"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:

Fuel-loaded? The effected flights would be departing foreign airports bound
for the US. In the case of the British we're talking about trans-Atlantic
flights. Wouldn't the fuel load be rather light by the time they're able to
strike a US target?

The flights aren't all one-way. Sooner or later, they take off again. Putting the
air marshals on board protects them in both directions.

George Patterson
Great discoveries are not announced with "Eureka!". What's usually said is
"Hummmmm... That's interesting...."