Senator Lidia Thorpe accuses Virgin Australia of racially profiling in Canberra Airport incident

[jakeseven7]

Not a good news week for any airline at the moment….

Given the incident happened last year I wonder if Virgin were trying to settle it and keep it quiet but were unable to.

It does seem a little strange - I don’t think I’ve waited that long to board in the premium ‘express’ queue before. And a handbag being weighed seems odd? Unless it was a kitchen sink handbag.

Clearly she wasn’t escorted from the airport as she flew later that day with Qantas.

——

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe levels racial profiling allegations against Virgin Australia staff at Canberra Airport​

Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe has accused Virgin Australia staff of racially profiling her while she waited to board a plane at Canberra Airport late last year.

Senator Thorpe, a Gunnai-Gunditjmara woman and the first Aboriginal senator from Victoria, said she was completely ignored by Virgin Australia staff whilst waiting to board a flight in the express queue for seven minutes.

She said that after a while she noticed passengers were being processed through the general queue and so joined that line instead, in the hope of being able to board.

"I then proceeded to the ... desk, where I was told that my handbag was over [weight], which contained my parliamentary iPad and phones, and was asked to take out my water bottle, take out my denim jacket, which I did.

"And then I was told my handbag was still over [weight], and .... I didn't know what to do."

The senator said she was told that she would have to leave something behind, and when she said she was not able to, airline staff immediately called security.
"I don't think this would have happened to a white woman given the express lane was still taking non-white people with no checks ," she said.

In a statement to the ABC, Virgin Australia said it was unable to comment in relation to the specific incident, but that it was aware that a serious complaint had been made.

Greens senator Lidia Thorpe says she was racially profiled by Virgin Australia staff at Canberra Airport - ABC News

amp.abc.net.au

 

[serfty]

That came out in the news four weeks ago.

Canberra of all places ... they need a special queue for those without status ...

 

[jakeseven7]

On the radio this morning there was a piece on it (linked to the bullying charges brought against the Virgin CEO) and apparently there are mediation proceedings in place?

I’m not a lawyer but what would that even entail in this instance?

I’m sure the Senator probably just wants them to come out publicly and apologise?

 

[Melburnian1]

On the radio this morning there was a piece on it (linked to the bullying charges brought against the Virgin CEO) and apparently there are mediation proceedings in place?

I’m not a lawyer but what would that even entail in this instance?

I’m sure the Senator probably just wants them to come out publicly and apologise?

Who knows what really happened?

This Senator has a controversial record.

 

[stm1sydney]

They need a special queue for rich, entitled race-baiters.

 

[Denali]

A parliamentary iPad. Not just an ipad but a special parliamentary ipad

And what is anyone carrying in their handbag if its overweight after taking out ipad, water bottle, multiple phones and a jacket. Sounds like she packs like my husband and had the kitchen sink in there.

 

[eastwest101]

There must be more to this story, but unfortunately unless someone here was on that flight and witnessed what happened we might never know.

A few curious observations, I think VA are normally pretty well trained and do execute priority boarding at the gate normally (unless CBR is an anomaly?), I guess if one gate agent was otherwise occupied, then VA might have fallen into the QF trap where priority boarding might stop but normal boarding continues, is plausible though. I can certainly believe swapping boarding lines if she was being "ignored" right at the gate, that will sometimes happen.

The weighing of handbags seems a bit weird, why did she proceed to a ...desk? Was she asked, or taken aside, or did she go over to talk about something at the desk? Do VA even have scales or volumetric bag measuring at the gate area in CBR? Assuming it was a B737 service to MEL so not like a limited carry-on situation like you see on smaller aircraft like Saab 340s or Dash-8s/ATR72s.. Unless she was in either Row 1 J cabin or Row 3 Y or and/or exit row Y. Was the handbag overweight or over volume? From the sounds of the article might have been a volume thing? Why not wear or just carry the denim jacket to reduce volume? Don't know what walking away from security would have achieved, as a discussion with a third party security person might actually clarify what exactly the problem was....

Lots of info missing from that report.

Anyway - looks like she offloaded herself, missed her flight and then the good old taxpayer picked up the tab for a QF flight later on in the day. I don't think we will ever know unless the particular VA staff member talks. I wonder if the VA employee is even still employed with VA anymore, I think they went through most of their lay-offs and redundancies in the middle of last year? Whetever the case, the airline says it is an open active complaint but seems a long time to resolve given there would have been other staff and other pax as impartial witnesses.

Maybe I am just cynical about politicians but the emergence of this story from late last year wouldn't have anything to do with her promotion of her proposed new online tool for First Nations Australians to report racism would it?

