This Scrappleface post is probably more truth than satire. With recent reports of more potential airline hijackings by al-Qaeda, it’s helpful to note that the old attitude about hijackings is no longer the dominant one.
Before, it was assumed that if passengers just stayed put they would eventually be released.
Now, the assumption is more likely to be that the hijackers are going to use the aircraft as flying weapons of mass destruction.
If an al-Qaeda agent were to try to take over a plane now, they’d have to kill everyone on the flight able to fight back – something that isn’t very likely. People aren’t going to be passive anymore, they’re going to do anything they can to prevent their flight from being used as weapon. The spirit of Flight 93 lives on.
Of course, the passengers probably shouldn’t count on air marshalls to protect them. Why the FAA and the DHS are still dragging their feet on arming pilots is beyond me. One would think that a group of people who are predominantly ex-military and are entrusted with a multi-million dollar aircraft with enough fuel to take down a building would be responsible enough to carry a sidarm. Then again, the federal government was never known for its common sense.
