In the last few days, flights on Air France, British Airways and Aeromexico have been grounded/cancelled due to security concerns, and the world community isn't overwhelming in its support.
French irritation over US controls on transatlantic flights was reinforced yesterday when the interior ministry revealed that American intelligence based its suspicions on passengers' surnames only.
This led to a child with a name similar to a Tunisian terrorist, a Welsh insurance agent and an elderly Chinese woman restaurant owner being questioned by counter-terrorist police when several flights from Paris to the US were cancelled shortly before Christmas.
The New York Times reports:
Seven international flights have now been canceled since last Saturday after the Bush administration began an aggressive approach to defending American airspace when the nation was put on orange or "high" alert on Dec. 21. Administration officials said no arrests had been made in connection with any of the more than a dozen international flights subjected to rigorous scrutiny. And officials have acknowledged that even now, they are uncertain whether they have succeeded in foiling a terrorist plot.
An American official said that the cancellation of the British Airways flights was not in response to United States safety concerns, but rather was prompted by the refusal of British pilots to fly with armed marshals on board.
I count eleven cancelled international flights, and not seven as the New York Times reports: six on Air France, three on British Airways and two on Aeromexico, not to mention an Air France flight that was diverted and a British Airways flight from London to Saudi Arabia which was cancelled and whose 61 passengers were held under armed guard for two-and-a-half-hours.
Forbes validates and clarifies the count of seven by specifying “U.S.-bound flights,” but that still doesn’t explain the numbers. Forbes also makes a point to give Homeland Security a chance to defend their actions and interview passengers who appreciate the added security.
"I think they've done the right thing. We can't just sit around and wait for another catastrophe. ... It's not worth putting your life at risk," said Mike Coppolelli of Washington, who lives in London.
While France and Mexico are consenting to US demands by allowing armed sky marshals aboard their flights, other countries are less eager to comply, including Sweden, Thailand, Finland and New Zealand.
Tourists from 27 countries, including Brazil, will now be fingerprinted and photographed on entering the US as a security measure. In response, Brazil has announced that it will give the same treatment to Americans who visit their country.
