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BEIJING, Jan 10, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Qantas Airways Chairwoman Margaret Jackson says she was detained as a terrorist suspect and frisked in during a Los Angeles visit last year, a report said.
Jackson said a male security guard who searched her briefcase questioned why it contained detailed plans of new aircraft.
"And I said, 'I'm the chairman of an airline. I'm the chairman of Qantas,' Jackson said. "And this black guy, who was, like, 8 foot tall, said, 'But you're a woman,'" the Melbourne Herald reported.
Jackson said the check took about an hour. After proving her identity, Jackson wrote the security guard a note.
"I wrote, Dear Bill, this is from the chairman of Qantas, who is a woman.'" Jackson said.
The Qantas chairman told the tale in response to a Chinese journalist, who complained Australia's airport security measures are the toughest behind the United States.
Jackson was in Beijing to announce that Qantas was resuming flights between Australia and Beijing.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
