Hello friends,

Just some assorted thoughts on this week's tragic events that have touched everyone. And as frequent flyers, we are always the subjects of our loved one's worries and prayers.

First, I am struck by the seemingly strategic decisions of the terrorists in Tuesday's attacks. Consider some of the important characteristics:

-- They chose Tuesday flights. Monday and Friday flights would have been full of passengers, who then easily could have overtaken the 3 to 5 terrorists per plane. I know that my Monday early a.m. flight BOS-SFO was packed to the gills with businessmen in their 30's and 40's... fewer than 10% of the pax were women, and they too looked like pretty tough businesspeople. These flights were less than 1/3 full. Also, the targets were more likely to be well-occupied midweek, as some people miss Mondays and Fridays for long weekends.

-- They chose early flights close in time to each other. As all frequent flyers know, the first flight of the day -- especially on longhaul routes -- get special priority in leaving and arriving on time. If that flight doesn't reach its destination, the rest of the day's routes are a mess. I don't know how many times I've been saved by taking the first flight of the day, while friends and colleagues get stranded for a day or more. So the terrorists could almost count on no delays that might thwart their plans. Also, these planes were on the ground overnight, so accomplices in catering/cleaning might have been able to stow weapons.

-- They chose longhaul flights with tons of fuel. These were, in effect, bombs in their hands.


Given these facts, it seems only logical that tacticians in airline safety should always aplly heightened scrutiny to these flights -- every day of the year.

And finally, as a very (very very) frequent flyer, I really want to know how the airlines have empowered their employees to deal with and report suspicious persons. A blatant example: a friend in management at one of the US's 2 largest airlines called me just after the World Trade Center was hit. This friend said that while no names of suspects had been released, just a cursory review of the manifest revealed that one of the passengers flying BOS-LAX

-- walked up and paid $2,500 cash for a first class ticket. No reservation.

-- was clearly Arab from the name.

-- did not belong to this airline's FF program and had apparently not flown this airline before.

-- did not offer a FF number for any partner airline.

-- wasn't checking bags.

My friend said, "I'm no FBI agent, but just watch this name turn up." Sure enough, in today's USA Today this person was identified as a likely suspect and a recent graduate of a Florida flight school.

As a loyal and frequent flyer on that airline, I am OUTRAGED that these characteristics, taken together, did not result in immediate suspicion and surveillance. Was the ticket sales agent empowered and trained to ask,

"Hello, Mr. A. I see that you are purchasing our most expensive ticket. Do you belong to our or any other FF program, so you may receive mileage credit for this trip?" "Do you fly often?"

For heaven's sake, this terrorist used his real name! And the flight school director stated that Mr. A's details, like all students', was passed along to the FBI at the time of matriculation.

I have to say I'm disappointed that if my friend and I can isolate all these clues, then the "professionals" haven't been doing their jobs. Maybe a few FlyerTalkers as security consultants wouldn't be a bad idea.

Horizons