Snooker stars incident

I have returned home after a week away and my wife informed me of the media furore, both local and foreign, related to the incident involving two snooker stars who were removed from a flight to London.

I missed my connecting flight to Washington because of that incident. The gentlemen involved were seated right behind me.

I must say that I was genuinely and extremely impressed by the total professionalism of the Air Malta crew. It was a classical example of diplomacy, correctness, tact and eternal patience. I cannot imagine that anyone else would have handled the situation better.

When Ken Doherty and Co. eventually left the aircraft their luggage had to be retrieved from one of the four aircraft holds so the whole episode delayed the departure of the plane by nearly an hour. The captain radioed Heathrow in advance to advise them of my particular predicament and although I was rushed from terminal four to three, the flight to Washington was closed by the time I arrived at the counter. I caught the next flight four-and-a-half-hours later.

Morals of the story:

In my 38 years of air travel I had never missed a plane but then I had to miss one for a most unfair reason - the behaviour of other passenger(s).

The organisers of the conference I was attending paid Lm2,340 for my club class ticket. One of the privileges of club class is that the passenger is given a fast lane service at airports to reduce transit time and the risk of missing a connecting flight. I lost all that.

As I arrived in Washington four-and-a-half-hours late I missed my pick up and my first appointment and had to incur extra personal expenses.

I wonder what aviation law says when this sort of thing happens. Who is entitled to sue whom.