BA may accept sky marshals

British Airways has stated that it will accept sky marshals on its flights – as long as it can be proved that they improve safety. The carrier’s chief executive Rod Eddington said yesterday that there may be a place for armed guards “in the current climate” and that managers were studying ways in which the marshals might be deployed. He said: “Our position is that if indeed security on a particular flight could be enhanced by the onboard presence of an armed police officer, we would be very happy to accept that fact. Equally, if we have any cause for concern regarding the safety or security of a particular flight, we would simply not operate it.” On a lighter note, Mr Eddington, writing in the Financial Times, referred to an incident that recently caused alarm. Two men on an inbound flight from Baltimore were heard to say: “We’ve been planning this for six months – let’s do it!” It turned out that the subject of the conversation was a reunion with a long-lost aunt.