Clever Kid

[KentPhilip]

Maybe the kid is the re-incarnation of Christ and was on the way to tell the pope to hop it.
And rather than walk on water all the way there he thought he'd fly.

[TimberWolf]

Some 11 year old boys are very short in statue, so I would tell on a little kid going to Rome as well.

If he was going to a more Northern European country I may decide to leave him.

If he sat next to me I'd be thinking how unlucky I was having to sit next to an 11 year old and he would have got away with it because I would totally ignore him. He should have sat next to a bloke. A woman would probably ask questions and want to know all about him etc. Schoolboy error

[Spacecadet]

You knew I was thinking of wine.

Your avatar gives it away

[SueEllen]

as in drinks cabinet?

You knew I was thinking of wine.

[SueEllen]

I heard he got stitched up by fellow passengers.

Some 11 year old boys are very short in statue, so I would tell on a little kid going to Rome as well.

If he was going to a more Northern European country I may decide to leave him.

How much did it cost him to get to the airport?

The bus fare? He lived near by.

[TimberWolf]

I heard he got stitched up by fellow passengers. How much did it cost him to get to the airport?

[Spacecadet]

The final fault lies with the cabinet crew.
(The people who have to stop you dying by evacuating you safely in an emergency. )

It's the airlines that get fined not airport security if they get caught having ferried an illegal immigrant to/from the UK.

as in drinks cabinet?

[SueEllen]

Face it; immigration, airport security and customs are always going to be staffed by numpties and there are millions more 11 year olds who can outsmart them.

The final fault lies with the cabinet crew.
(The people who have to stop you dying by evacuating you safely in an emergency. )

It's the airlines that get fined not airport security if they get caught having ferried an illegal immigrant to/from the UK.

[Mich the Tester]

Why would somebody who possesses skills like numeracy, observation and deduction apply for a dull, low status, insecure and generally tulipty job like airport security?

Face it; immigration, airport security and customs are always going to be staffed by numpties and there are millions more 11 year olds who can outsmart them.

[SueEllen]

The hardest bit would be getting on the flight, that's the bit I find hardest to understand as they would/should be checking a passenger list before boarding.

With kids a parent often has the boarding passes and passports, and it's up to the airline ground staff to check that the number of kids matches the boarding passes for a family. If there are a lot of kids flying making a lot of noise, which British kids tend to do, it would be easy with a distracted staff member to get through.

However when he got on the plane before take off the cabinet crew should have realised that they were over the number of passengers when they counted, and should have confirmed with the ground staff how many people they were suppose to be carrying.

[ZARDOZ]

They very rarely ask for your passport at security if the terminal has domestic departures, they always ask for boarding passes though, but I guess pretending to be a family member would work as they have a cursory glance at the documentation. Probably though he may have gone straight to the scanners, as he would have had no luggage no one would notice that. He would still have still gone through security, so no risk there.

The hardest bit would be getting on the flight, that's the bit I find hardest to understand as they would/should be checking a passenger list before boarding.

[SueEllen]

I've been hearing this all morning linky

Least he has something interesting to write about what he did in his summer holidays.

An 11-year-old boy boarded a plane from Manchester to Rome on his own without a passport, tickets or boarding pass.

The boy got through a security screen by mingling with families going through Terminal 1 on Tuesday afternoon.

He was discovered while the Jet2 plane was in mid-air after passengers became suspicious.

A Manchester Airport spokesman said a number of airline staff had been suspended. The transport secretary said it was "incredibly concerning".

The airport spokesman said the boy passed through security checks but was not asked to show any documentation.

The boy went straight to the nearest aircraft that was boarding - the flight to Rome - where he was also missed during a head-count on board the plane.
'Urgent review'

The spokesman said: "It is clear that documentation has not been checked correctly at security and the boarding gate.

"The boy went through full security screening, so the safety of passengers and the aircraft was never compromised."

Transport Secretary Justine Greening said: "I treat security breaches very, very seriously indeed, so we are now reviewing urgently with Manchester Airport, and indeed the airline, exactly what happened."

A spokesperson for Jet2.com said: "On Tuesday an 11-year-old boy cleared security at Manchester Airport, without the necessary paperwork but had been through a full security search.

"The boy then boarded our flight bound for Rome.

"We have launched a full investigation into what is a serious incident, and the staff involved have been suspended pending the outcome.

"The boy has been returned safely to his family."

It is believed the boy had earlier run away from home.

He stayed on board the plane when it landed at Rome Fiumicino Airport and was flown back to Manchester when the plane returned on Tuesday evening.