Federal Air Marshals (FAMs) (sometimes called Sky Marshals) are special law enforcement agents who protect passengers and crew members from security threats aboard commercial aircraft. They board domestic and international flights to ensure the safety of American aviators and passengers. Their role is to blend in with other passengers on board aircraft and rely heavily on their training, including investigative techniques, criminal terrorist behavior recognition, firearms proficiency, aircraft-specific tactics, and close-quarters self-defense measures to protect the flying public. (thanks, Wikipedia!)
FAMs’ daily responsibilities include:
- Collaborating with other law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces, to nab terrorists
- Seeking and executing arrest warrants
- Evaluating flight environments to detect suspicious activity
- Responding to and resolving criminal activities and emergencies onboard the aircraft
- Testifying against criminals in court
The Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Eligibility to become a FAM includes:
- 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 4 years ago:
And last but not least, from Reddit:
How can tell if an air marshal is on my flight?
Steve Bazer, Captain at A Major U.S. Airline Answered Oct 12
We really don’t want people to be able to identify Air Marshals on our airplanes. But if you absolutely must know, here’s an extremely easy way to identify the Air Marshal: Rush the cockpit, and start banging on the cockpit door. Go ahead. You won’t hurt it. It’s impenetrable. Now, turn around and face the back of the airplane. The person who is just about to shoot you with a very powerful semi-automatic pistol is the Air Marshal.
Feature Photo: TSA.gov
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2 comments
If FAM only ride on flights, that would be a very boring job and at risk for burnout. Perhaps the Secret Service should do the job where the FAM duties would be half of the time. Maybe it’s similar to celebrities who have their own private doctor who only has one patient, the celebrity. Those doctors are not the best doctors. Even if they were, they would become bored after awhile. Look at Michael Jackson’s doctor. Michael Jackson wanted a doctor who only had him as the patient. Michael Jackson is dead now.
Absolutely useless. No record of them actually doing anything except restraining drunk or crazy passengers. If cockpit doors are impenetrable like the good captain says, they serve no purpose. In fact, they actually make a flight more dangerous by bringing firearms into a secure sterile area.