Stallturn, I really can't believe this:
<This is the most idiotic suggestion I've ever heard. Previously, I felt it was the restriction on jumpseats, but this takes first prize! I dont want to share an aircraft with a gunman, whoever pays his salary! There is NO ROOM for guns on passenger carrying aircraft>
Some of the comments in this thread seem to be detached from reality and recent history. The point about Air Marshalls is nobody will know if there are none, one, or two on board. Anything you put in place to thwart such a hijacking will help you. The uncertainty will help. I would rather have shooting in the cabin than my planeload of 400 passengers commanded with not much resistance when the flight deck gets invaded whilst coffee is being delivered! Then we will be 400 dead people (plus more on the target)!
El Al have a long history of Air Marshalls satisfactorily concluding hijack attempts when their profiling has otherwise failed to prevent the individuals boarding. Once they are on, getting through a locked door is not difficult. On one day, 4 out of 4 attempts succeeded with loss of all onboard (and some 2500 not on board). Wake up, the world has changed! How many flights with Air Marshalls on board that have been interfered with have ended up worse as a result of the Air Marshalls being aboard? Zero. How many flights interfered with with Air Marshalls aboard have ended up better as a result of their presence- all of them as far as I am aware. Profiling cannot stop dedicated long term terrorists. Weapons can be fabricated. Getting through flight deck door security is not difficult. Once through that door you have an aeroplane of dead people- the pilots have certainly been denuded of everything with which to defend themselves (even nail clippers) as a last resort. What possible justification can there be for not having Air Marshalls. Don't think of what you think the problems may be . Thing instead of the record of success of Air Marshalls.
Let's face it, a small terrorist group had incredible success on a one shot operation. That they haven't succeeded again is because they haven't tried again. I reckon I could succeed against any airline except El Al because of their security. We need to understand why and appreciate the lesson. Trouble is, there are far too many 'shoot from the hip' uninformed opinions in Pprune about any subject under the sun, and frankly looking at some of the profiles of the people volubly expressing opinions in this thread, they know nowt about zilch and would be better off letting the experts handle a very difficult security situation in the way they know better!
Last edited by Notso Fantastic; 22nd Dec 2002 at 12:57.