Interesting flight.

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I arrived at my gate (IAH) one hour before boarding for Cleveland today
(Wed). The plane was at the gate.

About 45 minutes before boarding time, two pilots, and three FA's
boarded. (Seemed a little early, but not unusual.) About 30 minutes
before, five more FA's and three more pilots boarded. (Not unusual)
About five minutes later, two men with scruffy clothes and beat up
backpacks boarded. (Unusual).

I looked out the window to see 2 police cars next to the plane. About
15 min. before boarding time, an armoured truck backed up to the
baggage hatch of the plane. The cops got out of the cars, and stood
there with holsters unsnapped, and hands on their guns. They never
moved from their spots.

We then boarded on time. FA's closed the cabin door. Two guards
opened the truck and loaded about 50 cases onto the plane. Cases were
about 24" x 36" x 6" and wrapped in blue plastic. One guy in a suit
counted and marked the cases as they were loaded. When loading was
finished, baggage was loaded, and the hatch closed. The main cabin
door was then reopened, the guy who counted the cases boarded the
plane, and the door was closed again.

We pushed back with the two police cars on each side and then taxied
past half a dozen planes to the runway and took off immediately.

The flight was uneventful, but I wondered - Are we safer?, or is a big
red bullseye painted on the side of the plane?

Jim Davis wrote:
> I looked out the window to see 2 police cars next to the plane. About
> 15 min. before boarding time, an armoured truck backed up to the
> baggage hatch of the plane. The cops got out of the cars, and stood
> there with holsters unsnapped, and hands on their guns. They never
> moved from their spots.

Most likely aircraft transporting new currency to various distribution
points. (or old currency being sent to its destruction site). This
requires lots of security to ensure no single employee can steam any of it.


This is not common but not unusual either. I have seen this done in
Canada too, although with perhaps less drama with regards to passenger
boarding process.

"nobody" <nobody@nobody.org> wrote in message
news:44FF4EF6.77C16262@nobody.org...
> Jim Davis wrote:
>> I looked out the window to see 2 police cars next to the plane. About
>> 15 min. before boarding time, an armoured truck backed up to the
>> baggage hatch of the plane. The cops got out of the cars, and stood
>> there with holsters unsnapped, and hands on their guns. They never
>> moved from their spots.
>
> Most likely aircraft transporting new currency to various distribution
> points. (or old currency being sent to its destruction site). This
> requires lots of security to ensure no single employee can steam any of
> it.
>
>
> This is not common but not unusual either. I have seen this done in
> Canada too, although with perhaps less drama with regards to passenger
> boarding process.
I am pretty sure cash is never transported in this way.

"Mike" <gouigoui@> wrote in message
news:CuILg.33828$ED.29409@read2.cgocable.net...
>
> "nobody" <nobody@nobody.org> wrote in message
> news:44FF4EF6.77C16262@nobody.org...
>> Jim Davis wrote:
>>> I looked out the window to see 2 police cars next to the plane. About
>>> 15 min. before boarding time, an armoured truck backed up to the
>>> baggage hatch of the plane. The cops got out of the cars, and stood
>>> there with holsters unsnapped, and hands on their guns. They never
>>> moved from their spots.
>>
>> Most likely aircraft transporting new currency to various distribution
>> points. (or old currency being sent to its destruction site). This
>> requires lots of security to ensure no single employee can steam any of
>> it.
>>
>>
>> This is not common but not unusual either. I have seen this done in
>> Canada too, although with perhaps less drama with regards to passenger
>> boarding process.
> I am pretty sure cash is never transported in this way.
Since much currency is printed at the plant in Fort Worth, it's far more
likely to be hauled out of Alliance or DFW.

The destination of the flight was not mentioned. That would provide a big
clue.

TMO

"Mike" <gouigoui@> wrote in message
news:CuILg.33828$ED.29409@read2.cgocable.net...
>
> "nobody" <nobody@nobody.org> wrote in message
> news:44FF4EF6.77C16262@nobody.org...
>> Jim Davis wrote:
>>> I looked out the window to see 2 police cars next to the plane. About
>>> 15 min. before boarding time, an armoured truck backed up to the
>>> baggage hatch of the plane. The cops got out of the cars, and stood
>>> there with holsters unsnapped, and hands on their guns. They never
>>> moved from their spots.
>>
>> Most likely aircraft transporting new currency to various distribution
>> points. (or old currency being sent to its destruction site). This
>> requires lots of security to ensure no single employee can steam any of
>> it.
>>
>>
>> This is not common but not unusual either. I have seen this done in
>> Canada too, although with perhaps less drama with regards to passenger
>> boarding process.
> I am pretty sure cash is never transported in this way.
>
Having seen it was Cleveland, I retract my last. No telling what it
was....who would want to ship to Cleveland?

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Mike wrote:

> I am pretty sure cash is never transported in this way.

I would tend to think so too. If it were cash, you would think a
private plane would be involved. I can't imagine what it would be, but
I wasn't about to ask.

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TOliver wrote:
> "Mike" <gouigoui@> wrote in message
> news:CuILg.33828$ED.29409@read2.cgocable.net...
> >
> > "nobody" <nobody@nobody.org> wrote in message
> > news:44FF4EF6.77C16262@nobody.org...
> >> Jim Davis wrote:
> >>> I looked out the window to see 2 police cars next to the plane. About
> >>> 15 min. before boarding time, an armoured truck backed up to the
> >>> baggage hatch of the plane. The cops got out of the cars, and stood
> >>> there with holsters unsnapped, and hands on their guns. They never
> >>> moved from their spots.
> >>
> >> Most likely aircraft transporting new currency to various distribution
> >> points. (or old currency being sent to its destruction site). This
> >> requires lots of security to ensure no single employee can steam any of
> >> it.
> >>
> >>
> >> This is not common but not unusual either. I have seen this done in
> >> Canada too, although with perhaps less drama with regards to passenger
> >> boarding process.
> > I am pretty sure cash is never transported in this way.
> >
> Having seen it was Cleveland, I retract my last. No telling what it
> was....who would want to ship to Cleveland?

It was CO1544 - IAH to Cleveland. When we arrived, they opened the
door and I got off. I have no idea what happened next.(in fact, I
forgot to peek out the window when we got to the gate.)

Mike wrote:
> I am pretty sure cash is never transported in this way.

And why not ?

When new coins/paper are issued, they need to be in a coordinated
distribution to major centres so that thety can be released to "the
public" nationwide at the same time. This is especially true for special
coins that are distributed for a limited time.

My experience was for an Ottawa-Calgary flight. Ottawa is home of the
Canadian Mint where coins are made. (paper is done at Winnipeg). So
Ottawa-Calgary makes sense.

For the OP, it would depend on whether he was travelling from a US Mint
location, or perhaps TO a US Mint location (to have old money destroyed).

In article <edo7o8$c53$1@xuxa.iecc.com>, John L <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>>For the OP, it would depend on whether he was travelling from a US
>>Mint location, or perhaps TO a US Mint location (to have old money
>>destroyed).
>
> In the US, ... Circulating coins are made at the US Mint in
> Philadelphia and San Francisco. (Proof and bullion coins are made at
> West Point NY and San Francisco.)

That list of circulating coins' mint should probably also include Denver.

Incidentally, the West Point facility made some regular coinage without
a mint mark, for a while.

-Dak

Jim Davis wrote:
> The flight was uneventful, but I wondered - Are we safer?, or is a big
> red bullseye painted on the side of the plane?

Dope or diamonds.

-L.