Steven P. McNicoll wrote:

Please explain how having an armed marshal aboard is a "weak point". How
do the terrorists get the weapon away from the marshal?

Picture two terrorists, one walking to the restroom and one walking back
from. They meet where the marshal is seated. One grabs the guy around the
throat while the other goes for the weapon.

Certain to succeed? No. But a fair chance, and this doesn't even require
the terrorists to be armed with almanacs, fishing line, or anything else
"fancy".

[...]

I've always thought it humorous that the flight crew was scanned. Why
would
the flight crew need a weapon at all? They're already locked in the
cockpit. All the pilot or copilot would have to do is incapacitate the
other.

They'd be using the same techniques one terrorist might try against the
marshal, BTW. But let's not forget the possibility of the aircrew
colluding, or one pilot just waiting for the other pilot to hit the head.

Which, of course, begs the question of how pilots are being vetted by the
TSA. What type of clearance is required to be an ATP today? What about
working for a foreign airline?

I'm beginning to think that the real solution is to ban airliners, and force
everyone to take small aircraft. Some might be used as weapons, but they'd
be less effective.

No, I'm not serious. But since I prefer to fly small than large, why not do
what the US administration does: hide my own self-interest in the guise of
"national security".

- Andrew