Straits Times, Apr 6, 2010 – Man held over plane threat

SINGAPORE police are questioning a Qantas passenger after he threatened to bring down a plane with the ‘power of his mind’, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported on Tuesday.

The man, believed by other passengers to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, was detained on Monday evening after arriving on a flight from Sydney.

An ABC reporter, who was also on Flight QF31, said the man also had religious delusions.

The man was restrained in his chair after he threatened to use mind power to bring down the Boeing 747, five hours into the 7 1/2-hour flight.

A Qantas spokesman said the man behaved in a ‘threatening and disruptive manner’. He was removed from the plane when it landed at Changi Airport just before midnight, the ABC reported.

A police spokesman said the man was being held for investigation.

The incident occurred on the same day as another Qantas plane was grounded in Melbourne, after a cockpit window cracked during a flight from Los Angeles.

Meanwhile a Qantas Boeing 747 from Bangkok to London returned to the Thai capital after a surge in one of its engines. Some 335 passengers were due to leave on a replacement plane at 1150 GMT (7.50pm Singapore time).

A similar problem forced a Qantas flight to be aborted last Tuesday, and a day later an Airbus A380 operated by the carrier damaged tyres on landing in Sydney, showering sparks and flames.

A faulty wing flap and an engine wiring problem have also delayed flights in recent days, but the spokesman said there was no safety problem at the Australian flag-carrier, AFP reported.

Steak frites at JFK. Classic macarons in Charles de Gaulle. Authentic barbecue at the Austin airport. Let’s take a look at a list of frequent-flyers’ favourite pre-flight bites at terminals around the globe:

YA KUN KAYA TOAST, CHANGI AIRPORT, SINGAPORE:

The meal of choice among local businessmen en route to international meetings? This cult chain’s toasted, crust-free bread comes liberally smeared with coconut jam and butter; accompanied with soft-boiled eggs; and coffee with condensed milk. Breakfast for two $10.

DOUGHNUT PLANT, INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, SEOUL:

Forget powdered sugar, the doughnut flavours here run from banana pecan to Valrhona chocolate to crème brûlée. The shop is one of the newest outposts of the lower Manhattan original—they’re all the rage in the Far East right now. Doughnuts from $1.75.

ENCOUNTER RESTAURANT, LOS ANGELES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:

The 70-foot-high, Jetsonsesque restaurant serves simple bistro fare with unobstructed, 360-degree views of the runways below. Some Angelenos even make a special trek out to the airport just to sip martinis in the round, lava lamp–filled interior. Dinner for two $75.

HARTSFIELD-JACKSON ATLANTA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:

Southern classics with an Asian flair (grilled shrimp shio yaki; braised-pork sandwich) make up the menu here, but the real draw is the spirits selection, which includes hard-to-find bourbons such as Pappy Rip Van Winkle Family Reserve. Dinner for two $80.

MOCHICREAM, NARITA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, TOYKO:

This polished shop puts a twist on traditional Japanese mochi (glutinous rice cakes) by injecting them with fluffy cream, along with the standard red bean paste. Try offbeat flavours such as blueberry or caramel pudding. Mochi $2

EL RINCÓN DEL PISCO, JORGE CHÁVEZ INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, LIMA:

Peru turns out the world’s best pisco—a grape-based liquor—and this pocket-sized store stocks excellent bottles such as La Blanco Mostoverde Gran Herencia ($60), arguably the country’s finest.

SALT LICK BAR-B-QUE, AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:

You can eat like a true Texan without leaving the airport, thanks to the sauce-smothered sandwiches of Austin’s venerable barbecue franchise. Be sure to order the knockout sides, which include coleslaw, beans, and potato salad. Lunch for two $20.

LADURÉE, CHARLES DE GAULLE AND PARIS-ORLY AIRPORTS:

The city’s most famous macarons, made of delicate almond meringue domes, come in delicious flavours such as chocolate, lemon, and caramel with salted butter. Look for the Ladurée store at Charles de Gaulle; at Orly, a petite cart sells a kaleidoscopic array of the pastries. Box of 18: $50.

LA VIE, JFK INTERNATIONAL, NEW YORK CITY:

Co-chefs Riad Nasr and Lee Hanson of New York City’s famed Balthazar, Pastis, and Minetta Tavern restaurants created the menu at this intimate bistro, which serves classics such as salade niçoise and steak frites at its 11-seater bar. There’s no better place to wait to board your flight. Lunch for two $82.

The title may sound like an oxymoron, I mean, how happy can you be when travelling, if you don’t own your own personal jet or eye-candy stewards to serve you freshly squeezed juice, and centre filled chocolates with a gentle shoulder rub thrown in for good measure?

But funnily and also thankfully enough, airports have realised that an unhappy traveller comes a close second, to a plane full of screaming babies, hence the recent shift towards travel friendly airports.

Since I am currently based in Singapore I shall talk about the airport that I am most familiar with. Changi Airport offers free wifi at all four of their terminals. Now travellers can surf the net, log on to their office network, if they are suddenly overcome with love for their jobs, or more realistically, check their personal email, update their blogs, Facebook account and register and update their ArrivedOK account. With over 400 free internet kiosks and 80 laptop Ethernet access points located throughout the terminal lounges and transit areas, Changi Airport offers everyone in the vicinity wireless broadband, keeping us happy and connected.

This shift towards being contact-able on the go is great news. There used to be a time when I would have to lug a whole bag of coins to call home while waiting the requisite three hours before boarding. On days that I forgot my bag of change, I used to stare at the worn out linoleum on the floor until my eyes crossed and vision blurred. Thankfully now there are much more constructive things for travellers to do with their time. Of course the luxury of free wifi and air-conditioning is still a foreign concept in some countries, so if you have any horror or happy airport experiences to share, please do, because I would love to have a list of airports I should avoid or at least come armed with an arsenal of entertainment, so as not to go crazy with boredom.

As the saying goes about too much of a good thing…., Its now come to a point, that airports have become such wonderful places to be at, that non travellers seem to prefer to while away their free-time napping or reading magazines while sipping coffee, making it no longer a place no longer exclusive to those of us toting boarding passes.

If this trend continues, one day genuine travellers will no longer have anywhere to hangout at during the three excruciatingly long hours until boarding, what with all the seats taken up by the non travelling riff-raff surfing the net on the mobile phones while sipping their cup of expresso!

Watch ArrivedOK video tutorial in English updated with female character and voice-over. Learn how ArrivedOK looks like from the inside and how to use it – in only 3 minutes.

Watch ArrivedOK video tutorial in English. Learn how it looks like from the inside and how to use it – in only 3 minutes.