BOB on board

Security expert Bruce Schneier comments on last week's United Airlines flight bound for Los Angeles from Australia, where a flight attendant found an airsickness bag in a lavatory with the letters "BOB" written on it.

The flight attendant decided that the letters stood for "Bomb On Board" and immediately alerted the captain, who decided the risk was serious enough to turn the plane around and land back in Sydney.

Security works best when people are in charge. I am comforted that the final decision to divert the flight was in the hands of the captain, and not a United Airlines executive who might unduly worry about the $US100,000 the emergency landing ended up costing. The captain is in charge of the plane, and he's the best person to weigh the risk to the lives of the passengers