Experts: Jet crew shouldn't tell passengers of bomb scare

(THEJAKARTAPOST)Thecrudecombinationofakitchentimer,paperandcardboardfoundinalavatoryonanAirFranceflightcouldhavebeenabomb,butthecrewdidn'ttellpassengersofthatpossibility.Instead,peopleweretoldtheplanehadatechnicalproblemandwouldbelandinginKenyainsteadofParis.

Sunday'sdecision,whichwasshortofthefulltruth,raisesanethicalquestionaboutwhenpassengersshouldbefullyinformedofproblemsintheair.ButmanyexpertssaythecrewofAirFranceFlight463didtherightthing,avoidingpanicandquicklylandingtheplane.Onceontheground,securityofficialsdeterminedthatthedevicewasahoax,andpassengersweretoldthefullstory.

"Wepayourcaptainstomakegooddecisionsandyou'vegottobackthemup,"saidRobertMann,aformerairlineexecutivewhonowispresidentofR.W.Mann&Company,Inc.,anairlineconsultingfirminPortWashington,NewYork."InthiscaseIthinkthecrewmadeareallyrationaldecision."

Hesaidthecrewhadnoevidencethatthedevicewasanactualbomb,sotellingpassengerstherewasatechnicalproblemwastrue"inthesensethattheydon'tknowwhattheyhave."

TheBoeing777,originallyheadedtoParisfromtheislandofMauritius,wasdivertedtoKenya'scoastalcityofMombasa.Hundredsofpassengerslefttheplaneonemergencyslides.Afterward,severalpraisedtheflightcrewforkeepingeveryonecalm.

Mostairlinesdon'thavehard-and-fastpoliciesonwhattotellpassengers,leavingthatuptothecrew,accordingtoAlanPrice,aformerchiefpilotforDeltaAirLinesandfounderofconsultingfirmFalconLeadership.

Butexpertssayairlinesshouldbethinkingmoreaboutwhattodoinaneraofincreasingsecuritythreatsandhoaxes.ForAirFrance,thiswasthefourthbombhoaxinrecentweeks.

CrewmembersalsohavetoweighhowmuchpassengerscanfindoutfromothersourcesasmoreplanescomeequippedwithInternetandtelevisionaccess.

In2005aJetBlueflightthatcircledLosAngeleswithamalfunctioninglandinggearwascapturedbytelevisioncameras,andpassengerspickedupthelivebroadcastsontheplane'scabinmonitors.Pricesaidhewouldhavetoldpassengersofthatproblemandreassuredthem.Theyalsowouldhaveseenemergencyequipmentwaitingonthetarmac,hesaid.

ButPriceagreedwiththeAirFrancecrew.Tellingpassengers,hesaid,"wouldreallycreateunnecessaryproblems.Andwhatcouldtheydoaboutitanyway?"

PaulHudson,presidentofFlyersrights.org,apassengeradvocategroup,alsoagreed.

"Youdon'twantthemtopanicwhileit'sintheair,"hesaid."Butobviouslywhenit'sontheground,youshouldbetellingthemthetruth."