 

[Ade]

I guess if one gate agent was otherwise occupied, then VA might have fallen into the QF trap where priority boarding might stop but normal boarding continues, is plausible though.

In my experience, VA doesn't start boarding the normal boarding queue until after all priority queue members who presented themselves for boarding are done OR sufficient time has passed for the priority pax to board and a call is made for all remaining pax to board.

I can certainly believe swapping boarding lines if she was being "ignored" right at the gate, that will sometimes happen.

If the priority queue stopped boarding for some reason and the normal queue had commenced boarding, I have seen the normal queue staff inviting/waving/calling/signalling the priority pax to the join the front of the normal queue one by one ... so after the congestion at the priority queue, it's usually one priority followed by one normal followed by one priority etc ...

From the sounds of the article might have been a volume thing?

If it was a volume thing - then the staff at the gate would have recommended the bag to be checked in. Ideally, this should have been picked up at check-in & BP issue, but if the pax had used the kiosks (I'm not sure if CBR VA has kiosks) to print her BP.

Lots of info missing from that report.

Agree.

 

[Harrison_133]

A few curious observations, I think VA are normally pretty well trained and do execute priority boarding at the gate normally (unless CBR is an anomaly?)

The times I’ve flown out of CBR with VA, they’ve been really quite strict with enforcing the priority lane, perhaps more so than other ports. They usually stop the general boarding line and wave the priority pax through.

If the pax had used the kiosks (I'm not sure if CBR VA has kiosks) to print her BP.

They don’t, just the traditional check-in desks. Online check-in maybe?

I wonder if the VA employee is even still employed with VA anymore, I think they went through most of their lay-offs and redundancies in the middle of last year?

Isn’t CBR an outsourced port for VA, or maybe I’m mistaken?

 

[jakeseven7]

In my experience, VA doesn't start boarding the normal boarding queue until after all priority queue members who presented themselves for boarding are done OR sufficient time has passed for the priority pax to board and a call is made for all remaining pax to board.

Exactly which is why it is so bizarre the Senator was apparently left for 7 minutes in the premium lane before moving to the other lane then the security incident occured.

Something odd definitely went down.

 

[Franky]

Exactly which is why it is so bizarre the Senator was apparently left for 7 minutes in the premium lane before moving to the other lane then the security incident occured.

Something odd definitely went down.

Is there some confusion with her bags? She had called it her handbag, but perhaps it was her carry-on bag if there was so much stuff in it. Either way, there seems to be more than meets the eye...

 

[RooFlyer]

Exactly which is why it is so bizarre the Senator was apparently left for 7 minutes in the premium lane before moving to the other lane then the security incident occured.

Something odd definitely went down.

The Senator claims she was left for 7 minutes …

 

[jakeseven7]

Is there some confusion with her bags? She had called it her handbag, but perhaps it was her carry-on bag if there was so much stuff in it. Either way, there seems to be more than meets the eye...

I’ve seen Jetstar weigh handbags before.

I’ve seen Virgin weigh larger carry on bags many times.

But not handbags.

 

[Danger]

Priority passengers in the priority lane being ignored could be any number of airlines. Lucky she wasn't using the Qantas "priority boarding" lane.

A parliamentary iPad. Not just an ipad but a special parliamentary ipad

And what is anyone carrying in their handbag if its overweight after taking out ipad, water bottle, multiple phones and a jacket. Sounds like she packs like my husband and had the kitchen sink in there.

That's what got me. Apple must specially produce this version. I'm never seen a "parliamentary iPad" at the Apple Store. Did she have to remove her parliamentary pen and parliamentary tissues too?

 

[RooFlyer]

That's what got me. Apple must specially produce this version. I'm never seen a "parliamentary iPad" at the Apple Store. Did she have to remove her parliamentary pen and parliamentary tissues too?

I dare say it has security features installed by the Parliament IT mob.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Funny how all these hit jobs seem to be coming out/being posted at the moment. Useful distraction for Qantas, a cynic might say.

 

[jb747]

Surely they have to check if passengers are members of human race. It’s probably difficult to tell sometimes.

 

[jakeseven7]

Surely they have to check if passengers are members of human race. It’s probably difficult to tell sometimes.

Full body scanners at gates that can also weigh hand bags?

 

[NM]

The Senator claims she was left for 7 minutes …

And I can only assume she was not the only person in that queue. I wonder how many premium customers were impacted by this 7 min delay to priority queue boarding? Given it was CBR, I expect she was not the only status member to be using that queue.

 

[drron]

The Senator does have a history of opening her mouth and then having to apologise. Once even suggested the NT AG was a white male when in fact the NT AG was an indigenous woman.
Just might have something to do with this incident.