About time. 67-year old Luis Armando Pena Soltren appeared in a Manhattan court today to plead guilty to hijacking a Pan Am plane heading to Puerto Rico back in November of 1968.
According to reporters present, he admitted holding a knife to a flight attendant’s throat. At least one of his fellow hijackers had a gun.
At the direction of the hijackers, the pilot flew the plane to Cuba – the then fashionable destination of the day.
In fact, the frequency of hijackings to Cuba and elsewhere is why airports began using metal detectors. In 1968 and 1969 alone, there were 120 hijackings around the world; U.S. airports began installing metal detectors in 1973.
Anyway, this fellow returned from Cuba voluntarily, apparently, hoping for leniency, or at least a sentence below the guidelines that call for roughly 22 to 30 years. Perhaps he should have returned before 9/11. Sentencing is set for June.
I’ve got some questions:
Why did he want to go to Cuba? How was he treated there? Why come back now? And most of all – was it worth it, Mr. Pena Soltren?
I just wanted to alert everyone who will be traveling to another country this year, that the State Dept. has a useful and informative section of its website called “Country Specific Information” under international travel.
Although not a cultural bible, by any means, it can be an excellent resource for staying out of trouble (plus they have helpful phone numbers in case you do get into trouble).
For example, if you read my post about the “sexy text messages” you know that earned a couple of airline cabin crew members a jail sentence in Dubai. However, had they researched Dubai on the State Dept. information (under United Arab Emirates), they would have seen this:
“Persons violating Emirati laws, even unknowingly, may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned. Americans have been arrested in the past for obscene hand gestures, using inappropriate (foul) language with a police official, and for public displays of affection, such as kissing.” – U.S. State Dept.
Perhaps you’re thinking you don’t need this if you’re just traveling to good old Europe. Maybe. Maybe not. I saw this under “United Kingdom”:
“A number of U.S. citizens are lured to the United Kingdom each year in the belief that they have won a lottery or have inherited from the estate of a long-lost relative. Invariably, the person contacted is the victim of fraud.” – U.S. State Dept.
Okay, I don’t really think you’ll fall for that. But somebody is…
Curious situation. It happen aboard a US Airways flight as it was about to leave the gate in Charlotte, NC for Montego Bay. There was some kind of unusual odor in the cabin, what some described as an “electrical smell”.
The FAA said nine people in total sought treatment including five flight attendants and two pilots. They complained of symptoms consistent with being exposed to toxic fumes.
The rest of the passengers eventually took off in another plane – with, understandably enough, a new crew.
People in Los Angeles were jolted awake this morning by a 4.4 quake, but, I’m guessing most probably just went back to bed.
After all, they’ve seen worse. It has a tough year in terms of seismic activity what with the Haiti quake, and the terrible temblor in Chile.
Now suppose you’re traveling when a quake hits – do you know what to do? If you’re not from California, maybe not – and I’ll bet some of my friends in LA could use a refresher. So I’ve put together some useful tips and info to help.
Keep reading for what to do before, during and after a quake, to keep yourself safe and sane…
Travelers: What to Do Before, During and After an Earthquake
The U.S. government rightly points out that millions of U.S. citizens visit Mexico every year with absolutely no problems.
However – violence in the country has increased.
Over the weekend, 13 people were killed in and around the resort area of Acapulco – including five police officers – and as the Los Angeles Times reports, three people connected with the U.S. embassy in Ciudad Juarez were “killed in broad daylight near the city’s border with El Paso.”
The State Department has now issued a travel warning due to “security concerns” in Mexico:
“Some recent confrontations between Mexican authorities and drug cartel members have resembled small-unit combat, with cartels employing automatic weapons and grenades. Large firefights have taken place in towns and cities across Mexico, but occur mostly in northern Mexico, including Ciudad Juarez, Tijuana, Chihuahua City, Nogales, Matamoros, Reynosa and Monterrey.” - U.S. State Dept. website, 3-14-10
Read more about this here – and for the kids I suggest the State’s Dept.’s publication, “Spring Break in Mexico – Know Before You Go”. For travel alerts on other countries and more, go to travel.state.gov.
I know that the Transportation Security Administration – especially the TSA’s blog – gets plenty of comments from people who are outraged that airport security doesn’t do more “profiling”. Here is one of those comments:
“The reason why the blue-eyed great-grandmother from Minneapolis is given a hard time while four young Middle-Eastern men sail through, is not because of her knitting needles (“She might knift an Afghan!” *rimshot*). It’s because the government is terrified of ‘racial profiling’.” –comment left on TSA Blog, 5-2-09
So what are the two words referred to in the title of this post? Jihad Jane.
As numerous news organizations pointed out this week, the woman who allegedly called herself “Jihad Jane” – and who is due in federal court next week to be arraigned on terrorism-related charges – is a middle-aged, blue-eyed blond from the suburbs.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking to collect $787,500 in civil penalties against American Airlines for three separate “maintenance violations”.
In the biggest case against the airline – which carries a proposed fine of $625,000 – the government alleges that American mechanics failed to replace a problematic computer onboard a MD-82 jetliner and instead “deferred maintenance” which is not allowed. The FAA says the plane flew 10 passenger flights until the computer was in fact replaced.
The airline has 30 days to respond.
A spokesman for American said they are reviewing the FAA’s proposal and will meet with them to discuss it. He added:
“Safety is fundamental to the American Airlines culture and to our success. AA is the only U.S. airline that continues to handle the majority of its heavy maintenance with in-house, FAA Certificated Mechanics that have met and passed all FAA experience requirements, written tests, and practical examinations.” – American Airlines spokesman, 3-12-10
Gadling’s always-entertaining Galley Gossip notes that popular singer Lady Gaga was on a recent transatlantic flight when her legs started to swell. She allegedly had to be coaxed into changing into a less restrictive outfit.
What was she wearing? Platform shoes – and black and yellow tape. Yes, tape.
Anyway, Gaga changed her “clothes” and a good thing, too, because swelling can be a sign of Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT), which according to the Healthy Travel Blog, you don’t ever want to get. You can avoid it by exercise (and United’s website has some good ones, with pictures).
Keep reading for more easy “staying healthy on a long flight” tips (that means you, too, Gaga)…
How to Stay Healthy on Long Flights – Attention Lady Gaga
