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Mind it: Kerala man’s happy bomb prank teaches us what not to say at the airport

  • Thrissur native Clince Varghese was talking about a happy bomb while he was on board Jet Airways flight 
  • His words earned him a ticket off the flight and a police warning as well
  • If you don't want to end up like Clince then here are few words you should never use at an airport, even as a joke 
Mind it Kerala mans happy bomb prank teaches us what not to say at the airport
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First Published Nov 14, 2017, 3:06 PM IST

shot a video of himself right when he was about to board a flight that he was going to ‘hijack’ his Jet Airways flight to Mumbai from Cochin, with ‘happy vibes’. That for sure did not happen, instead he ended up being deboarded and being questioned about his intentions by a posse of clearly not-so-happy policemen. Not only that, all the passengers were deplaned, the aircraft searched thoroughly and then it left Kochi after a two-hour delay.

Security at the airport is always on edge to deal with any untoward incidents since they are high risk areas. Do not consciously or as a prank say or do anything that could cause you distress or put others in jeopardy. If you don’t want to be in Clince’s situation, we’d advise you to keep these words out of any conversation you have at the airport or any talk that deals with planes.

The ‘B’ word

Using the word ‘bomb’ at any airport can have disastrous consequences unless it is used for genuine information. Like Clince, many think a bomb prank would be fun to play at the airport. Our advice:  Don't make jokes or try to get back at someone by making bomb threats  to airport security. Let this story show you why: was was arrested at the Sahar International Airport in Mumbai this year after she joked about her friend carrying a bomb. After passing the security check at the boarding gate, Thakur told the flight security guard that there was a bomb in her friend's bag, who was right behind her. Needless to say, the joke misfired and the two were arrested and missed their flight as well.

The ‘F’ word

Using the F expletive comes commonly to us to express amazement and anger but when used in an argument it could cause a lot of tension. You think it is normal but you may come across as a foul-mouthed individual prone to creating to nuisance and airport authorities or the flight’s crew are in the right to deny you right to board an aircraft or detain you. In this incident the word ‘F***’ guaranteed this teen a ticket off the plane all because his t-shirt said so. was flying from Dallas to Chicago wearing a t-shirt saying “Broad F****** City” in big bold letters on the front. The airport officials requested him to remove the t-shirt or reverse it because of the offensive content. Daniel refused claiming ‘free speech’and they refused him a seat on the SouthWest Airlines.

The ‘T’ word

The word you are looking for is terrorist. Right after the 9/11 attacks in America, Islamophobia has gained ground especially when it comes to Muslims flying on airplanes. Using the concept as a joke can really turn things sour for you. Case in point this story from 2014: from Chicago tweeted at American Airlines that she was part of "Al Qaida and on June 1" was going to do something "really big". The damage was done and she was then scrambling to prove that she was just joking.

The ‘G’ word

The word is ‘gun’. As you know airport security do not allow any weapons inside the plane or the premises and any passenger who does is looked upon with suspicion. Don’t believe us? See this case from 2009 where a teacher tried to be smart with woman who was checking the boarding passes. He joked that the case he was carrying contained a machine gun. Inside was actually a trumpet. He was marched off a Freedom Air flight bound for Sydney at the Hamilton Airport, then banned from the airline for five years, and was also facing the prospect of criminal charges.

The ‘H’ word

A hijack situation on a plane is not a funny one to be in. Yet, people do not understand the mess and trouble they are creating by using the context as a joke and hoping others will see the humour in it. A man from Utah, USA, played a practical joke on his colleague but the only thing it did was get him arrested. An incident in 2012 reported how Jeremiah Hill placed a note containing the threats 1. Hijack Plane 2. Kill Obama inside a colleague’s travel case while both were working at Hill Air Force Base, just north of Salt Lake City. Screeners found the note during a baggage check before Hill’s friend boarded a Delta Airlines flight to Arizona, leading to an FBI investigation.

And then there are these cases:

This word

A Muslim college student was removed from a Southwest plane because of the “potentially threatening comments” he made onboard. He just said the word ‘insha’Allah”, which means “God willing”. His uncle had asked him to call him once he lands and he responded by saying “insha’Allah, I will call you when I arrive”. He was made to deplane, was interrogated, and humiliated.

This language

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