http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12962556,00.html
OUTCRY OVER AIR MARSHALS
British airline pilots are strongly opposing the use of armed marshals on passenger jets.

The Government announced on Saturday that undercover guards will be placed on some planes in response to the "heightened state of alert in the USA".

Security measures on the ground will also be stepped up with improved screening of passengers and bags in a bid to prevent hijackings.

It has promised pilots will be informed if there is a marshal on their flight but the pilots' union Balpa and some airlines have voiced concerns about the plan.

A British Airways spokeswoman said: "We have always said we have concerns about having armed people on aircraft. We feel it is best to have strong security on the ground and that is where the focus of attention should be.

"We have always been of the opinion that if it is not safe to fly, then we will not fly."

Armed guards

Balpa general secretary Jim McAuslan said: "We cannot agree with the Government's decision to put armed guards on aircraft as we believe this will do more harm than good. We do not want guns on planes."

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said air marshals would form a "last line of defence" against terrorists.He said: "It is someone who is there when people have got on to the plane and is intent on trying to take over that plane. It is one of the last lines of defence.

"Of course, the best thing to do is to try to stop people getting on to the plane in the first place."

Meanwhile, it emerged the plan, originally announced more than a year ago by Mr Darling, may have pre-empted American demands for air marshal on flights.

US directive

The US Homeland Security Department said it would require foreign airlines flying to and from America to have "a law enforcement officer on the plane" on certain occasions.

The UK Department for Transport will not comment on whether Sunday's announcement was made in the knowledge that a US directive was imminent.
Last Updated: 19:01 UK, Monday December 29, 2003

Kan wee sa "La-urd Cekuruty"?

Morons.  You don't want terrorists to be safe at any stage of the game.

I guess this means that since I always know when my guns are unloaded, I can point them at whoever I want and pull the trigger for fun.  I mean, I wouldn't do it if it wasn't [i]safe[/i].

The majority of the British citizens have been brainwashed into believing that a gun will randomly begin shooting people all by itself and that it is just a matter of time before a gun sitting in someone's holster will hijack a plane.

No wonder they lost their empire. They DESERVED to...

Gee, why not put a large sign on the aircraft:

[RED]TERRORISTS! NO POSSIBILITY OF BEING CONFRONTED BY ARMED PERSONNEL ON THIS FLIGHT.  WELCOME ABOARD![/RED]

[img]http://flymeaway.net/images/sheep.gif[/img]

Idiots

What did you expect from the country that outlawed guns and is now scratching it's head trying to figure out why their violent crime is increasing in double digits every year.

Bloody Fool's

Hey, the TSA is fighting tooth and nail to keep pilots unarmed here in the USA...

The Brits are lucky that the IRA preferred bomb-&-run attacks to the more 'personal' style of the Islamic terrorists...

Then again, if the IRA had been more agressive & 'personal', they might have gone the way of the Israelis...

There is a good reason that despite the Palestinian/Arab issues, El Al has a very good hijacking record...

How many accidental discharges, violent decompressions, accidental killings have occured on El Al or Tower Air, which have had this policy for probably 30 years or more.

God the British are such weenies  when it comes to guns.

Why am I not surprised by this shit?

I don't know. I keep getting surprised at the new lows some people hit in regards to this issue.

Yah, good luck with that...Time to change their name to "British Seaways" and start sailing out of Liverpool again...

Actually, in times past, some of our own airline pilots have objected to armed LEO’s on their flights.

There were occasional incidents prior to 9/11 where pilots actually forced LEO’s to surrender their firearms to the flight crew.

The complaint, in reality, is that if someone on their plane is armed, then the pilot isn’t really in charge!!

UK Pilots prefer to die crashing on a skyskraper than to have even ONLY ONE CHANCE to get rid of the hijackers...

MORONS!!!

btw: Italians Alitalia pilots thinks the same. The incredible thing is that I bet my ass that both British and Italian pilots don't know anything about WHICH KIND OF AMMO ARE USED...

In a smiliar story today.

British pilots have requested that fire extinguishers be removed from the cockpit.  Stating that if there is a fire, they can't fight it because they will be too busy flying the plane.

TXL

Shoot!  I thought they'd say that if there was going to be a fire in the cockpit, they wouldn't fly that day!