I am sure you will agree with me: The skies are no longer safe. The tourist can cancel his travel plans, but not the person whose work entails dashing from continent to continent. He must surely feel a sense of helplessness. Which route is safe? Will he reach the destination? Can he survive if his plane is hijacked? A few days ago an email from a friend in New York provided some answers to these questions. It tells us what we, the passengers, should do in such an eventuality. According to the email, on September 15, as a United Airways flight was taxing for takeoff, the pilot, after thanking the brave folk who had the courage to fly that day, outlined the safety measures the airline industry was taking. It was possible, he said, that these would not be enough in case of a hijacking, so here is what you ought to do if a man gets up and announces he has a bomb. First, don't believe him. Second, throw at him anything that comes to hand: pillows, shoes, magazines, books. Do the same to his confederates if he has any. Remember, there are many more of you than them. So if enough of you have courage, you can tackle them. The pilot saved the best bit for the last. Turn around, he said, and introduce yourself to the person next to you. Since we will be a family for the next few hours, tell them a little about yourself. Ask them to do the same. His speech drew sustained applause from the passengers. Each one of us has to realise now that our lives are in our own hands. The time has come for us to shake our co-passenger's hand and ask, 'What can we do together if we are hijacked?' The answer should ideally be provided by the airline industry, and as soon as possible. A universal system of fighting airborne terrorism has to be evolved. Who will throw the pillows and who will rush the hijackers? How can the economy-class passengers know if a hijacker sitting in first class has a knife at an airhostess's throat? What should be done? We need to know all this and we need to figure out how to get this information across to as many travellers as possible. Do we attend crash courses run by private instructors or the airlines? Fine, we'll attend them. Will airports and planes have printed material with detailed instructions? You bet we'll read them. Just tell us who to ask if we have any questions. Some steps the airlines might consider taking are: Install alarms on the plane. That way someone can alert everyone at the first sign of trouble. If passengers have to get into their act the sooner they catch the hijackers off guard the better. Let women with very small children sit at the back. Perhaps the stronger of the men could sit in the aisle seats in the front. Have the pilot announce a similar message like the one above. It does wonders for instilling confidence in the passengers. We need to be reminded that we can do it. It is possible that had the passengers on those ill-fated flights been given the same talk they might still be alive today. The pilot on the flight from Denver showed that with a bit of advice and some courage a hijacking could end with victory over the perpetrators -- rather than in a ball of flame. Sujata Prakash used to enjoy her air travel till September 11. Tell us what you think of this diary Be part of an exciting venture! Write a Diary!
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