Narrative:

It is very important to carefully consider what transpired during the final boarding and taxi out of this flight. There was a deliberated effort to withhold information pertaining to the safety and security of this flight from the captain. Five minutes prior to departure the agent came up and said he was ready to close the door -- however he had one passenger who ran back to duty free for a lost article . He indicated he intended on waiting on the last passenger. The forward door went closed and I called for a push. Than the jet bridge came back and the forward door was opened and closed again. We committed that it must have been the last passenger. The premium came up and gave us a cabin ok. And we continued. During taxi I received a voice message from mex ground control. 'After your takeoff contact your company for a message.' I chose to call immediately and inquire. The initial response was 'oh. It's not that important -- I wanted you after takeoff to look for a black carry on bag under seat xx. The passenger got off at the last minute. Would you deliver it to someone in mia?' I relayed the information to the captain and he called the premium to go look for the bag and bring it to the cockpit. I called operations and ask clearly 'did the passenger have any checked bags?' the answer from operations was 'no he does not have any checked bags.' I had to ask myself -- who would travel from mexico city to miami with a carry on and no checked baggage. I gave the information to the captain and he called operations and told them he would not take or deliver the carry on bag. Operations then decided to bring the plane back to the gate and board the passenger. And so we did. When the passenger arrived at the plane the captain wanted to talk to him and get the story. The passenger said he lost an article, which he then had, in duty free and ran back out to get it. When he returned to the gate the door was shut. Then the captain asked him if he had any checked baggage. He said he had two checked bags and his carry on. I would like to point out two obvious problems. First, a complete breach of security. Secondly, there was a concerted effort to withhold vital information about a security breach from the captain until after takeoff. Additionally, we were given false information about the checked baggage. What concerns me the most is the absences of honesty from our security personnel in mex. Without their integrity our security is completely ineffective. Does a security delay effect station performance. Based on my experience, I don't think this is an isolated event. It would be short sighted to correct this problem at the agent level. It is my observation that the pressure for station performance outweighs security and safety. Callback conversation with the reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that the people involved are company employees. There is a general lack of understanding of the importance or motivation to address the crew's security concerns.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR LEAVES GATE WITHOUT A PAX WHO LEFT BAG ON BOARD IN A FOREIGN OPERATION. CREW BECOMES CONCERNED THAT THE FALSE INFO WAS GIVEN TO THE CREW RELATIVE TO THE PAX AND HIS BAGGAGE. A SECURTY ISSUE.

Narrative: IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CAREFULLY CONSIDER WHAT TRANSPIRED DURING THE FINAL BOARDING AND TAXI OUT OF THIS FLT. THERE WAS A DELIBERATED EFFORT TO WITHHOLD INFO PERTAINING TO THE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF THIS FLT FROM THE CAPT. FIVE MINUTES PRIOR TO DEP THE AGENT CAME UP AND SAID HE WAS READY TO CLOSE THE DOOR -- HOWEVER HE HAD ONE PAX WHO RAN BACK TO DUTY FREE FOR A LOST ARTICLE . HE INDICATED HE INTENDED ON WAITING ON THE LAST PAX. THE FORWARD DOOR WENT CLOSED AND I CALLED FOR A PUSH. THAN THE JET BRIDGE CAME BACK AND THE FORWARD DOOR WAS OPENED AND CLOSED AGAIN. WE COMMITTED THAT IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE LAST PAX. THE PREMIUM CAME UP AND GAVE US A CABIN OK. AND WE CONTINUED. DURING TAXI I RECEIVED A VOICE MESSAGE FROM MEX GND CONTROL. 'AFTER YOUR TKOF CONTACT YOUR COMPANY FOR A MESSAGE.' I CHOSE TO CALL IMMEDIATELY AND INQUIRE. THE INITIAL RESPONSE WAS 'OH. IT'S NOT THAT IMPORTANT -- I WANTED YOU AFTER TKOF TO LOOK FOR A BLACK CARRY ON BAG UNDER SEAT XX. THE PAX GOT OFF AT THE LAST MINUTE. WOULD YOU DELIVER IT TO SOMEONE IN MIA?' I RELAYED THE INFO TO THE CAPT AND HE CALLED THE PREMIUM TO GO LOOK FOR THE BAG AND BRING IT TO THE COCKPIT. I CALLED OPS AND ASK CLEARLY 'DID THE PAX HAVE ANY CHECKED BAGS?' THE ANSWER FROM OPERATIONS WAS 'NO HE DOES NOT HAVE ANY CHECKED BAGS.' I HAD TO ASK MYSELF -- WHO WOULD TRAVEL FROM MEXICO CITY TO MIAMI WITH A CARRY ON AND NO CHECKED BAGGAGE. I GAVE THE INFORMATION TO THE CAPTAIN AND HE CALLED OPS AND TOLD THEM HE WOULD NOT TAKE OR DELIVER THE CARRY ON BAG. OPERATIONS THEN DECIDED TO BRING THE PLANE BACK TO THE GATE AND BOARD THE PAX. AND SO WE DID. WHEN THE PAX ARRIVED AT THE PLANE THE CAPT WANTED TO TALK TO HIM AND GET THE STORY. THE PAX SAID HE LOST AN ARTICLE, WHICH HE THEN HAD, IN DUTY FREE AND RAN BACK OUT TO GET IT. WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE GATE THE DOOR WAS SHUT. THEN THE CAPT ASKED HIM IF HE HAD ANY CHECKED BAGGAGE. HE SAID HE HAD TWO CHECKED BAGS AND HIS CARRY ON. I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT TWO OBVIOUS PROBS. FIRST, A COMPLETE BREACH OF SECURITY. SECONDLY, THERE WAS A CONCERTED EFFORT TO WITHHOLD VITAL INFORMATION ABOUT A SECURITY BREACH FROM THE CAPT UNTIL AFTER TKOF. ADDITIONALLY, WE WERE GIVEN FALSE INFO ABOUT THE CHECKED BAGGAGE. WHAT CONCERNS ME THE MOST IS THE ABSENCES OF HONESTY FROM OUR SECURITY PERSONNEL IN MEX. WITHOUT THEIR INTEGRITY OUR SECURITY IS COMPLETELY INEFFECTIVE. DOES A SECURITY DELAY EFFECT STATION PERFORMANCE. BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE, I DON'T THINK THIS IS AN ISOLATED EVENT. IT WOULD BE SHORT SIGHTED TO CORRECT THIS PROB AT THE AGENT LEVEL. IT IS MY OBSERVATION THAT THE PRESSURE FOR STATION PERFORMANCE OUTWEIGHS SECURITY AND SAFETY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE PEOPLE INVOLVED ARE COMPANY EMPLOYEES. THERE IS A GENERAL LACK OF UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPORTANCE OR MOTIVATION TO ADDRESS THE CREW'S SECURITY CONCERNS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.