Quote:
Originally Posted by Gord Wappel
Solutions need to not actually increase the risk to the public.
I suppose we'll get to bottom of the whole story - but what's come out so far and a $1,000 bail suggest that he didn't assault anyone or directly state that he had a bomb on board, request access to the cockpit or change to flight destination.
If this is correct then the flight crews and police and military people need to be accountable and revise the procedures. Because they did create a very significant risk to a whole bunch of innocent passengers... where a very small one existed... one that could be explored by a pilot (for example) speaking with the person .. calmly .... to make sure that using the taboo word didn't mean that he actually was threatening or demanding anything dangerous.
The odds that someone who actually has a bomb - and being on board - letting it accidentally slip out of his mouth before retracting it and sitting back in his seat .... seems tiny compared to odds of a fighter pilot escort and a SWAT entry going wrong.
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Someone on a passenger jet getting agitated and abusive, the stating he "wants to blow up Canada" while mimicking an explosion is a direct threat. Having the pilot open the cockpit that they just locked down and come out into an unknown threat environment is just stupid. His job is to keep the door locked, fly the plane and get it on the ground no matter what.
Fighter escort is perfectly reasonable. Better to have the option of terminating the flight should the flight crew lose control than have to look around on radar for the plane while it's on route to a target.
SWAT entry is also completely acceptable. Active threat in a confined location and they have no clue whether or not there are accomplices on board. The people sticking their heads and phones in the air are idiots and would only have themselves to blame if they caught a few rounds. Can guarantee Peel Regional SWAT trains on planes and at the airport a fair bit too.