Have the “friendly skies” gotten so threatening that flight attendants want the US government to provide more in-flight security measures such as hand-to-hand combat training for flight attendants?
 

Yes, says the Association of Flight Attendants, a 55,000 union that has been lobbying the US Congress recently to implement more stringent measures that include a four point plan:
 

* Institute mandatory hand-to-hand combat training for all crew members.
 

* Equip flight attendants with portable communications devices so they can speak to the pilots during emergencies.
 

* Standardize the size of carry-on luggage so that flight attendants can look for suspicious passengers instead of struggling with oversized bags.
 

* Shut down onboard wireless Internet during high-threat periods to prevent terrorists from communicating with collaborators on the ground.
 

"For better or for worse, once the cabin doors close, the flight attendants are the last line of defense," Corey Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the association, told the LA Times.
 

She pointed out that combat training for flight attendants is now voluntary, with employees who take it attending the lessons on their own time.
 

A portable communications system would have allowed flight attendants to talk with the pilots during the attempted attack on a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day, she added.
 

US airlines airlines have not agreed on a maximum size for carry-on luggage because the overhead bins vary in size according to airplane model. "By having uniform standards, everybody would be on the same page," Caldwell said.
 

As for shutting down the onboard Internet, she said the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would determine when the airlines are at a high risk for a terrorist attack.
 

Caldwell said the association has not come up with a price tag for the changes and is not seeking raises for flight attendants as part of the deal.
 

"We are not taking on more responsibility," she said. "We just want more tools to make the plane safer."
 

By David Wilkening