[Kharon]

JB - There was a shift change at 3 a.m. And the new ATC controller who came on didn't even know that the plane was missing, oops a minor detail NOT!!!!!!!!!

Jacki - Is that fact? – the 'shift' change has for a while now been considered an important 'clue'.  Do all the ATCO quit at the one time or is it a gradual individual change; brief and hand over?  That time of the day, there would I expect be some exchange of greetings,  idle chat etc. with not too much on the screens, and the soccer scores to discuss, no one would be paying much attention.  Not a crime, but another factor to consider.   Thing interests me is that during any sort of hiatus, an aircraft believed to be handed off and not thought of as 'missing', would not rate a special mention during a hand over.  Another element of this could be that the panel operator, wanting to go home, may have suspected something was amiss but, to mention it would involve staying behind, filing a report and probably not getting off work for another couple of hours.  Again, not a heinous crime but a factor; unless of course it was part of a plan.  Is that a little too John le Carré?  You know the plot: the ATCO with gambling debts, under pressure from the mob to just let it slide, say nothing and the debt is cancelled.

Anyway, I feel it is important that we know exactly what occurred in the control centre; if it was simple human factors that delayed the start of a serious search, then it answers many questions; but also raises a few.  IF the aircraft was indeed hi-jacked then was knowledge of and influence over the normal ATC habits and work practice a consideration?

Was this flight targeted because it was operating at the time best possible time for taking an aircraft; any aircraft?  I mean it would be exponentially more difficult to do this at mid ATC  shift, peak period, Monday morning.  It would add a new dimension if MH 370 was taken simply because it was the 'easiest', most convenient target; rather than being for reasons unknown, the 'selected' target....
Without all the facts, ..... ......

Toot toot.