Qatari Diplomat's Midair Scare Cost Taxpayers Thousands

Cough it up, Qatar.

The U.S. military dispatched two F-16s Wednesday night to escort a United Airlines flight to Denver after a Qatari diplomat joked that he had lit his shoe on fire after he smoked a cigarette in the plane's bathroom. FBI investigators rushed to the scene to interview witnesses. The pilot and crew, meanwhile, waited on the tarmac an extra hour.

You think that's cheap?

Sure, there was no real threat, and the diplomat was just joking. But the blogosphere was on fire, so to speak, on Thursday with calls  for the Qatari government to reimburse Uncle Sam for the money it cost the federal government to respond. Even a U.S. congressman said that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"A lot of people kicked into action last night based on a perceived threat," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., ranking Republican on the House intelligence committee. "I don't think it's unreasonable" to ask Qatar for the money.

Responding to midair security threats is a multi-agency ordeal that can cost thousands, even tens of thousands, of dollars. This particular incident wouldn't have cost United Airlines much, because the flight did not have to divert to another city, meaning the airline didn't have to take on the expense of sending another plane or lodging passengers in hotels.

But law enforcement still had to respond, and the two F-16s -- which according to the U.S. military cost $7,569 apiece for every hour in the air -- still had to leave base to escort the flight and return.

That's a $15,000 tab if you count the full hour. A military official said the jets were in the air for about 40 minutes total, so the bare minimum cost would be about $10,000.

It would have been much more if the North American Aerospace Defense Command didn't happen to have a base so close by. The two fighter jets came from Buckley Air Force Base, which is just a few miles from the Denver airport where the F-16s landed safely with the United Airlines flight.

David A. Castelveter, a spokesman with the Air Transport Association, said the typical cost to airlines is "pretty sizable" as well whenever there's a security incident.

But Castelveter said the Wednesday night incident might not be quite so costly since the flight did not have to divert. He said the airline could incur "marginal" expenses like providing meal costs or discounts for future travel to those on board.

United Airlines could not be reached for comment.

The diplomat, Mohammed Al-Madadi, has been widely criticized for his behavior on the flight, though he was released from custody and is not expected to face charges. Hoekstra said that while it's not "unreasonable" for Qatar to reimburse the money, the United States needs to be careful not to create an "international incident" either.

The State Department seems to be trying to deal with the incident briskly. A State official said Thursday that he will probably be sent back to Qatar very soon.