles of oil slicks not be related? Meaning, how can they *know* that two, huge, miles-long oil slicks not be related?

Ok here is an idea; throwing it out there. One theory for the Burmuda Triangle is that methane gas could periodically burble up and that you can't fly in or over it; you just drop out of the air. I have no idea if this is a credible theory or not; just remembering it. If there are trenches in that area maybe they release gas.

I think they tested the oil to determine if it was jet fuel or not. One report I heard said that it was oil from a big ship.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are also reports now that 5 additional passengers checked in but never boarded the flight. The airline says their luggage was removed, but who knows if that is the truth.

This is definitely becoming more and more interesting as details are released. The poor passengers and families.

This happens in every single airport, every single day, and is so so so common, for almost always very benign reasons.

Benign reasons such as? I can believe it being innocent and not unheard of, but to say it is "so so so common" sounds like you are just stating an opinion.

I once got the day wrong and showed up for my flight a day late. My mother was supposed to pick me up from the airport, and was she ever pissed....