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Cabin crew, passengers take down mid-air security threats
  • Three US airline security scares yesterday were brought to quick ends by crewmembers and passengers on high alert after the death of Osama bin Laden, according to reports from aviation specialists.

    "What happened suggests that folks within the airline and aviation community may be worried more than usual because of bin Laden and heightened security," Richard Bloom, director of terrorism, intelligence and security studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, said in an interview.

    Bin Laden, the instigator of the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, was killed on May 2 when US Special Forces raided his compound in Pakistan. US officials have warned of possible retaliation by his al-Qaeda organisation, which has threatened new attacks "soon".

    American Airlines crewmembers and travellers subdued a man who rushed the cockpit door late Monday. Hours earlier, a man was stopped from opening an exit in flight on a Continental Airlines plane while a Delta Air Lines jet was diverted and searched after a flight attendant raised a "security concern".

    “Possible threats to airliners and passengers is being taken seriously by US authorities following promises of reprisals for Bin Laden’s death,” says John Cox, a former airline pilot and chief executive officer of Washington-based consultant Safety Operating Systems.

    Emergency landing

    In another matter a man is being questioned in regards to a Continental incident, which forced an emergency landing in St Louis, said Jeff Lea, a spokesman for Lambert-St Louis International Airport. The plane was en route to Chicago from Houston.

    Continental Flight 546 was en route from Houston to Chicago when it was diverted to St Louis about 1.30pm local time. Airport police who boarded the plane found a man being held by a flight attendant and two passengers. "He apparently had gotten up in mid-flight and claimed he had to get off and was attempting to try to open the main entry door to the airplane," Mr Lea said.

    Reynel Alcaide, 34, of Burbank, Illinois, was charged with crimes involving aircraft and interfering with flight-crew members and attendants, according to a statement from the US Attorney's Office in St Louis. Each offence carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, the statement said.

    Continental is a unit of Chicago-based United Continental.

    In the third incident Delta Flight 1706 was flying from Detroit to San Diego when it was diverted to Albuquerque, New Mexico, said Anthony Black, a spokesperson for the Atlanta-based carrier. He declined to be more specific about the security issue on the plane.

    Crew and passengers were interviewed, and "no suspicious devices were found" after a search, said Frank Fisher, an FBI spokesperson in Albuquerque. The Boeing 737 was released to continue its flight. The Delta jet was cleared to return to service yesterday.

    Erratic behaviour

    Bloom explained that heightened security procedures could elicit erratic kinds of behaviour in people with either mental health issues or certain types of personalities.

    Mr Cox said crews were trained for the "abnormalities that will pop up from time to time". The three events appear to be unrelated, based on details released so far, said Todd Curtis, founder of AirSafe.com and a former Boeing airline safety analyst.