WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- U.S. officials have determined a United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Washington is a target of terrorists, the Washington Times said.
The Transportation Security Administration has designated Flight 200 a "flight of interest," said a memo from the Air Line Pilots Association obtained by the newspaper.
A flight crew member who asked not to be identified said bomb-sniffing dogs are used every day before the flight departs and intensive sweeps are made of the crew's baggage.
"They absolutely tear everything apart inside the flight bag, every piece of professional literature, flight manuals, head sets, they empty the overnight bag. It's being scrutinized at a level I have never seen in over 25 years of flying," the crew member said.
Neither pilots nor air marshals are receiving an explanation for the intense searches, and neither is the airline nor the pilot unions, according to the memo and the crew member.
David Mackett, president of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, said the Transportation Security Administration is wasting valuable resources by searching flight attendants and pilots.
"What is especially disconcerting is that the TSA refuses to even tell the captain of the flight what the threat is, and the captain is charged by law with ensuring the flight's safety," Mackett said.
