Did the airlines bend the rules for JK Rowling?
From Headline News:
Harry Potter creator JK Rowling became one of the few passengers to be exempted from the anti-terror rules in the US, by being allowed to take the manuscript of the seventh and final book as hand luggage.
Hand luggage is banned for passengers flying from the States. The Daily Record reports that Rowling was so scared about the manuscript getting lost or stolen if she let it out of her sight, that she begged security officials to let her take it with her.
"The heightened security restrictions on the airlines made the journey back from New York interesting as I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven. A large part of it is handwritten and there was no copy of anything I had done while in the US," she is quoted as saying.
Pressed by Rowling, the security personnel in New York finally agreed to let her carry the manuscript along after it was bound up in elastic bands.
"They let me take it on thankfully, bound up in elastic bands," she said.
When asked what she would have done if they had not allowed her to carry the manuscript as hand luggage, Rowling revealed that she would then have sailed back to the UK.
"I don’t know what I would have done if they hadn’t - sailed home probably," she added.
You know, I blogged about this yesterday and something seemed off about it then; I know she’s an author and one of my favorite authors at that, but…..
Tags: jk rowling, harry potter, homeland security
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2 opinions for Did the airlines bend the rules for JK Rowling?
Karine
Sep 25, 2006 at 09:01
Hand luggage is banned for passengers flying from the States? since when? I flew through London just a few days ago, and hand baggage, while it had to be smaller, was still allowed.
Also, passengers flying business and 1st class are usually allowed to carry more on board.
I don’t think airlines bend the rules for JK Rowling - after all, it’s just paper, and as such, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t be allowed on a plane. It poses no risk whatsoever.
If anything, I’m amazed that JK Rowling does not hire her own planes, where security would be a lot easier on her. Cheers for staying down to earth, I say!
Stacy
Feb 26, 2008 at 12:26
I agree with the other comment but i am just glad that they let her. It would have been HORID if she had it stolen from her.
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