Wall Str..tJournal
New York, NY
N,w York CIIV
M,t A'II

o757,081

Friday

NOV IB, 2001

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lI[JtlIIPRESS CLIP~_~:::

attendants to help them protect them-

UAL Corp.'s United said it intends to
present to the FAA all its research on the engineering, security and trainingissues relevant to installing ~ternatlonaI Inc.
weapons in electronically coded lockboxes
on its planes. Taser shares soared 23% yesterday, while UAL's rose 6.9%.
The weapons United wants to purchase
fire a 26-watt electrical charge for six seconds from a distance of as much as 21 feet,
said Rick Smith, chief executive of Taser,
of Scottsdale, Aliz. The charge instantly
disables the assailant, allowing time for
him or her to be restrained.
Mr. Smith said the bulk of his company's sales are to police departments, but it
also sells to consumers. Mesa All' Group
Inc., a regional airline based in Phoenix,

selves and passengers.

was the first ,U.S. carrier to announce

The stun-gun proposal, which is sub.iect to approval by the Federal Aviation
Administration, and the new training pro~

plans to seek FAA approval to put stun
guns on its planes. Mr. Smith said the

'. United Is Seeking
Cockpit Stun Guns
To Foil Hijackings
By SUSAN CAREY
Sta.f.[ Reporre~

of THE

WALL STREET JOORNAL

CHICAGO- To thwart hijackings,
United Airlines proposed eqUipping its
cockpits with electronic stun guns and
introducing more training for its flight

The charge instantly
disables the assailant,

allowing time for him or
her to be restrained.
gram are a first by a major airline in the
wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist hijackings.
Since then, airlines have reinforced their

cockpit doors to keep out hijackers, and
now are considering additional ways to
foil attackers-· from giving pilots firearms
to installing cameras in the cabins so pi·
lots can keep watch over the passengers.

A spokesman for the FAA said that under current regulations stun guns. firearms and other deadly or dangerous weapons are not allowed on airplanes except in
the hands of federal sky marshals. He said
the ageucy will review United's proposal.

United order could include as many as

1,400 units. The model United in which is
interested costs $400 to $600, he said.
Since Sept. 11, the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents pilots at United and
a number of other U.S. and Canadian carriers, has advocated the installation of nonlethal stun guns on the flight deck. An aircraftsecmily panel appointed by Transportation
Secretary Norman Mineta after the attacks
also supported the idea, and recommended
that the FAA evaluate the effectiveness of
such devices within six months. But the

FAA so-far hasn't shown much enthusiasm.
The United spokesman wouldn't say
how much the program is expected to cost.
He also declined to comment on the nature
of the planned flight-attendant training.
"We obviously need new training,"
said a spokesman for the Association of
Flight Attendants. "We've been working
with United, but the training program
hasn't been fully developed and is far
from complete."
.
UAL shares rose 82 cents to $12.71 in 4
p.m. New York Siock Exchange composite
trading. Taser shares jumped $2.46 to
$13:26 on the Nasdaq Stock Market.