[TomGuy]

This article makes it sound much more sinister than previous reports. Other reports downplayed the potential threat by saying the plane has probably crashed in the ocean off the south east coast of Africa.

As for using the plane as a bomb--another airliner would seem a relatively small target. Consider the potential. The 727 had the passenger seating removed and replaced with additional fuel tanks. With that kind of potential, a target would be something much greater--size and/or population--than another airliner.

If Al-Qaeda has control of the plane, and if they were going to use it as a bomb, they would probably head it for another large building, not another airliner.

[Ramius]

An unscheduled flight of a fairly large airplane, however, strikes me as a somewhat easier thing to spot approaching the country.

Of course, there are circumstances where such a plane might get into U.S. airspace under some ruse... but it is also highly likely that such a flight would be much more interceptable than some other regularly scheduled flight.

I hope.

[SauronOfMordor]

If Al-Qaeda has control of the plane, and if they were going to use it as a bomb, they would probably head it for another large building, not another airliner.

Or a ship. A large cruise ship in the Med, say.

Or consider the effect upon hitting a large oil refinery or tanker port. Consider also bin-Ladin's connections to Saudis and how much Saudi would benefit from the utter destruction of some other country's oil-exporting ability