by Cam Edwards of NRA News interviewed Mike Karn of the Federal Flight Deck Officers Association and Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations on Monday about the budget cuts for the FFDO program. Karn made some interesting points about the program and its cost efficiency.
First, each pilot who enrolls in the program spends approximately $10,000 of their own money to participate.
Second, these cuts would mean no new pilots would be enrolled in the program and it calls into question what happens when they have to requalify.
Third, having multiple layers of defense against terrorists and air pirates works better than the Maginot Line defense that the TSA proposes (my words.)
Finally, it costs about $15 per flight to have a FFDO on board versus about $3,000 to protect the flight with an Air Marshall.
