Hijackings for hostages have usually followed a pattern of negotiations between the hijackers and the authorities, followed by some form of settlement — not always the meeting of the hijackers’ original demands — or the storming of the aircraft to rescue the hostages.
Since the nineteen eighties, there has been an average of 25 skyjackings a year (very roughly). Source: Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1988 and 1989, and other data.
Prior to 9/11, the policy of most airlines was for the pilot to comply with hijackers’ demands in the hope of a peaceful outcome. Since then, policies have reversed course, in favor of arming and armoring the cockpit.
Options for preventing skyjacking now include screening of passengers and luggage to keep weapons off the airplane, putting air marshalls on flights, and equiping the cockpit to keep hijackers out.
Many skyjacking incidents are, in fact, not caused by political terrorists in the conventional sense. Skyjackings are mostly caused by people out of criminal, personal or obscure motives. Some skyjackings have been known to arise from air rage incidents that get out of control.
Whatever the reason and motivation of the skyjackers, passengers and crew are nevertheless put at risk. This is so even if the cockpit is not overtaken and even when the aircraft is not in flight.
Here then are ten top tips of things that you can do if you are ever caught up in a skyjacking.
1. Always be aware of your surroundings. Whenever you are in an airport or on an aircraft, take notice of your surroundings. Pay particular attention to activities or situations that do not appear to be normal.
2. Report unusual activity to the authorities. Should you see anything in the airport or on an aircraft that looks out of place or otherwise inappropriate such as unusual behavior or potential security violations, inform someone in authority.
3. Make no assumptions about who might pose a threat. If somebody is intent on a skyjacking, realize that such a person can be of any age, gender, or nationality. Never assume that any particular type of person is likely to do harm simply because of outward appearances.
4. Become as low profile as possible. As soon as it is clear that a skyjacking is in progress, do nothing to draw attention to yourself. Stay quiet and be as invisible as possible. But remain observant in case there is an opportunity for escape, and work as a team with others if the need arises.
5. Keep your seat belt fastened at all times while seated. This provides extra protection in case the plane hits unexpected turbulence of if the aircraft is forced through unusual maneuvers. Seat belt warnings may not be operating.
6. Listen to the flight attendants. The primary reason flight attendants are on an aircraft is for safety, so if there is any kind of emergency or potential emergency situation, look to the flight attendants for guidance.
7. Become familiar with your aircraft. When you are first seated, review the written safety instructions and count the number of rows to the nearest exits (toward the front or the back of the plane). Also study the seatback telephone service if such telephones are available.
8. Make a telephone call if safe to do so. In an emergency, such as a skyjacking, use your mobile or the seatback telephone to alert the emergency services on the ground (they will relay the emergency to the relevant authorities). However, only do this if you can make the call without being noticed by the skyjackers. In the European Union the emergency telephone number is 112. In the USA it is 911.
9. Make use of a camouflage passport. If your nationality is ‘western’, if your religion, culture or country (or even the sound of your name) could be associated with some kind of war or conflict, then you need to consider having a camouflage passport. You would only use the camouflage passport in the event of a skyjacking, and of course you would destroy or hide your real passport. You also need to remember to get rid of other items that may reveal your real identity.
Usually, one of the first acts carried out by skyjackers is to collect everybody’s passports. Having possession of a camouflage passport is legal since it is not a false passport, and has not been used in any criminal offence. To obtain a camouflage passport do a search on internet.
10. Work as a team. If the situation on the aircraft has the potential for danger, it is usually better to share information with crew members and the other passengers and to work together. Individual action, either during a normal emergency or during a hijack or other deliberate threat to the aircraft, is usually much less effective than a coordinated group action.