Earlier today I wrote about my short journey on United Express from Monterey to San Francisco, a flight of only 77 miles. A warning sign about joking caught my attention at Monterey Airport.
Warning Sign At Monterey Airport: No Joking About Guns Or Bombs
While waiting for my flight from MRY to SFO, a sign caught my attention in the gate area:
ATTENTION
Comments about guns, bombs and firearms are taken very seriously. Please do not cause yourself unnecessary delay, or possible fine and imprisonment, due to a careless joke.
It is not clear to me how old the sign, though I suspect it is not recent and probably goes back to just after the 9/11/2001 attacks when tensions were high and fear was rampant.
In 2013, 12 years after 9/11, I was thrown off a United flight, ostensibly for joking that I was not a terrorist (I used the “T” word). Now we in 2023, a decade later, and there are still ongoing fears about terrorism. I saw it last night on a flight: drink carts and extra flight attendants are still used to barricade the front galley when a pilot comes out to use the lavatory mid-flight. Compare that to a recent flight I was on in Asia in which the cockpit door was simply left open for much of the flight.
Admittedly, I find it somewhat sad that we cannot joke (if clearly a joke) without fear of being arrested. That’s because I lament that fear still drives so much public policy (like our response to the pandemic) and see this policy based on fear. A joke about a bomb could be construed as yelling “fire” in a crowded theatre, but this warning appears to go beyond a threat (which should be punished to the fullest extent of the law) to merely banning a word regardless of context.
Whether you agree or disagree with my assessment, I think we can agree that the prudent path is simply never to actually use the word “bomb” or “gun” or “explosion” or “terrorist” at an airport. It’s simply not worth the risk.
CONCLUSION
Monterey Airport makes clear that jokes around guns, bombs, and firearms are “taken very seriously.” The subtext is clear: it is best not to discuss those items at MRY or any airport.
> Read More: Seven Words You Can Never Say on an Airplane?
“Don’t worry, ma’am, I take my bombing very seriously,” -Chandler Bing
I would like to clarify that what you said isn’t a joke, but rather a statement of negative observation to ground things to reality. You stated you are NOT a terrorist and therefore NOT a threat by the actions you were undertaking. While your wording was inflammatory due to the choice of the word used, you were making a factual observation to underscore that the FA’s reaction was out of proportion to your photo taking.
And ironically, and this is the “funny” part, your larger observation was proved spectacularly. As I’ve learned in life as I gained some maturity, it isn’t useful to point out to irrational people that they’re irrational particularly if they have power because of the very nature of irrational people who act out of proportion to the situation. 🙂
It’s interesting how the selection of “dirty words’ has changed over the past half century since George Carlin’s standup career. When I was a child, I couldn’t say the word “damn” and certainly not the F word but in most places, including airplanes, within reason, you can drop F bombs (pardon the pun) away with little fear of negative consequence.
Don’t mention anything, even in jest, at an airport.
And definitely don’t use the word terrorist once you’re on the plane!!
On my flight Hawaiian airlines flt from LAX to HNL, every time the pilot came out the blocked the aisle. First time I had seen that.
The sad thing is that this sort of notice is needed two-fold. One, in this world where people are pushing the limits (like so-called “first amendment auditors” wandering into social security offices or police stations and into individuals offices and filming – “but it’s an open door in a public building! nothing said I couldn’t go in!”) that you’ve got to post what you are enforcing. Just note the bulletin board at many places like the post office with a zillion rules/regulations quoted that is there for the purposes of prosecution or resulting litigation.
Secondly, there are people who don’t know or care where the line is…. I’ve had people bang on jetway doors after missing their flight screaming that they hope the plane crashes and everybody burns to death. Or just look at the number of loaded firearms people caught by TSA on a daily basis. In a world where seemingly everyone is encouraged to do whatever they want, they don’t realize there are places with limits. As an airline station manager, I’ve told passengers that no, this isn’t a public place and you don’t have rights beyond the contract of carriage, and at any point I can refund you, say you are no longer our customer, and have you trespassed, even from an airport ticket counter or gate. (And as a station manager, dealing with passengers is not really my job – I have Supervisors and Customer Service Managers for that – I get involved when it comes to federal intervention like CBP, TSA (the ones with law enforcement powers, not the blue shirts), FBI, DEA, etc because it means I’ve got to report it).
None of this is to say that there isn’t an abundance of these same people knowing no limits who work for the airlines/airport/etc. who go a bit overboard. I will even say myself to my own airline’s flight attendants “Come on, you haven’t worked here long enough to be this bitter.”
@NedsKid, I was actually going with your comment until ONCE AGAIN, here comes the favorite line of many on here… it was the bitter ole flight attendant. I notice you didn’t comment on any supervisors or CSM’s under you but only the F/As that aren’t.
@Flyer1
Because of course only sunshine comes out of their mouths whenever they open them! No, there are issues too but I can nip those in the bud. One thing I will say is they don’t make frivolous calls to law enforcement (last time police were called was an agent with another airline at a neighboring gate because they heard a passenger yelling). Every piece of customer feedback is addressed, good or bad… within reason of course. I’m a little hard pressed to address a complaint from a passenger that includes obscenity, or (and this is real) has a comment like “You don’t have enough white people working there.” I think that going on a power trip does nothing but needlessly escalate.
I don’t mind when an agent maybe is a little spicy back (I can read that slight tilt of the head) because it honestly resolves things in many situations – this isn’t a hostage situation and there isn’t a negotiation. This is the situation. You have options A, B, or C. They may not be ideal, but you have a choice. You don’t wish to pay for your bag that won’t even fit in the sizer with your six year old standing on it? That’s a binary answer.
1.2k+ comments on the linked article..#’s
Clearly this was a concern prior to 9/11 as evidenced by its parody in the 1980 film “Airplane”.
Hi Jack!!
I see my buddy on the same flights I take from time to time. Loneliest guy I have ever seen on flights. Nobody wants to even acknowledge him. I do feel sorry and my heart goes out to him. Sorry jack good buddy
A manufacturing Bill of Material is often referred to as an BOM. I made the mistake of discussing Bills of Materials with a fellow manufacturing consultant and referred to it as a BOM. I saw the expression the flight attendant’s face and quickly explained we were discussing Bill of Materials.
That’s funny!
Re: “I see my buddy”: Google search: “far side why people named buddy hate to drive”, another classic.
Re: “I see my buddy”: Google search: “far side why people named buddy hate to drive”, another classic.
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/345510602662899457/
There are signs that say that at literally every major airport in the US, not just wherever this Monterey place is.
I was on a flight where a guy sitting a couple rows ahead of me had brought McDonalds food with him. We hadn’t even pushed back from the gate when he loudly proclaimed to his friend, “Oh man I haven’t eaten in forever… this BigMac is da bomb!” He got escorted off the plane. Seemed like a stupid overreaction, but zero-tolerance means just that. Zero.