Outrageous!

[Longdan]

Even for Brits on funeral travel?

[Boggit]

What is wrong with traveling in uniform? Those people are idiots.

honestly?

its so that all the afghanistan/iraqi passengers dont get upset

I say let them walk if it offends them.

In all fairness, I really doubt that most Afghan or Iraqi passengers on a transatlantic flight would have got upset and the ones that would are the types that she had been fighting in Afghanistan and that the US probably won't welcome either. >:(

"I say let them walk if it offends them." (LB)

Hard to do at 36,000 feet, but we can try. Do we have airlocks for the outer doors? ;)
(Guess this is now off to R&P and I get a 3 day ban for my insensitive comment?) ;)

[Toonces]

Even for Brits on funeral travel?

Are you asking me?

So she's travelling from America, where she is on deployment, to Britain for a funeral and she doesn't have an appropriate civilian outfit to wear for her travel?

Then the answer is "yes, even Brits on funeral travel."

If she was flying into Britain direct from Afghanistan, that's another story.  I've seen lots of Army dudes at BWI which is a large hub for vets coming and going from the war zone.  My understanding is that those guys don't carry much, if any, civilian clothing with them.

Having said all that, I'm glad the airline doesn't actually have this policy because it is insulting to deny a military member service because she is in uniform.  The way the airline treated her is deplorable and I'm glad it made the news.

[Boggit]

IMO G4S is becoming a kiss of death for major contracts. They made a hash of the Olympics security, they've a spotty record on running prisons and now this... just embarrassing. Why does the UK government keep awarding them contracts? :o

[Staggerwing]

Probably because the officials who make the decisions on these things (or persuasive parties which the officials are beholden unto in some way) are well connected/invested with said security firm.

[Longdan]

The lowest bidder is always cheaper.. isn't that why privatising always works always.  The Army used to be private.
That didn't work out so good for governments but that's no reason not to privatise everything else.  Is it?

[bayonetbrant]

Why does the UK government keep awarding them contracts?

Honestly, there aren't a lot of competitors for them in the UK.  G4S is one of the 10-15 largest private employers in the world.  Hell, they've got an office here in town, across the parking lot from the old company I used to work for.  They're HUGE, and that lets them (a) take on enormous projects like Olympic security, and (b) spread the costs of big projects across a pretty large company, allowing them to keep costs pretty low.

Yes, they dicked up Olympic security, and yes, it should've been a gov't-run event all along. 
But how many squaddies would've had to be pulled off the line for guard duty in London during the Olympics if they hadn't brought in private folks for the one month they were needed?
And once they decided to go private, who were they going to hire? Seriously - who else could have even attempted to pull that one off?  Wackenhut?  They're owned by G4S.  Sandline?  Shut down by the UK gov't and were never that big to start with.  Blackwater / DynCorp / Triple Canopy / Armor Group?  All tainted by sensationalist stories from the war zones - some fairly, some not.  If not G4S, then who?  There isn't anyone.

[Jarhead0331]

If not G4S, then who?  There isn't anyone.

I'll do it.

[Boggit]

If not G4S, then who?  There isn't anyone.

I'll do it.

And you would probably do a far better job! Their performance at the Olympics and lack of competence elsewhere is just scary.

[Longdan]

If not G4S, then who?  There isn't anyone.

I'll do it.

\

Okay.  But you can't kill people just for pissing you off.

[GDS_Starfury]

I wouldnt put money on that bet dan.

[Windigo]

I wouldnt put money on that bet dan.

I think he would have better said it, you should excersize restraint and you should endeavor to limit the bodycount.... can't is a little like 'don't you dare'

[Centurion40]

If not G4S, then who?  There isn't anyone.

I'll do it.

And hire me (part-time)!!

But I'd be more inclined to offend by giving uniformed service personnel preferred seating.

The only thing that I can figure on the uniform is the the RN required her to fly in uniform, and it was the only one that she had on hand... apart from the obvious thought that it's the most comfortable one to wear whilst taking long flights.  But who knows.