7+ Secrets You Never Knew About Federal Air Marshals

• U.S. citizen or national
• 21-36 years old (certain exceptions may apply to veterans over 36)
• Valid driver’s license

Candidates must pass multiple physical fitness tests and an assessment of their technical, tactical, and interpersonal skills. Additionally, criminal background checks and drug screening are mandatory.

There are believed to be roughly 3,000 FAMs, but as a government entity, there’s not a whole lot the general public knows about them. However over time, there have been (usually anonymous) leaks about them, that much of the flying public probably doesn’t know. They, of course, make their way to the internet ;-). Here are some of them:

(Note: I admittedly can’t confirm any of these to be true or not. Like Ripley’s, believe it…or not LOL)

• FAMs are deployed on select (estimated to be less than 1% of them [OMAAT]) international and domestic flights that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has determined to pose a greater risk of terrorist activity. (Defensebridge)
  
• Air Marshals will oftentimes fly in and out of the area where the president will be heading, so they can see who is flying into the area and potentially stop an attack on the president.  (TopCriminalJusticeSchools.net)
• Which flight air marshals get on is determined by a computer program that assesses the probability of threat based on the aircraft, departure and destination cities, as well as the amount of fuel on board. (USA Today)
• They sometimes travel alone, sometimes in pairs, with little to no baggage (multiple sources)
• They used to “dress up” to fly but nowadays dress like civilians, so they fit in (multiple sources)
• FAMs carry a Glock 19 Gen 5 9mm handgun and SIG Sauer ammunition, an ASP 16″ expandable baton, and handcuffs (Wikipedia)
• They are trained to “shoot to stop”, typically firing at the largest part of the body (the chest) and then the head to “incapacitate the nervous system.” (USA Today)
• There are 2 seats on every flight that aren’t booked, in case an air marshal is sent on the flight. The crew of the aircraft doesn’t always know whether a marshal will be assigned to the flight, but they know when the seat has been filled. The airline is required to keep the seats open, but in today’s age of filling up every seat, there are cases where the flights have been booked completely. In those times, if a marshal were to be assigned, a passenger would have to be bumped from the flight completely. (multiple sources)
• FAMs are purposely kept anonymous, but the entire flight crew, including those in the cockpit, know when they are present.
• They don’t sleep on flights (sanspotter) but if a flight is particularly long, FAMs may travel in pairs, so they can take turns sleeping (Aeroclass)
• FAMs are not allowed to drink alcohol while on the flight (John Madinger, former Criminal Investigator at US Dept of Treasury), nor do they use headphones.
• They’re among the first to board (Madinger) and the last to leave the plane
• FAMs may wear clothing that’s too warm (or too cool) for the climate, as they will take multiple flights per day. (multiple sources)
• Their main goal is to prevent a hijacking. (Madinger)
• Air marshals are trained to identify passengers who appear to be nervous, stressed, and avoiding eye contact. Once identified, they will continuously monitor for potentially threatening behaviors. (Aeroclass)
• Air marshals’ heavy travel requirements have resulted in longstanding quality of life challenges such as unpredictable work schedules, and sleep and health issues. (U.S Gov’t Accountability Office [GAO])

Interesting reads about Air Marshals

• In 2021, Sam Chui interviewed Sean Black, who was one of the first FAMs selected after 9/11.
• ABC News wrote a piece about being behind the scenes with the Air Marshals in 2004.
• Paste Magazine interviewed former Air Marshal Clay Biles in 2016.
• And Boy’s Life interviewed another FAM, Ed Ronan, in 2012.

The TSA made a video called Inside Look: Federal Air Marshal Service in 2015:

Finally, here’s an interview NBC Nightly News did with a FAM about 5 years ago: