There are countless smartphone apps that can get you to the airport on time and then there’s the old-fashioned analog method of just checking your watch. But quite possibly the worst way to ensure that your departure flight won’t leave without you is to call in a bomb threat to the airport. That’s what a tremendously misguided man in France did, allegedly phoning in a threat to the Bordeaux-Merignac regional airport, all because his girlfriend thought that she was running late.
When he called the airport authorities, the 33-year-old suspect went with the unmistakably direct option, saying only “There is a bomb.” According to AFP, parts of the airport were immediately closed and the armed forces were called to search the terminal. After a swift investigation – which found zero explosives – the caller was identified and arrested about 12 miles from the airport.
It seems like most people – even the dumb ones – would’ve figured out that neither airports nor the authorities take kindly to bomb jokes, but situations like this (and the German woman whopracticed her own bomb-themed comedy routine in a security line) still happen. Here’s a tip: STOP IT.
As for that terrible Bordeaux boyfriend, he has a newly scheduled court date and is facing a fine of up to €30,000 (around $33,000). There’s no word on whether he needs to find a new girlfriend.