Air Marshalls/Guns?
May 6th, 2003, 07:10 AM
#2
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Yes, and they have to report to the captain, so it's usually very easy to know when they come up on board. I fly AA in First and on even numbered flights I try to get a front row, as that's where the FAs will start taking orders, so I had the pleasure to sit to 2 of them on different flights. One was a woman, and the other was a man, who to the surprise of the crew and myself passed out as soon as the plane took off and woke up just before landing. It was pretty funny, although I'm not sure it would have been fubby if something were to happen. Also, I always wondered if the crew reported him.
May 6th, 2003, 07:59 AM
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AA Frequent Flyer: Thank you. You say it is easy to recognize them. Is that because you see them reporting to the captain? Couldn't they just be listed on the manifest? On second thought, I guess that defeats their purpose if there is a list with "air marshall" on it.
May 6th, 2003, 09:22 AM
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It's not that they have some sort of a visible badge, but when I did see that first guy, walk in, stop by the cockpit, had some sort of paper signed by the captain, and then sit next to me in the first row, and kept his jacket on the whole flight, and finally, saw the gun in a holster, I kind of put two and two together. The lady also had a short talk with the captain, and also kept her jacket on, although I could not see the gun at first, I did see a little buldge as we were leaving the plane. I will admit I don't know this for sure, maybe they were just police officers, FBI agents, on some sort of mission, but if that was the case, I'm sure they would have to put the guns in the luggage, not carry on the persons, so I just assume it was the federal marshalls.
May 9th, 2003, 01:58 PM
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dutyfree is correct. The usual procedure is to stop into the Operations area well before the flight and get a seat assignment. Then the agent will just mingle with the other passengers. The crew know the seat but have not necessarily met hte agent.
May 9th, 2003, 02:23 PM
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As I said, maybe they were not FM, but if they were, why blame AA? Maybe the agent was running late. After all there are not enough agents to go on all flights. They probably do 2-4 flights per day, depending on the length of the flight. I'm sure they don't get to pick any flight they feel like, it's probably done before the shift starts. I do know for a fact that they do have to check-in with and get permission from the captain. Unless both of you know something I don't, the captain is the ultimate authority on hers/his plane. So, unless you are a federal marshall, and I'm not, we could just all guess, not make any final statements as if you know for a fact. As I said, the gentelman definately had a BIG gun in his holster(saw it with my own eyes), and the lady had a definate bulge on her hip as she was leaving the plane.
May 11th, 2003, 06:28 AM
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Hello to all - Having just gotten off my first flight with an air marshall.....I can answer a few of the speculations at least to the extent that the info was shared with me. On my trip to NYC Wednesday, I was first down the jetway headed to my favorite seat 2A....
Thinking I'd have no problem grabbing a few magazines and an extra pillow for some naptime, I was very surprised to find a nicely dressed mid-30s male with relatively short cropped hair in 2B. He was gracious and we chatted for a few minutes before I asked if he happened to me an air marshall....
His reply was relatively predictable, that no, of course not, he was simply visiting relatives in NYC and was a paramedic who had spent 20 years in the Navy.
The rest of the flight we made small talk, some of which I believe he was truthful about.....until we were off the plane, and he motioned me off to the side.....He said that in fact he was an air marshall, and he found it interesting that I had picked him out so quickly....I mentioned that one of my other "FF boards" has had the type of "stereotypical" profiles for a while.
The things I learned: 1) they do have to check in for the flight, but they do NOT normally do it where the rest of us do, 2) They NORMALLY enter the aircraft from the outside stairs like a "ramp-rat" would, 3) Most carry their weapons at waist level, but some may be carrying on their ankles, and 4) They fly between 2-5 flights a day depending on length.
The card that "Joe" gave me was very detailed, with info all the way down to his cell phone number, and it was very interesting to talk to him! Best wishes to all....Let's hope we NEVER EVER have to depend on them! Dave
Thinking I'd have no problem grabbing a few magazines and an extra pillow for some naptime, I was very surprised to find a nicely dressed mid-30s male with relatively short cropped hair in 2B. He was gracious and we chatted for a few minutes before I asked if he happened to me an air marshall....
His reply was relatively predictable, that no, of course not, he was simply visiting relatives in NYC and was a paramedic who had spent 20 years in the Navy.
The rest of the flight we made small talk, some of which I believe he was truthful about.....until we were off the plane, and he motioned me off to the side.....He said that in fact he was an air marshall, and he found it interesting that I had picked him out so quickly....I mentioned that one of my other "FF boards" has had the type of "stereotypical" profiles for a while.
The things I learned: 1) they do have to check in for the flight, but they do NOT normally do it where the rest of us do, 2) They NORMALLY enter the aircraft from the outside stairs like a "ramp-rat" would, 3) Most carry their weapons at waist level, but some may be carrying on their ankles, and 4) They fly between 2-5 flights a day depending on length.
The card that "Joe" gave me was very detailed, with info all the way down to his cell phone number, and it was very interesting to talk to him! Best wishes to all....Let's hope we NEVER EVER have to depend on them! Dave
May 11th, 2003, 07:24 AM
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I agree with you Dave. For all I know I may have been sitting with 10 other federal marshals and never knew about it. These two just stood out, for many different reasons. The fact that they are suppose to be "invisible" does not mean that on occasion they will be recognized.
May 14th, 2003, 06:32 AM
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Everyone-Please do us all a big favor and do not give out details/info on anything that has to do with airline security.One never knows who is asking these questions"are the air marshalls armed?"(one knows that answer from watching TV news programs so why ask). In providing any info on how to identify them or where they sit on the plane you are compromising your safety and your fellow passengers.Its bad enough that some of these marshalls have big egos and need to "show off" to various individuals but for those of us who fly every week we would appreciate you NOT sharing any security info.
May 14th, 2003, 09:35 AM
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dutyfree - You make some good points, but I respectfully disagree with your assertion that the information contained in this thread or others elsewhere "compromises" anyone's safety. IHMO, anyone who wished to harm an aircraft or any of its occupants would not be helped or hindered by the type of "random" information that was shared here.
I suppose tho that knowledge of "where" these folks are likely to "sit" may not be widely known and therefore I can see how that should be kept more "quiet".
Best wishes, Dave
I suppose tho that knowledge of "where" these folks are likely to "sit" may not be widely known and therefore I can see how that should be kept more "quiet".
Best wishes, Dave
May 21st, 2003, 09:13 AM
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Without giving up too many details, I found it easy to spot the marshall on my flight Monday from Newark. It seems they dress like undercover cops in cheap outdated suits which were too tight. Kind of gave away the fact they were armed. Glad he was on board though. Lastly, I would suggest they don't board individually before even First Class gets on the plane.
May 22nd, 2003, 05:34 PM
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Air marshalls are not the only armed persons on planes. Someone made a comment earlier about how they though if these were police officers or FBI or whatever wouldn't they have put their gun in the checked baggage, the answer is simply, no. I have a very good friend who is with the Secret Service. He is required to carry his gun(s) at all times on the plane (not just when traveling with someone he is protecting) Any flight he gets on even if its just to "go to a meeting in DC" he carries his gun as do many officers. He is not there to protect the passesngers or crew but jsut traveling liek you or me. He does have a special card he carries and there is paperwork he has to fill out for each flight which must be stamped at the counter and then shown to the pilot when he boards. Just because you see someone with a gun who is talkign to the pilot and/or showing them paperwork does not mean they are an air marshll.
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