Pan Am clipper, Vol. 21, No. 19, September 14, 1970

              

passengers praise handling^ of_ commandeered 747
crew’s efficiency, training cited
By E. Dianne Campbell
NEW YORK—“If I had to pick a crew and passengers to go through an ordeal like this with me,
I couldn’t have chosen any better than those who were on the flight,” observed John Ferruggio, inflight service director on the Pan Am 747 commandeered to Cairo and destroyed.
The words of praise were unending, both for the calm, efficient manner of the crew and the cooperative, no-panic reaction of the passengers.
William J. Naylor, regional vice-president of sales for Africa, who traveled with the passengers and crew on their return to New York from Cairo, said:
“The passengers were unanimous in their praise of the crew. Many said that they were sure lives would have been lost had it not been for the crew’s efficiency and good training.
“On the return flight, the passengers took up a collection between Cairo and Rome. During the stopover in Rome they bought gifts for the crew members, including a bright blue tie for John Ferruggio which he wore when he stepped off the plane in New York.”
The situation was handled in a cool, matter-of-fact manner from its beginning in Amsterdam.
After the doors had been shut on Flight 93, destined for JFK from Brussels via Amsterdam, the 747 taxied to Schiphol Airport’s warm-up area. Captain John Priddy paged Mr. Ferruggio and asked him to come to the cockpit. The captain had been alerted of the presence aboard 747 Clipper Fortune of two men, by the Amsterdam control tower.
“The captain told me that if the two men resisted search we would off-load them,” Mr. Ferruggio relates. “I was having some trouble with the announcement system in first class, so I went to the back of the plane and paged the two, Mr. Diep and Mr. Gueye, asking that they identify themselves.”
“I saw the two men when their names were. called,” adds Ed Prendergast, flight service supervisor. “At first they seemed hesitant to acknowledge themselves. But then they stood up.”
Mr. Ferruggio continued: “I went to the First Class section. The captain and I took them from their seats in 3 H and J to the last row in First Class.
“The captain searched them and their briefcases thoroughly. He found absolutely nothing. They appeared puzzled and surprised. They spoke with very
Stewardess Gabrielle Remy demonstrates how the commandeer held a grenade and gun.
President Najeeb Halaby backs Capt. John Priddy upon his return to JFK and the news media. With the captain are Purser Augusta Schneider, In-Flight Serv-
heavy accents during the search. Later, I found out they spoke perfect English.”
About 15 minutes after the routine departure, Stewardess Gabrielle Remy was in the upstairs lounge taking drink orders.
“All of a sudden I saw one of the men whip out a gun and a grenade. He shouted: ‘everybody downstairs!’ His eyes were wide open. He was very nervous and excited. There were about six people there. We all ran down the stairs.”
First Class Purser Augusta Schneider was held captive by one man until the cockpit door was open. “It seemed like an eternity between the time I knocked until the door was opened,” Augusta re-
NEW YORK—Pan Am “will cooperate fully” if the U.S. government decides to place armed guards on international flights by U.S. airlines, Pan Am’s President Najeeb Halaby said in a press conference, Sept. 9.
“I am not proposing armed guards,” Mr. Halaby cautioned. “However,” he continued, “we will cooperate fully if the government so decides, with the guards under the command of the captain and provided by the U.S. government.”
Mr. Halaby said the guards would have to be “highly qualified, precisely trained professionals who would not endanger passengers more than would the skyjacker.”
He termed “armed prevention” as “primarily a government responsibility. The government alone has that right. It seems like a good idea to me,” he added, “under carefully controlled conditions. This would not be a perfect deterrent, but knowledge of an armed guard’s presence can be a deterrent.”
now a “new” threat
Mr. Halaby recalled that, in the past, the presence of “air marshals” aboard U.S. planes resulted in “a near-elimination of skyjacking.”
He contrasted the “new” threat to the “random, almost personal skyjackings to Havana. Very frequently those were individual acts by people who dropped out, and then wanted to fly out, of American society.”
Questioned about boycotting nations harboring skyjackers or allowing them to land commandeered air transports, Mr. Halaby said a boycott would not deter hijackers. “This is a worldwide problem,” he stressed, noting that the skyjackers selected Amsterdam for their activities to bring attention
ice Director John Ferruggio, and First Officer Patrick Levix. President Halaby greeted the passengers before they deplaned at JFK.
lates. “The engineer, Julius Dzuiba, opened it very cautiously at first, then—I guess he saw the expression on my face—he opened it all the way.”
Mr. Ferruggio was in the Economy section. When he returned to First Class he was advised by the captain of a deadheading crew, Paul La Chapelle, that something was amiss.
Mr. Ferruggio went upstairs and found out what was happening. His next move was to inform the crew members.
“I was working with two trainees, Sybille Freiin von Fircks and Lisa Hansen,” related Jan Schreiber, purser in Economy. “This was my first flight as a (continued on page 7)
to the Middle East.
“I think we have direct evidence that both Lebanon and the UAR governments were embarrassed by these incidents and sought to prevent them. The last thing they want is another skyjacking to their airports,” Mr. Halaby commented.
disaster’s cost not tallied
By James A. Arey
NEW YORK—No price tag can be immediately placed on the commandeering and destruction of Pan Am’s 747.
The aircraft was the Clipper Fortune, tail number N752PA. It was Pan Am’s 17th 747, delivered May 2 this year, with 1,160 hours of service when it was destroyed.
Included in the aircraft’s destruction were: 17,-485 pounds of revenue cargo, 347 pounds of U.S. mail, 160 pounds of foreign mail, and 22 pounds of company cargo and mail.
Baggage loss claims and the cost of accommodating passengers in hotels have not yet been tallied. When they are, the figures can be added to the $24 million cost of the aircraft and a “nonproductive” operating cost of at least $45,250.
Part of the operating cost is based on the time the 747 left Amsterdam to the time it arrived in Cairo: 11 hours, 31 minutes. With an operating cost of $2,000 an hour for the 747, the loss would be an estimated $23,000.
The 707 relief aircraft was 22 hours, 11 minutes, block to block, on the London/Cairo/Rome/New York trip. At $1,000 an hour to operate a 707, that cost would be at least $22,250.
John Ferruggio
armed guards are okay “IF...”