[MR] What pilots are saying now

[Karen Setze]

As one of those who got stranded away from home last
week, I flew home Saturday, and heard a very different
speech from the pilot on the 757 I rode from Denver to
Dulles.

The pilot said current airport security had pretty
much eliminated hijackers having guns or automatic
weapons, that the weapons being used were knives (box
cutters and stone, ceramic, glass or plastic knife
equivalents) and threats of a bomb.

He said he no longer would allow anyone to take
control of the plane by claiming to have a bomb. "If
you have a bomb, don't bother to tell us," he said.
"My policy is, there are no bombs on this plane."

He also suggested that it should be difficult for a
few terrorists to make the other 200 passengers do
something they didn't want to. He said that if people
stood up to take over the plane, the rest of us should
throw things at them and the closest passengers should
rush them, using pillows and seat cushions as
protection, and throw blankets over them and
immobilize them. There was a pillow and blanket on
each seat.

The passengers applauded. At the end of the uneventful
flight, I heard one gentleman compliment the pilot on
his speech, saying "The airline should record it and
play it on every flight. I just want you to know I had
my pillow ready."

I did too. We all just wanted to get home.

Yseulte Trevelyn (mka Karen Setze, reporter home from
the road)

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