Bomb joke fiasco at Christchurch airport

A woman detained at Christchurch airport after joking about a bomb in her friend's luggage says airline security did not extend to the companion using the wrong boarding pass to catch their flight.

Fiona Walbridge claimed she was held for three hours.

She said she regretted making a comment about a bomb as she and Vera Huehn were returning to Auckland from skiing in Queenstown on August 7.

At check-in, Mrs Huehn was asked the usual question about lighters, matches or flammable items in her luggage.

"Of course my friend said, 'no'," said Miss Walbridge.

"[But] being one to always crack a joke, I said, 'You forgot to tell her about the bomb'."

An airline supervisor was called and Miss Walbridge said their boarding passes were confiscated.

"The police arrived and asked me all the usual questions and, once they checked out my background, advised me not to use the word 'bomb' again."

Following the interview, Mrs Huehn was given a boarding pass and allowed to leave.

But after taking her seat she realised she had her friend's boarding pass and alerted the crew.

Mrs Huehn said she was taken off the plane so crew could check her story. They used a pen to change the seat number and let her back on the flight.

"From a security perspective, they were so picky with [Miss Walbridge]. 'First of all, why didn't they search her or my luggage? Then they would let me travel with a different person's boarding pass?"

She said Miss Walbridge was in tears after being made to stand outside the supervisor's office in front of passengers checking in.

Three hours after arriving at the airport she was cleared to fly and paid $255 for a new ticket.

Rob Fyfe, Air New Zealand general manager airlines, said Miss Walbridge was dealt with in line with operational procedure.

It was common practice, where a passenger might pose a security threat, for crew to know where the person was seated.

The captain of her new flight had to confirm he would take Miss Walbridge and Mr Fyfe said she chose to stay at the counter until the confirmation.

"We find it amazing in this day and age, particularly in the aftermath of September 11, that we still have rare occasions where a customer thinks it is humorous to make jokes about bombs. When these occasions do occur, we make no apology for taking them extremely seriously."

Airport jokes can prove costly

* May 2004: A Poverty Bay man who told Hamilton Airport staff he had a bomb in his bag as a joke was not allowed on his flight. Airport security searched the 61-year-old's bag and police gave him a written warning.

* September 2000: A Wellington man who sparked a bomb scare at Auckland Airport when boarding an Air New Zealand flight was ordered to pay the airline $1000 for causing a half-hour delay. Hayim Nachum, aged 42, told the flight attendant: "My friend has a bomb in his bag."

* Under tough new aviation security legislation in Australia, jokes about bombs can result in fines of up to A$5500 ($5946) for even the most offhand one-liner.