Union lauds
Hawaiian Air pilot
for gunshot response
He kept cool while a man fired
two rounds in the airport in Lihue
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Edward Jones, a Hawaiian Airlines first officer, received the 2004 Presidential Citation for Outstanding Service in Air Safety from the Air Line Pilots Association, International, last Thursday at the union's Annual Air Safety Forum in Washington, D.C.
"Jones' quick-thinking and courageous action defused an extremely serious situation and helped save innocent passengers' lives," said Capt. Duane Woerth, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International.
Jones, 50, of Waikiki had earlier received a congressional citation for bravery.
Lloyd Albinio, now 25, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release on charges of assaulting a police officer on May 8, 2003.
Albinio pulled a semiautomatic gun on an unarmed federal security officer and fired one shot into the ceiling, according to the Hawaiian Airlines newsletter. Albinio ran through a corridor near a room where more than 50 passengers were waiting to board a flight to Honolulu and fired another shot into the floor.
Jones was off duty and talking to customer service agent Charlotte Hamada when he heard the shot. He hit the floor and told the passengers to get down on the floor, the newsletter said.
Jones told Hamada to call security. Albinio stood behind the counter and tried to use the telephone while he held his gun at Jones and Hamada, the newsletter said. Jones was able to persuade the gunman to let the passengers leave.
"It was a chance for me to get between him and the passengers," said Jones.
Hamada directed the passengers out of the holding room, according to the newsletter. Customer service agent Marianne "Boots" Mata told people in the jetway to get down on the floor, closed off the security door and advised another pilot to move the aircraft away from the jetway.
For eight minutes, Jones was alone with Albinio, who continued to hold his gun at Jones and later put the barrel of the gun in his own mouth, the newsletter said.
"I got him to start talking about his family, his mom," said Jones. "After a while he mellowed out a little bit."
Police arrived and arrested the gunman.
Jones worked 11 years as a paramedic/firefighter in Los Angeles before he moved to Honolulu. He started at Hawaiian Airlines in 1992 and has served as a chairman for the critical-incident response team.
Jones remains modest about this actions and commended Hamada and Mata for their heroism.
"The gate agents were the bravest," he said. "I didn't do anything braver than what any other Hawaiian Airline pilot would've done."
www.alpa.org/