Thomas Cook Refuses Armed Air Marshals

Thomas Cook Airlines, the German carrier owned by Europe’s second-largest travel firm, said it would cancel any flights on which it was required to have an armed marshal. The announcement came in response to a statement by U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who called on international airlines to have such marshals on board. Thomas Cook Airlines flies to Orlando, Florida, from two airports in Great Britain and flies through U.S. airspace on its way to the Caribbean. "Thomas Cook Airlines has not changed its policy that if presented with a sky marshal on any of our routes, the flight would be cancelled," the charter carrier said in a statement.