British Airways to accept armed sky marshals

Australian Broadcasting Company ^ | January 13 2004 | AFP

[knighthawk]

The chief executive of British Airways says his airline will accept the presence of armed sky marshals on its flights, but he has also condemned the "needless bureaucracy" involved in some US security checks.

The comments by BA chief executive Rod Eddington, in an article published in the Financial Times, follow earlier reports that the British flag carrier would rather cancel flights than be forced to accept guns on its planes.

Mr Eddington also acknowledged that security alerts which caused a series of BA flights to the United States and the Middle East to be cancelled or delayed this month were necessary in the era of global terrorism.

However he hit out at the amount of red tape involved, saying that 22 different security agencies had queued up to check BA's passenger lists for one much-delayed service to Washington.

Mr Eddington began by saying his initial position on armed marshals was that "guns and planes don't mix".

"However, I accept that in the current climate, an armed police officer correctly deployed on board a particular flight might have a place in aviation security," he wrote.

"Our position at British Airways is that if indeed security on a particular flight could be enhanced by the onboard presence of an armed police officer, we would be happy to accept that fact."

Any deal to allow guns onto BA flights would have to meet "exacting criteria", Mr Eddington added.

However the BA boss tempered his conciliatory position by criticising the bureaucracy involved in security checks which saw one service from London to Washington cancelled twice and delayed a series of other times this month.

Mr Eddington said he was "a fan of vigilance", and that BA customers expected nothing less.

"But I am not a fan of needless bureaucracy. Last week's delays were due, in part, to the fact that a total of 22 different agencies claimed a reason to check one passenger list," he said.

"Without diminishing the thoroughness of the checks in any way, we are now working with the US government to streamline this process for the future without compromising its thoroughness."

He also noted that the current state of alert involved "a mixture of the serious and surreal".

In October 2002, he wrote, two RAF fighter jets were scrambled to escort a flight arriving from Baltimore after passengers panicked after hearing two men discussing something they had been planning for six months, adding: "Let's do it now".

"In fact, the two men were a father and son from the USA debating the merits of a family reunion with a long-lost aunt in England," Mr Eddington wrote.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[Peach]

Well, well, well. The British grew up.

[WaterDragon]

The Brit pilots really didn't have a choice. Hard to imagine their airlines surviving if not allowed to fly into the U.S.