Almost certainly not. For starters, nearly two weeks have passed, and no one has made any demands. Additionally, even in the off chance that this is somehow a successful terrorist plot, the value of hostages is far outweighed by the value of an aircraft. If this was not a hijacking, then it is safe to assume the plane crash-landedprobably somewhere in the oceanand as such, all hands would have been lost, including the passengers. If this was a hijacking, it would be very difficult to believe those aboard would act docile during the takeover. History says otherwise given the fate of Flight 93 on 9/11. Factor in the duration of the flight, and it becomes next to impossible to suppose not one of the two hundred-plus passengers staged a revolt. The only way passengers may still be alive during this type of hijacking would probably come by way of mass incapacitation. Radar did indicate the aircraft climbing sharply before quickly descending (although that data is inconclusive). If someone in control of the plane wanted to knock everyone out, this would be the way to do it. Pilots and hijackers with oxygen masks would be able to stay conscious during this maneuver. The passengers would not. But that only buys time. Minutes at most. Someone would then have to further incapacitate the passengers one by one once the plane stabilized. How they would do this is unclear, and honestly far-fetched. Its far more likely there are no hostages.
