Does the prisoner get miles?

Anyone know what movies they're showing this month? Maybe Lolita and some Gidget flix?

John Karr is indeed on TG 794 BKK-LAX nonstop in J right now. CNN ran an AP photo of him at the back of a Business Class cabin. Obviously, that means there's an AP photographer on board. And CNN said it had its own reporter on board too. The anchor mentioned, though I did not see, footage of Karr hanging out in the boarding area for 15 or 20 minutes. I thought, if he's in J, why aren't he and his escorts--CNN reported that he has two Homeland Security escorts with him--in TG's Royal Executive Class lounge getting one last Thai massage? ;) They probably had him in a holding area at the airport for a while before heading down to the gate, as security at Don Muang is post-lounge but pre-gate, so everyone winds up hanging at the gate for a little while.

CNN and the AP must have paid a pretty penny for those last-minute tickets.

Wow, I thought this thread was about me. :eek: I am contemplating taking a dangreous tube of mascara on the plane with me soon.

UA has been having a problem with guns being stolen at ORD. See this thread

I once saw a prisoner being transported post 9/11 CLT-DCA. I think he was coming from TN and was in an orange jump suit with one noticable guard next to him. He boarded via the jetway before F was called and sat in the rear of the A/C. In the front of the plane on the same flight was Tom Ridge when he was Sec-DHS and he had his own detail scattered throughout the plane. Between the prisoner, the detail and the FAMs on board and the fact that the plane about only about 40% full; the proportion of guns to passengers on that flight most have been incredibly high.

So, if I'm reading this right, no officer sits in front of the prisoner? That would make me pretty nervous, if I knew a prisoner was behind me. It wouldn't be a rational type of nervous, but nonetheless....

Ah, someone finally asked the important question. :D

I recently read that the US Marshall (and other) prisoner transport services use planes siezed from drug raids. So that's a neat trick, but I'm guessing it's still more expensive than flying coach.

They don't let your basic LEO carry on the plane, but how about a US Marshall?

The Karr transport almost had to be on Thai Airways, ASFAIK they are the only carrier that flies nonstop from BKK to the West Coast. You absolutely wouldn't want to transport a prisoner on a flite with stop(s) or change of plane.

When the initial reports aired about Karr and escorts flying in BizClass, I was ticked. Then they talked about his drinking champagne, beer, and wine. I was even more ticked.

Then I mulled it over and wonder -

1) Maybe the number of the party (at least 4 people) and last-minute booking of the flite meant that they couldn't fly in the back because there weren't enough seats. Perhaps the only seats they could get were in the front cabin. (This flite only has two classes of service, business and premium economy.) Also, the authorities had to know there would be media circus onboard, and having Karr in the front cabin would somewhat lessen the chaos.

2) Perhaps the alcohol was allowed to try to get him "to talk," as he had when paraded to the press in BKK. There now are reports that he made self-incriminating comments between the airport and the LAX jail. Jetlag plus booze equals verbal runoff?

It's clear they are handling this guy deliberately and carefully. The whole thing is chilling. The guy is either a monster murderer or a monster deranged pedophile looking for fame. I keep thinking "innocent until proven guilty," but it's difficult in this case.

Back to the original topic of this thread. Years ago when I worked as a ticket and gate agent for a national carrier we would get prisoners being transported all the time. My recollection is that the prisoner was not allowed to be handcuffed while onboard. The reasoning was that if the person had to be cuffed s/he was too dangerous to be onboard a commercial flite, and that it would alarm other pax. There was always a lot of paperwork, as the escorts were always armed. I'm sure the rules have changed and continue to evolve with the times.

Your basic LEO certainly does "carry" if he is escorting a prisoner. Otherwise, his firearm is supposed to be unloaded and checked. Back in the day, I would never check a firearm in normal luggage for the reasons stated in prior posts. That sticker is like advertising "steal me now!" 20+ years ago, the airlines could check special secure boxes for this purpose and that is what we always did. Even then, I never carried my "best" sidearm on such trips. I don't know what they do now.

Marshals, FBI and other federal agents USED to be exempt from the carry rules and flew armed whether actually on duty or not. I have no idea what the rule is these days.

JR

Yeah, today. DFW-DCA on AA. Some little kid that must have gone AWOL was being "escorted" by 2 guys that looked very serious, but the kid was not in handcuffs, in fact he was pulling his own little roller, with 1 guy ahead and 1 guy behind. They got to board first, settle in and only then we were allowed in. I don't know if they handcuffed him on the plane, but they did get to sit in first in the last row. I saw one of the "escort" guys using the toilet twice, but the kid never came up to the front toilet on the MD80. The 3 did not get F meals served, only soft drinks.

This is a second time I witnessed the same procedure, but the last time, about a month ago, there were 2 kids being escorted and they sat in the back, so I don't know who makes that decision. And they were also not handcuffed, but not very happy about their immidiate future.

Oh Lord, no! We don't even do that in an automobile unless it has a cage.

JR

So, it's okay if an unarmed civilian sits in front of the prisoner, then? Or is the seat left empty?

I've read a couple of stories that theorized that the special treatment Karr received was largely to get him to relax and run his mouth, which he seems to be all too willing to do.

I'm leaning toward him being a hoaxer trying, for whatever reason, to take advantage of the situation in his own sick way--some things about his supposed confession just don't seem to hang together. I guess the DNA will tell the tale in the end.