BA Will Refuse to Fly with Armed Guards

[kskiska]

Controversial plans to put armed guards on British passenger planes were in disarray last night after British Airways effectively refused to fly with them aboard because it would mean there was a 'significant threat' to passengers.

An internal BA memo obtained by The Observer makes clear that executives are deep-seatedly opposed to the scheme unveiled by the Government last week as a vital new step to protect aircraft against hijackers.

The memo - sent on Friday from Mike Street, BA's operations director - said the airline 'would not operate a single flight unless we were satisfied totally that it was safe to do so'. The sky marshals will be deployed only on flights where there has been a specific warning, prompting some pilots to voice concerns about security that a guard may be unable to prevent.

He added: 'If there is security information about a particular flight that gives us cause for concern, then we will not operate that flight. That remains our policy regardless of the Government's capability to deploy armed police officers.'

more…
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/waronterrorism/story/0,1373,1115929,00.html

[madrchsod]

1. hmmmm

did the brits just tell the kids in the usa to shove it? so now is the usa going to refuse british airways landing rights? i don`t think so. i think the rest of the world has had it with the bush administration

[Brian_Expat]

2. Makes you wonder. . .

How secure are OUR flights if we "need" sky marshals?

Remember that Ashcroft skipped out on flights a few months before 9/11. No warning to the public was ever issued. Could it be that the US "need" them more than BA because US airlines wouldn't stop a flight that might be unsafe? :scared:

[ithacan]

3. excellent

the Brits and others should not give in to the bullying, thuggery and deceit of the Bushies.

This kind of thing is important because if reported (okay, big if), it shows americans that the "fear" is being hyped for political purposes by Bush.

[Powerlock]

4. Would YOU want to fly with armed guards?

Imagine if the bullet breached a window in mid flight. Everyone would be pretty much guaranteed dead.

[pnorman]

6. "Imagine if the bullet breached a window in mid flight"

That's the part that I thought would be a clincher in the discussion about "Armed Guards". But recently I came across an article that said they would be equipped with "reduced load bullets that can't pierce the skin of a plane". (I would expect the windows to be a lot more impact-resistant than the skin).

At this point, some expert opinions about bullet loads and aircraft construction would be in order. For myself, I'm a long way from being satisfied with that "explanation".


pnorman
STAND UP, KEEP FIGHTING http://shows.implex.tv/wellstone/

[AnnabelLee]

5. Does Blair have the power to mandate to BA?

If not, I wouldn't put it past bushco to take down a BA jet. It would show BA who's boss, & add to the general miasma of fear that bushco wants to perpetuate.