Sky Marshalls

[Shane B]

My first thread.

On flights from SYD to LAX and return, I've had a game with myself of scanning the pax milling about the gate waiting to board to see if I can pick who might be the Sky Marshall(s).

Often I've thought the pax next to me has been one of them due to travelling light, no alcohol etc. Then wonder if they would be in Y, J or scattered at front, back etc.

I recall hearing that only the Captain knows who they are and where they are seated on he flight.

 

[bigjobs]

Get that chick from Bridesmaids the movie to find out ...

 

[flyingfan]

I recall seeing a movie (can't remember the name) where the agent is prominently identified as "AIR MARSHAL" on the manifest and promptly eliminated when the baddies go to do their stuff. Pretty sure it doesn't work like that in real life.

Pity, all those SCs and they probably don't get to go near the lounge...

 

[Shelf]

I'd be surprised if any of the crew were informed about a marshall being onboard.

 

[toowongman]

My first thread.

On flights from SYD to LAX and return, I've had a game with myself of scanning the pax milling about the gate waiting to board to see if I can pick who might be the Sky Marshall(s).

Easy. Start banging on the coughpit door about half an hour from arriving at LAX - then you'll find out who they are.

 

[Reggie]

Easy. Start banging on the coughpit door about half an hour from arriving at LAX - then you'll find out who they are.

Great way / laugh to start a Sunday

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I recall seeing a movie (can't remember the name) where the agent is prominently identified as "AIR MARSHAL" on the manifest and promptly eliminated when the baddies go to do their stuff. Pretty sure it doesn't work like that in real life.

Pity, all those SCs and they probably don't get to go near the lounge...

I put that theory into the same basket as Bruce Willis in Die Hard blowing up a 747 with a zippo lighter ie pure Hollywood or Amercian BS.

 

[Hvr]

Easy. Start banging on the coughpit door about half an hour from arriving at LAX - then you'll find out who they are.

Don't even have to bang on the coughpit door, just try going to the toilet in first class when the pilot wants to.

I found it amazing the lengths they went to including putting food carts across the aisle, standing guard and making sure everybody was sitting down in the first class cabin and then notifying the flight deck that it was ok to emerge.

Compare this to CX when I was second in line for the toilet (flying HKG-YVR) in first class and the first officer (first in line) was waiting his turn. He offered to wait for me and I laughed and said it was more important he went and returned to his seat than it was for me to get to mine. He thought this was quite funny and we waited our turn.

No fuss or bother.

 

[milehighclub]

I believe only the captain knows.

To be honest I think the whole program is a waste of time and money. Anyone crazy enough today to try and enter the flight deck would be bombarded by fellow passengers and crew, as would have been the case before the introduction of the program. I don't take any comfort knowing that the program exists. I rely on my own vigilance along with the rest of the crew to ensure the security of the cabin. Passengers are also not afraid to speak up anymore. You only need to read the threads on here about electronics devices to see that passengers today are happy to enforce the rules when the crew are not present. If a passenger is acting strange, I'm pretty confident a passenger will bring it to the attention of the crew (and have seen it happen personally on a flight).

Proper crew training along with passengers are your best defence against an attack on the aircraft since there is no way you could predict which flight is going to be under attack (and they are not on every flight either). On 9/11 there were only 33 active to protect about 35,000 flights planned for the day.

My understanding is that the first reaction of an air marshall if on board is to do nothing anyway. The situation could be a decoy to try and have the air marshall be identified. The other part of the group watch to see who stands up then they can go attack the air marshall rendering them useless.

An average figure shows they have arrested 4.2 passenger per year in the US. In a USA Today article from about 4 years ago, it mentions that more air marshalls have been arrested than they themselves have arrested because of drugs, misconduct, aiding a human trafficking ring to even smuggling explosives from Afghanistan.

I know in Australia the rules have been relaxed to a more common sense approach, which you all discussed when the curtains were able to be drawn again on domestic flights.

 

[Ewing]

I recall seeing a movie (can't remember the name) where the agent is prominently identified as "AIR MARSHAL" on the manifest and promptly eliminated when the baddies go to do their stuff. Pretty sure it doesn't work like that in real life.

I'm thinking Passenger 57 or Executive Decision.

Actually maybe not the latter as I seem to recall the flight attendant played by Halle Berry taking the manifest and hiding it so that the "baddie" couldn't find out where the marshall was sitting

If it wasn't such a gorgeous day outside I'd almost be tempted to have a bad hijack movie marathon and find out!

I found it amazing the lengths they went to including putting food carts across the aisle, standing guard and making sure everybody was sitting down in the first class cabin and then notifying the flight deck that it was ok to emerge.

Same as on domestic flights in the US.

I find the entire spectacle quite amusing.

 

[toowongman]

At the end of the day - you can get weapons of any type onboard an aircraft (as long as it fits in carry-on) with some time and investment - in countries that don't x-ray at the gate.

 

[Hvr]

Same as on domestic flights in the US.

I find the entire spectacle quite amusing.

That's where I saw it as well.

 

[Peabody]

At the end of the day - you can get weapons of any type onboard an aircraft (as long as it fits in carry-on) with some time and investment - in countries that don't x-ray at the gate.

Funny you should mention that. I flew routes exWGA fairly frequently in 2009 and was surprised at the lack of checks at the regional airport however upon arrival in MEL there was a security check before pax went in to the terminal (In SYD there was no check as PAX went straight through to arrivals from memory) on several occasions I saw people have swiss army knifes and such confiscated at the security check upon arrival. Potentially way too late!

 

[bigjobs]

lol .. as if Mr Terrorist is going to bother with getting on the plane and trying to take over the flight deck these days.

 

[Simo]

My first thread.

On flights from SYD to LAX and return, I've had a game with myself of scanning the pax milling about the gate waiting to board to see if I can pick who might be the Sky Marshall(s).

Often I've thought the pax next to me has been one of them due to travelling light, no alcohol etc. Then wonder if they would be in Y, J or scattered at front, back etc.

I recall hearing that only the Captain knows who they are and where they are seated on he flight.

My real question is what where you doing milling around at the gate.

Should have been using priority boarding.

IMHO I would have mainly thought air marshalls would be on mainly domestic flights as I didn't think Aust Govt supported air marshalls.

 

[Mal]

You can spot them on single aisle aircraft easy enough. Jumbos are a lot harder.

Personally i don't like the scheme and don't think it provides value for u.s carriers... But whatever makes people sleep better at night.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

 

[Happy Trails]

They're easy enough to pick on RJ. Crumpled suit, hanging around the front galley drinking coffee most of the time.

 

[Mal]

They're easy enough to pick on RJ. Crumpled suit, hanging around the front galley drinking coffee most of the time.

Na that could also describe most of the business men trying to pick up an fa. Lol.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

 

[MissBurrill]

One of my best mates was a Marshall. He loved the training but said the long haul flights get boring after a while. He returned to regular Policing. I'll say one thing he told me - they blend in.

 

[flyingfan]

One of my best mates was a Marshall. He loved the training but said the long haul flights get boring after a while. He returned to regular Policing. I'll say one thing he told me - they blend in.

And you wouldn't even be able to sleep, doze off or have your noise-cancelling headphones on while watching something on your iPad. It wouldn't be that glamorous a job.