What needs to be done to create effective security that is not overly invasive and absurdly disruptive? Aviation expert witness Diana Fairechild, a former chief international flight attendant who flew 10 million miles then authored the bestselling Jet Smarter, offers her strategies for security today.

"Passengers used to be summarily excluded from participating in airline security," explains Ms. Fairechild. "An example of this is in the 1996 film, Panic in the Skies. After the cockpit crew was struck down by lightning, and the cabin crew is panicking about landing the plane, a passenger approaches and asks: 'Can I help?' Kate Jackson, acting in a perfect imitation of an authoritarian flight attendant of that era, points her finger at the passenger and spews, 'Sit down. You're in violation of FAA regulations!'

"Today airline crews welcome passenger assistance and, if a flight attendant needs help, she'll let everyone know," says Ms. Fairechild, "just like flight attendant Cristina did when she discovered the shoe bomber's plot. The passenger seated behind the shoe bomber, Arlette, had smelled the sulfur from his matches and told Cristina, who then tried to stop him, until the shoe bomber bit her. Then she yelled for help.

"Later, Cristina told the press her first impression of the shoe bomber: 'Something about him seemed strange.' And Arlette said when she first saw him she told her husband: 'He looks scary.'

"Five months earlier, when the shoe bomber flew on El Al Airlines, though their security had found nothing on him or in his bags, they trusted their intuition that something was amiss and assigned him a seat next to an air marshal.

"And here's an excellent example where a passenger also acted on his intuition," continues Ms. Fairechild. "Actor James Woods was on a flight one month prior to 9/11. He had a strong feeling that several of his fellow passengers were terrorists, and shared this with the captain, but was not taken seriously. Tragically one month later, two of the men from Woods' flight turned up as terrorists on the doomed 9/11 planes.

"More recently, on a 2009 Christmas-day flight, Dutch filmmaker Jasper Schuringa jumped out of his seat so fast he had the 'underwear bomber' in a neck hold before many of the other passengers were aware of the fire in the cabin. Jasper told the press: 'I didn't think. I just went over there to try to save the plane,' i.e., he acted intuitively.

"Jasper, Arlette, Cristina, James Woods, and the Israeli security profilers are not unique in their willingness to trust their gut feelings. When we meet people, there's always an instantaneous 'knowing' about them. It's the way people look and behave, plus how we feel in their presence."

Three Strategies for Air Travelers

• When you fly, turn up the setting on your intuition. Passengers, crew and security personnel who practice the skill of accessing their intuition make flying safer. And they also teach the rest of us to trust our own intuition.
• Before takeoff, walk around the gate area for exercise, look around, and trust your intuition about your fellow travelers. Passengers outnumber airline employees and have more time to 'tune in.' If something looks wrong to you, share that information with an authority such as the airport police, the FBI or 911. On board, if you feel strongly that something is not right, tell the chief flight attendant (usually at the front of the aircraft).
• As you plan your trip and go through the steps of being transported to your destination, present an aura of confidence that your flight will be uneventful and that there even might be someone you will meet who will need your assistance. Friendliness reduces stress for everyone, especially with elderly travelers or others who may need a helping hand or a smiling face in airports or on board.

Diana Fairechild can be reached at www.Flyana.com. Since the publication of her first aviation book in 1992, she has become a trusted source of strategies to improve the quality of life for airline passengers. Her new mixed-media presentations on Smart Flying are coming soon to New York City.

Source: Flyana