Interesting aside!
First time I've read this thread about laser pointers affecting air crew. In my past, I have studied astronomy and there is, rightly or wrongly, a growing trend amongst both amateur and professional astronomers to use laser pointers as an aid to point telescopes at targets in the sky and also to measure stability in the atmosphere.
Just thought it worth pointing out that they may not all be mindless thugs trying to bring us down but instead, unaware of the danger they are causing.
For what its worth, I'm doing my best to bring this danger to the attention of the astronomy community.
Mark.