Drunk air marshals are now going to be on Cuba flights. This was a safety priority.
The moves comes as Congress and the Obama Administration were at odds over the security of the flights to and from Cuba.
The TSA had admitted in mid-September that no federal air marshals had been aboard the commercial flights to the island nation that had started in late August.
There was the air marshal who sued because he was denied his onboard meal choice, and the one who left his loaded gun in the bathroom. (Another left a handgun in an airplane lavatory, it was discovered by a teenager.)
Then there was the one who pulled his service weapon on two civilians in a parking space dispute at New York JFK.
Liam Neeson in 2014 film “Non-Stop”
They scheduled work assignments to facilitate vacations and sexual trysts. Which is fine because they’re insufficiently trained to do much even if something did happen on their watch.
There was the one who tried to hire a hit man to kill his wife, the one who smuggled cocaine, and the one who sexually abused a young boy.
Now they’ll run amok in Cuba. Which — if it means spreading the existing workforce across more destinations — those of us flying domestically will be safer. That must be the reason this was such a high priority, to get more air marshals out of the country in order to secure US domestic airspace.
Gary:
I really enjoy your insights into travel opportunities and risks but I feel the column went a bit too far this time with a rant against TSA. You usually close with an acknowledgement that the bad few don’t spoil the entire bunch…. Maybe wait for the first signs of misbehavior in Cuba before running this story? Keep up the excellent travel tips, and save the rants for the presidential race?
I liked the article and feel the air marshalls are a waste of time and money also. It clearly has given power to incompetent people. Has there ever been an incident where an air Marshall has saved anyone from danger?
Air marshals was a program started by the bush administration. Does anyone feel that all republicans should get a heart attack and drop dead?
Thanks Gary for this. I want to say that the TSA Marshall that pulled a gun on 2 civilians over a parking space is now a sergeant for a local DC quasi police department (Special Police Officer). He was also fired from TSA for always sitting in first class, as well as chatting up the ladies during flights with playing with the IFE.
He was again arrested for possessing a assault rifle while in the District of Columbia. He still carries a gun and it is one less reason to visit DC.
Safe travels.
@Credit it started during the Kennedy administration, not the Bush administration
What became the boondoggle of federally-empowered flying armed guards started as a response to a rash of airplane hijackings to Cuba. In those days, the main object of airplane hijackers was to land safely in a place they didn’t want to be bothered to fly to Canada or Mexico to connect to. I believe the original marshals were mainly superannuated civil servants, double-dipping retired career agents. The boom years came post-9/11. Personally, I’d like to know how many of these marshals have taken disability retirement over the years versus seniority retirement, eustachian tubes being the delicate things they are. By the traditional rules of logic, incidentally, you in no way advance your argument with links to previous examples of the same argument.
@Rich I don’t think I have ever seen Gary make the there are only a few bad apple argument when it comes to the air marshalls. He has been pretty steady in his disdain for the whole program. The program seems like a waste of money and resources and not very effective.
@Gary, tsa and has was under bush after 9/11.
Air marshals program was also started after 9/11 or at least greatly expanded when all the over entitled jerks got in.
@Credit the Air Marshal program was started in 1962.
OK. We get it. You don’t like TSA. But your constant haranguing became wearisome, boring and annoying long ago, not to mention non-productive (Or have your diatribes actually resulted in changes at TSA?)
The headline for this particular post is a new low.
All resources devoted to this program could be spent more effectively elsewhere. It’s not just that they accomplish nothing, but also that they divert funds from real needs.
i flew for a major US carrier for 42 yrs . Fifteen of those years were international with many air marshalls. I just need to say that all the ones I encountered were great and serious about there jobs.
I and my crew were happy to have them on board. I am sure the other incidents do happen but wanted to give a shout out to all the good guys and gals that do their job well