European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1969, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday 26, 1969 the stars and stripes Page 3 adventure of 2 teachers really were being hijached9 by Mary nist staff writer the Hijacker meant squeezed the trigger of his revolver. The shot just missed the Back of the Pilot s head and smashed through the cockpit window. Beyond in the first class Cabin an elderly woman heard the sound and fainted. One of the stewardesses was in , in their seats in tourist class the two Young american women continued chatting oblivious to the Diller and Linda Egan fifth and first Grade teachers respectively at the Worms Ger Many . Dependent s school had just spent new year s with a Friend in it was Jan. 2, and they were on their journey Home. The big olympic airways dc-6 102 passengers was to land Nathens where they planned to connect with a military flight to Frankfurt the plane had been droning on for some time. Edith a blonde from new Jersey glanced at her wrist watch and then at he dark haired Friend a texan. This Only was supposed to Bea 55-minute flight she said. We re already 20 minutes maybe we be been hijacked joked Linda. It will be of the greek businessman sit Ting across the aisle the Only person nearby who spoke English turned his head their Way an smiled. The next thing i knew said Edith he had reached Over and was patting my knee and saying Don t worry girls it will be of. Well be in Cairo soon that was the first inkling we had that something really was really were being i later the two were to learn hat a Crete bricklayer named George Flam urides had commandeered the plane while it was still on the runway. He had just been released from prison and was seeking political Asylum i Egypt we weren t frightened said Linda. No one seemed to be panicking. People had been mov ing around a lot but that had t struck us As Odd. Passengers had done the same on the other greek flight we d been on from where i was sitting i could peer into first class re called Edith. I d seen the elderly woman slump Forward in he seat but thought she was Only air sick. No announcements had been made arid where we were Over the Wing the noise of the plane had kept us from hearing the gun the desert now however there was no doubt that they were on their Way to Egypt not Athens. The could see the Nile and two hours from take off the plane was Cir cling Over the desert. It was a Beautiful Day Linda said. The plane swept Low Over White Sand dunes and we could make out egyptian troops their tents and tanks quit clearly the plane landed on a far run Way of the Cairo Airport about two Miles from the modern Ter Minal. As soon As it touched Down it was surrounded by sol Diers bristling with machine guns and Odd looking i did get scared Linda admitted. I remembered read ing that a passenger had been shot the week before when two arabs seized a plane in Greece. I Drew As far Back from the win Dow As i could. The soldiers out Side really looked Crew question Edall the passengers were kept on the plane for about 20 minute while egyptian officials questioned the Crew and arrested the greek Hijacker. We could see him being Takeaway a big dark haired fellow and then four egyptians i Plain dress guns barely hidden under their Coats came Down the aisle. Welcome to Cairo they said and smiled let us disembark then looking Back Edith Diller left and Linda Egan say hijacking was rather is Gates and after everyone was searched they went through Edith s purse and in i n a too we were put aboard buses for the Linda said that at this Point she began to relax again. But there was a strange elec tric sort of feeling of tension in the air As though something was about to happen. Both Edith and i noticed How eerily absent of people the whole Airport was. The passengers from our flight seemed the Only ones around. We did t see any planes taking offer Landing. Most of the hangars looked like they were empty,too." anyway said Edith for us things began to get better. After we were herded into the Airport restaurant and had begun to eat the soldiers began to melt away. The greek passengers seemed to be having a Ball. They headed to the duty free store in the building and were buying things like some of them were unhappy though because they weren t allowed to make phone Calls said few hours later the two teachers were on their Way to Athens once More this time on a Boeing 707, supposedly olympic airlines Best. We really got the red carpet it s land now pay later in Cuba new York a . Air lines have established a Good credit link with cuban prime minister Fidel Castro so that passengers on planes hijacked to Havana can be properly a land now pay later system works through Neutral Switzerland. By the time a . Plane lands in Havana the state department has contacted the Swiss embassy there which promises to pay the cubans Fornall expenses. Later the Swiss Bill the state department which passes the Tab on to the airlines. A hijacking to Cuba costs a airline Between $2,500 and $3,500 in Landing fees fuel weather re ports and food and lodging for passengers. Business practice we pay our Bills As fast As we can get them it s Good Busi Ness practice said a National