Standards called into question

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Advocate - As of yesterday, six days after being declared missing, there had been no word on the whereabouts of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.

Speculation grows every hour as reports, official and otherwise, and even conspiracy theories, continue to trickle in via the Internet and other news sources. It is expected that the mystery will be solved soon, as more international groups get involved in the investigation, more high-tech equipment is utilised in looking for the aircraft and as the parameters of the search expand to encompass a larger area, hundreds of miles wide. However, while the airplane’s location remains a focus, the matter of its disappearance has unearthed several other issues that should be addressed promptly.

The first issue surrounds the security guidelines for international flights. Anyone who has travelled from Barbados to the United States, for instance, knows of the stiff restrictions enforced for passengers, who are prevented from carrying something as simple as bottled water through security checkpoints. However, this level of scrutiny is not the same for all airlines. Recent reports have revealed that at least two passengers on Flight 370 were travelling with stolen passports. Also coming to light are allegations that the co-pilot had on one previous occasion invited two female passengers into the cockpit during a flight, behaviour which is prohibited on several other airlines.