Hijacking in New Zealand
There are a couple of interesting things about the hijacking in New Zealand two weeks ago. First, it was a traditional hijacking. Remember after 9/11 when people said that the era of airplane hijacking was over, that it would no longer be possible to hijack an airplane and demand a ransom or demand passage to some exotic location? Turns out that’s just not true; there still can be traditional non-terrorist hijackings.
And even more interesting, the media coverage reflected that. Read the links above. They’re calm and reasoned. There’s no mention of the T-word. We’re not all cautioned that we’re going to die. If anything, they’re recommending that everyone not overreact.
Refreshing, really.
EDITED TO ADD (2/25): And this:
Mr Williamson today said the idea behind anything involving transport was “safety at reasonable cost”.
He said the Government needed to weigh up the cost of x-ray screening every passenger on a small plane against the risk of such an attempted hijacking happening again.
“I just think it’s over the top, sledgehammer to crack a nut stuff and my advice to the Cabinet this morning is just make sure you’re very careful. . .to consider what the costs are.”
Marc • February 20, 2008 8:16 AM
“She was grappling with the aeroplane’s controls throughout the flight”
I dunno, I knife wielding psycho stabs the pilots and “grapples” with the controls. That’s pretty much in the “we’re all gonna die” category for me.
Someone did, apparently, try to “subdue” her and failed.
Given the number of stories about people (sometimes fatally) subduing deranged/disoriented people on airplanes in the US, I have to think that the Kiwis are probably tucked comfortably under a “can’t happen here” blanket.
I’m not sure that’s good (for them).