airlines spokesman the charges Are fair a state department spokesman said. The Bill is roughly com parable to what it would Cost Toland a plane unexpectedly in a . Airport though the Homeland meal probably Aren t As hijacked passengers a Cstro has developed a mixed reputation As a Host. They kept us sitting around the Havana Airport for 15 hours until around Midnight recalled Marguerite Eacker of fort Lauderdale Fla. She visited Havana sept. 20 via Eastern flight 950. They put us on a bus Tovar Adero then they stuck us in a Flea bag sure fed us Well said Jim Hatler of Dallas who Wason the same flight. He remembers Steak for lunch roast be for lobster for dinner and Ham and eggs for said the direct Bills to Cuba Are Only part of the Cost Ofa hijacking. Schedule changes the Cost of bringing Back Pas sengers in other aircraft and the removal of planes from regular routes push up the Bill. An Eastern air lines spokes Man put the total Cost at be tween $7,500 and $10,000 per Hijack and said Castro could save the airlines Money if he wanted they wanted to be reason Able they d drop the Hijack Rott and let the plane turn around and go Back he said Castro insists that Havana s Airport is unsafe for jets with full passenger Load. The i lacked jets Are flown Back empty while their passengers Are bussed to a smaller Airport at Paradero and returned Home on propeller one claims that Castro is making Money on the Hijack Ings and the consensus is that the cuban prime minister1 does t like hijackers any More than the airlines. The state department spokes Man contradicted one recent re port that hijackers who Are nonpolitical refugees Are jailed for five do know however that As soon As a plane lands the hijackers Are grabbed by the cuban military and carted off to jail for at least two to three weeks he said. Big brother watching then they re put under House arrest indefinitely wit big brother watching All the time he airlines through their Trade association International air transport association have culled for United nations act onto Stop hijackings. Iata wants hijackings to be classed As International crimes comparable to genocide or airlines remain unable to Stop hijackers. Some have looked into Metal detecting de vices to identify passengers carrying weapons but As one spokesman put it you can search your pilots of planes Likely to Detour to Cuba have been Given bilingual cards of what to say when the Hijacker comes. The cards include eight num. Breed phrases in English on oneside and Spanish on the other. A note to the Pilot instructs him to Circle the Spanish phrase with the number corresponding tothe English he is trying to is to prevent misunderstanding of the Pilot s actions Bya Spanish speaking Hijacker said a spokesman for Eastern air lines one of several issuing the cards. If he does t get the message some Hijacker might do something he does t want to Frazier acting area manager of the Federal aviation administration said the cards were discussed with the Faa before they were issued. He said National and Delta airlines also have issued the cards. Some pilots have to reach into flight bags for maps or make radio Contact Frazier said. This Way he can explain to allay the Hijacker s fears somebody is going to try pre venting him from reaching a cards carry instructions to the Pilot at the top telling him to Circle the appropriate statement. The cards also in form the Pilot he will routinely receive Landing instruction from Havana air traffic control. He also has approach map for airports in Havana Santiago and Paradero Cuba. Treatment from then on Bot said Champagne and the they arrived in Athens they discovered they d become celebrities. Newsmen were All around from British papers american papers German papers to cameras were pointed at them and flashbulbs were going affright and left. It was really a mob said. We did t think we were Ever going to get from plane to terminal. Then an american intelligence office appeared out of nowhere arid helped us. And the two airmen who d been on Board fight our Way through the crowd to locate our Luggage. Counted 5 american they later heard that there were seven americans on the plane but they had Only counted was great to have someone Greet us Edith said. But we could t figure out How anyone knew we were on the flight. The officer explained that As soon As the news of the hijacking washout the american government had gone to work to find out the names and destinations of All . Citizens who might Seaboard. Nice to know someone had been thinking of Back both Edith and Linda rate the Day s adventures a rather fun last year said Linda took a plane from Philadelphia to Miami. Later i Learned that the same plane had been hijacked to Cuba a week later. Thought that was As close As i d come to such an , being hijacked to Cuba is soil of common. Edit hand i Are among the few who have had such a european venture. It puts us in the Jet set of hijacked Jet passengers Don t you think Irish sea drilling planned London up the Gulf Oil corp. Said it will Drill for Oil this summer in the Irish sea off the Lancashire coast. The drilling will take place in conces Sions held jointly by the state owned National Coal Board and Gulf Oil
