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Air travelers
from four commercial airline flights were among the victims in the
September 11, 2001 tragedies against the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon. These tragic events have made us all wonder, Is Air
Travel Safe? We recently asked a pilot with a major airline,
who wanted to remain anonymous, a series of questions. We
asked the same questions of a frequent traveler, as well as, the travelers
responses are denoted in purple.
The first
question we asked our pilot was related to the issue of pilots
bearing arms. We asked, "Should
pilots have guns in the cock pits?"
The pilot answer was
an emphatic "No."
The passenger
answered, "Whatever they need to do to keep me safe is alright
with me.
We probed
further, "Why?"
Pilot's response
was, "It would be a shame to have pilots in the air with the
potential of killing each other. If you get somebody in a
cockpit that is a little unbalanced, the potential to explode is too
great with a gun."
The traveler
responded, "If the pilot could kill a terrorist or some other
hijacker that is alright with me!"
We asked, "You
mean there are some unbalanced pilots?"
Pilot
responded, "No,
never! I am just considering all the possibilities."
We
moved on to another question, "Should
planes have reinforced doors?
Pilot
responded, "Yes,
that is a good idea. It would make it more difficult for
planes to be taken over by hijackers and terrorists."
The traveler
responded, "Planes should have reinforced everything. I
think the plane should be made out of whatever they made those black
boxes out of... they seem to survive. Hey and back to the other question, it would be okay to give the flight
attendant or two a gun."
What do you
think about federal marshals on the flights?
Pilot's response,
"That's a good idea. They are trained to use weaponry
correctly. I have recently had some on my routes and
everyone seemed a little calmer and more reassured knowing they were
on board. I seems to
be a good idea.
The traveler
responded, "The more the better. It would be nice to sit
them by all suspicious looking people."
Will air
travel be safe again?
Pilot's response, "What
is safe? It will be different."
The traveler
responded, "I hope so, but right now, I don't know."
Are you afraid
to fly?
Pilot's
response, "No."
Traveler's
response, "Yes, I don't plan to any time soon."
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