Comments on: Instead of service, imprisoned Portland passengers got the shaft

By: Sam

Sam — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:18:12 +0000

Frank, we have a smaller airport in our community that has served as a backup to Denver International a few times. A similar situation happened here a couple years back – a plane load of passengers from international locations. Our airport operations people did just that – they opened an area for these people, called on the local community to help, and let these poor souls get off the plane. This is a community of less than 20,000. I would think Portland could do the same thing. Airport operations like Portland are staffed 24 hours a day – and those workers should have taken the same initiative the local airport did. It wasn’t hard – it was humane.

Whether there were NO agents or not enough doesn’t make a material difference unless you are somehow related to the situation. I’m guessing you wouldn’t have the same feelings if you were trapped in that plane for 16 hours.

By: Frank

Frank — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:59:57 +0000

On January 23rd, 2009 at 10:13 pm The man who notices things said

They COULD have secured a hangar for gosh sakes and let the people go to the bathoom set up cots, and called out for pizza and chinese.
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Who’s THEY? Does AeroMexico even operate into PDX? They had a plane DIVERT there. Who was supposed to take care of that flight? Take the necessary paperwork into Immigrations and customs? Just WHO would secure a hangar? The government? Who was supposed to PAY FOR THAT?
Let’s say, Air IRAN diverted due to an emergency situation into the US, would you want them off the aircraft? WHO WOULD HANDLE the Aircraft? Weather has been and will continue to inconvenience passengers who fly, but SECURITY AND SAFETY prevail to passengers who enter OUR COUNTRY.

By: Morning Links: Road Tripping ‘Amexica,’ Titty Ho and More | Features Travel Blog

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:21:22 +0000

[...] Paramedics bought Big Macs for stranded AeroMexico passengers in Portland. That might be the only pleasant news from the incident. [...]

By: Claire Walter

Claire Walter — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 18:24:44 +0000

IMHO, the agency’s name says it all: Immigration & Customs ENFORCEMENT rather than Immigration & Customs SERVICE.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:24:49 +0000

Actually, Portland’s a pretty good place to fly in/out/through internationally.

I have to agree with Frank above – the flight was diverted to PDX at a time when there weren’t any customs agents on duty. It was bad situation made worse by the police threatening to arrest people. Sensationalizing the story with inaccurate information won’t help get a passenger’s bill of rights passed any sooner.

I’m also amused by the typos in this article. “Boing 737″? Who makes that plane, Tigger? “Pacifice”? Spell check is not optional if you’re trying to portray yourself as a professional, Charlie..

By: The man who notices things

The man who notices things — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:13:14 +0000

Common sense only exists in parts of the nation insulated from the federal government. . . .

why, those ICE agents have rights to not work when off shift. And why did it take 16 hours? Even if the border station closed at PDX at 10pm, would it not open at 7, 8 or 9am the next morning for a REGULAR business day?

They COULD have secured a hangar for gosh sakes and let the people go to the bathoom set up cots, and called out for pizza and chinese.

I WOULD have opted for arrest. You see I AM the troublemaker when it comes to governmental idiocy.

“Sure officer, arrest me – here I am. I REFUSE to sit down. And btw, remember, you are violating the border protection rules by taking me off this airplane. I’d rather spend 8 hours in jail and get released by a judge in the morning that sit on this plane until next week.”

“What? You AREN’T going to arrest me? Shucks,” looking around at the other passengers. .. “anyone else want off? I’m leaving – want to join me?

By: Ron G

Ron G — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:57:51 +0000

If there were no agents at the airport, obviously there were not enough agents.

By: Frank

Frank — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:01:10 +0000

Charlie Leocha:
Many of you have heard the horror story about the AeroMexico flight from Mexico City to Seattle that was forced to divert to Portland, Ore. The passengers reportedly were kept prisoners on that plane for 16 hours because the airport “didn’t have enough customs agents at the airport to process the flight.”

Article said:
The flight was diverted from Sea-Tac Airport on Tuesday night, and passengers weren’t allowed off the plane in Portland, officials said, because no customs agents were available to process the passengers

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which one is it? NOT enough agents or NO agents were available. BIG DIFFERENCE!
The flight was unexpected, later in the evening, just where and HOW were these international passengers going to be processed BY LAW without agents?

By: Dave

Dave — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 23:07:49 +0000

Incompetence and indifference. Portland seems like a good place to avoid for international travel.

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:58:38 +0000

I just looked up the story and found it on USAToday – What’s even more outrageous is that the plane was enentually ordered back to Mexico City – with the passengeres on board that were en route to SEA!