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Armed Marshal Mistakenly Taken Off Plane At MSP Airport
A misunderstanding between a flight attendant and air marshals involving a gun led to some tense moments aboard a United Airlines flight. (minnesota.cbslocal.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
Audio of the incident. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esZVVXXZaLc
the ususal protocol for every airline, is the air marshalls introduce themselves to the gate agents who are advised in advance there will be one and sometimes two onboard..they are not flagged to the other passengers as being air marshall,nor being armed, and they sit in frst class in an aisle seat..just before boarding,they are taken on board by the gate agent and introduced to the flight deck crew and the flight attendants..there is never a reason for a flight attendant to be asked for a manifest or shown a gun because they are supposed to know in advance who the air marshall is,and if there is a problem where the manifest is needed.the air marshall would ask in advance of the flight..its pretty simple protocol and there should be no miscommunication...
Obviously tracking someone on the flight from Newark. Normally FAM's are supposed to ID themselves when they board the jets - in this case Newark. Apparently that didn't happen.
This article mischaracterizes what allegedly happened. From what I am hearing, the FAM asked the FA for the manifest. When the FA asked why he needed the manifest, the FAM flashed his gun at her instead of properly identifying herself. This lead the FA notifying the flight deck of the situation, and the flight deck declaring an emergency. When the flight deck was informed by dispatch via ACARS that there were, in fact, two FAMs on board, they chose to taxi to the gate and have the subjects removed for verification. They were not mistakenly taken off the plane. They breached protocol and almost found themselves shot.
A little personal opinion, side note: if the Federal Air Marshals and TSA weren't so busy following 2nd grade teachers, maybe this wouldn't happen at all.
A little personal opinion, side note: if the Federal Air Marshals and TSA weren't so busy following 2nd grade teachers, maybe this wouldn't happen at all.
Kris..the air marshall program is a good one,and for the most part there is never a problem with communication or other such,as the flight attendants and the cockpit know who they are in advance..the majority of these people are ex military or ex law enforcement,and know their job..i met many over the years, and I can tell you,this incident is out of the ordinary...
Thanks for the clarification.
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