Posted on 01/01/2010 12:10:22 PM PST by opentalk
ATLANTA (AP) -- Delta Air Lines' chief is upset the 278 passengers and 11 crew members aboard Flight 253 were put at risk by a suspected terrorist despite the carrier's compliance with government security measures.
CEO Richard Anderson told employees in a recorded message Thursday that airlines have done everything the government has asked since 9/11 to follow advanced passenger notification requirements and heightened screening measures.
He said that should have brought a better result than the peril those aboard the Christmas flight from Amsterdam to Detroit faced. Delta will insist Washington do a better job.
"Having this occur again is disappointing to all of us," Anderson said. He added, "You can be certain we will make our points very clearly in Washington."
According to authorities, a Nigerian man who said he was an agent for al-Qaida tried and failed to blow up the Northwest Airlines flight as it prepared to land.
Delta owns Northwest.
Anderson said the crew aboard the flight will receive commendations from the airline next week "for their diligence and the work they did to make sure everybody got to Detroit safely." He did not elaborate. Delta is offering travel credits to the passengers on the flight.
The 23-year-old suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, arrived in Amsterdam on Dec. 25 from Lagos, Nigeria, on a KLM flight. Air France-KLM has a joint venture with Delta that involves sharing costs and revenue on trans-Atlantic flights.
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Interesting. Thanks for posting.
Wow. Takes a lot of guts to call out the government like this, when Obama owns both the FAA and the unions. Time to short DAL stock.
The airlines need to be granted full immunity from civil rights lawsuits for doing their own profiling and refusing to allow anyone they want from boarding any of their planes for any reason.
It wasn’t Delta that was asleep at the switch.
Hand baggage search and a metal scanner so perhaps the PETN was on his body already....but article says he assembled something in the bathroom...
Wonder what ?
No mention of a detonator...which would be metal.
So they can set off the bomb without a detonator?
Thanks E.
I think that says it all.
“Last spring, TSA began taking over responsibility of matching airline passenger lists to watch lists prior to domestic commercial flights taking off. That duty had been in the hands of individual airlines previously.”
Hmmm, but I think the military should be doing this. Most certainly the airlines themselves.
As a CEO, I would NEVER let Obama et al. be the last word on keeping MY airline safe. I bet if Delta (or whoever) let it be known that they were profiling passengers, their profits would double. Triple. We chose El Al for that same reason.
I don’t have a clue as to the recipe for PETN, the explosive reportedly used.
However, press reports indicate that it is was binary explosive. That is, mix two stable compounds together and they explode. The bomber mixed these by using a syringe to inject the first compound into a bag containing the second.
My guess is that he did not mix them fast enough, causing a small portion to ignite/explode. He was probably a bit tentative when he tried to depress the plunger of the syringe.
The terrorist was probably thinking, “If I blow apart my reproductive organs, then of what use will my 72 virgins be in Paradise? Platonic conversations? Feeding me peeled grapes? Do I REALLY want to do this?”
Unless they strip everyone naked, hit them with high pressure hoses, and then drug ‘em for the entire flight, there will never be a 100% foolproof security screening available. The key is to profile the most likely terrorist candidate (hint: it isn’t the little old Amish lady)
Whoa, the pay czar isn’t gonna like that statement.
Good question Ernest. It may turn out someone with access to the plane planted a detonator prior to the flight in some known crack or cranny in the toilet room or something.
I responded before I read the Marines suggestion. Sounds like there was no need for a detonator. Mix the two chemicals, ..... boom.
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