Passengers in action

One of the lessons from the arrest last week of a bomber on American Airlines Flight 63 is that a man apparently with explosives in his sneakers can walk on an airplane undetected. A more encouraging thought is what happened to him once he tried to detonate the explosives.

According to news accounts, the crew on the flight from Paris to Miami swiftly subdued the man identified as 28-year-old British citizen Richard C. Reid, although he may turn out of be a Sri Lankan named Tariq Raja or someone else entirely. The crew had help, however. One passenger jumped on the man’s shoulders, two others grabbed at his legs; when crew members asked for water to put out the fire he had started, they got gallons from passengers; when the crew needed belts to tie the man down, more than 20 passengers offered theirs.

Certainly improved airport security internationally should be the enforced result of this episode and just as certainly one man trying to set fire to his sneakers is not nearly as menacing as five with box cutters, but the post-Sept. 11 behavior of the passengers and crew was noteworthy nonetheless. No one thinking clearly would remain passive in an airplane and hope for the best now – getting involved quickly and forcefully may not only save your life but prevent the deaths of thousands of others. According to news accounts, the passengers on the Paris-Miami flight didn’t know about the explosives. Just seeing a guy acting suspiciously with matches was enough to provoke their actions.

The effect of this changed attitude is difficult to predict. A feeling among passengers that they might have to rely on each other was easy to detect in the weeks after the attack and though perhaps less overt now, still emerges with the suggestion of danger. There has been just one air-rage flight diversion to Bangor International Airport since Sept. 11. Passengers, drunk or sober, would have to think twice these days before acting belligerently. A sense of responsibility now comes with your seating assignment.

And, who knows – perhaps after the flight-crew member has explained that your seat can be used as a flotation device and points out that you put on your oxygen mask before helping others, she will offer tips on subduing terrorists. Not that the passengers on Flight 63 didn’t know plenty already.