We've all seen the little picture cards on airplanes that show us how, in the event of impending airliner doom, to assume the fetal position in our seats (not likely to happen if you're a fat guy in coach), use a slide (in case adults have forgotten how since they were kids), and blow up those brightly colored life vests (which are only good for marking the approximate location where an airliner disintegrated after slamming into the water at 650mph).

How about a flight emergency card that instructs passengers how to resist hijackers, so the (mostly useless) "disaster aftermath" instruction card might not be necessary? It could teach passengers how to use their personal items as improvised weapons, the best way to subdue hijackers (and air-rage sufferers), and how to restrain them (if they're still breathing) until the plane is safely on the ground, and law enforcement officers arrive.

Sure, watching a flight attendant demonstrate how to crush a larynx with a meal tray, or fill an abdomen with ballpoint pens may not soothe the jitters as much as watching them orally inflate a life vest you'll never get to use. But there's really only two ways of dealing with fears--pretending they won't come true, or learning how to deal with them. I strongly favor the latter.

-Guncrazy
-- Guncrazy, Sep 24 2001

(?) "Fight Club" Flight Card http://www.foxmovie.../flightcard_med.jpg
Of course, my idea would be a bit more practical... [Guncrazy, Sep 24 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

(?) A speech from a United pilot http://www.snopes2....l/airline/pilot.htm
Including directions on how to use the blanket... [StarChaser, Sep 24 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

(?) HiJacker Tips on your Mobile Phone mailto:hj1@her.ph
Get an immediate reply to your email capable phone/pager by sending to HJ1@her.ph through HJ8@her.ph [pathetic, Sep 24 2001, last modified Oct 05 2004]

In general, most hijackers release their passengers alive (or are shot by security forces), so it would be advisable to sit quietly. Resisting while in flight is very likely to result in death. I know based on events 2 weeks ago, you may think fighting back would be a good idea, but there are many other groups (e.g. desperate Russians and Cubans) who are also hijacking planes and have every intention of walking out alive at the other end.

Don't do anything stupid.
-- pottedstu, Sep 24 2001


Depends on what they were going to do. If they told us "Hey, we are going to fly this into a building," ya might as well resist -- you're dead either way.
-- arghblah, Sep 24 2001


If only hijackers could be counted upon to be so upfront with their intentions.
-- PotatoStew, Sep 25 2001


Clearly the recent hijackers did not reveal their intentions. They counted on the assumption of the "usual scenario" to keep everyone compliant. The passengers who did rush the hijackers were only able to realize the wisdom of such an action after hearing from loved ones via cell phone or airphone that terrorists had just flown into the WTC.

But the hijacker who "wants to go to Cuba" must now realize two things:

1) Passengers and crew will no longer accept his "do as I say and nobody gets hurt" as automatically plausible.

2) A "peaceful ending" hijacking does not require access to the cockpit by the hijacker. All he needs is to threaten a hostage and communicate that threat to the pilot. I am reasonably certain that no would-be hijacker or crazy person will ever again survive an attempt to get into the cockpit, without first killing most of the people on the plane.
-- beauxeault, Sep 25 2001


And they're <the hijackers, not the attendants> gonna be some -damn- busy people if I get within arms' reach of them.
-- StarChaser, Sep 29 2001, last modified Sep 30 2001


Lets be hounest here... I doubt you will see many more hijackings anywhere near a westernised country. Any hijackers that tried to take a lpane would have a life expectancy of about 45 seconds.

After what happened on 11th september almost every single passenger would stand up the beat the living sh*t out of them. They wouldn't stand a chance.

Funny how when there use to be a couple of hijackings somewhere in the world every month, since september there haven't really been any... wonder why?
-- CasaLoco, Jan 13 2002


Good point, Casa.
-- bristolz, Jan 14 2002


I read a letter to New scinetist after 9.11 which reported a pilots pretakeoff message to the passengers something along the line of....

'hello welcome etc.During the course of the flight if someone stands up brandishing a weapon or making threats throw everything you have at him; books, blankets what ever, get him on the floor and keep him there. If he claims to have a bomb he is lying, if there is more than 1 it doesn't matter - there are over 40 of you. in the mean time we are all going to be spending a couple of hours in each others company so talk to your neihbour, get to know each other. Thankyou'

its right there seems to have been a change of attitude to this stuff. Maybe if the guys on the pennsylvania flight had acted before the terrorists had entered the cockpit there would be five more detainees in Cuba right now.
-- Zircon, Jan 27 2002



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