By John Crawley WASHINGTON, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Flight crews would get more realistic training focused on how to stop hijackers, rather than just negotiate with them, under proposed training guidelines regulators will submit to airlines on Friday. Prompted by the suicide hijackings of four U.S. jetliners in the Sept. 11 catastrophe, the recommendations developed by the Federal Aviation Administration would fundamentally alter how flight crews are trained to handle threatening situations. "The guidelines provide a framework for handling varying levels of threat," FAA Administrator Jane Garvey told reporters on Thursday. Flight crews are currently taught to negotiate with attackers, but the new guidelines will emphasize taking action to counter threats, although officials would not give details on what steps flight crews might be instructed to take. Training is currently limited to brief video and home study methods geared toward 1970s-era threats that were for the most part non-violent. The threat born on Sept. 11 is a new breed of hijacker bent on suicide and destruction of the aircraft and all aboard. Garvey said the new plan was much more thoughtful and comprehensive than current training methods, and would cover scenarios from the moment passengers board an aircraft and not just dangerous possibilities in the air. "Flight crews feel they have been left out since 9-11," said Joan Wages, who represents flight attendants at American Airlines (AMR). "This will make them more confident in addressing certain situations. We want to make sure all flight attendants feel confident." While the agency would not detail specifics, those with knowledge of the plan said the recommendations focus on self-defense, communication with the cockpit crew and more realistic training courses. Key questions left open were whether to allow non-lethal weapons, like stun-guns, on aircraft and whether to formally instruct pilots to maneuver the plane in an offensive way to throw any attacker off balance during a flight. The role of law enforcement also must be refined. The guidelines, developed with strong input from pilot and flight attendant labor unions, must be approved by the airlines and may not be implemented for several months. The government will also be required to have additional input. The Air Transport Association, the main lobbying group for major U.S. airlines, said the training guidelines would be reviewed closely. The group said training guidelines and routines may vary among carriers because of different aircraft and crew sizes. IMMEDIATE RESPONSE "We are going to respond immediately to events that occur," said Dennis Dolan, an airline captain and vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association. But Dolan said there was "no substitute" for good judgment and reasonable responses. Some potential threats may still call for negotiation. The airlines will have to pay for new training, but the guidelines do not include a cost estimate. Pat Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants, said the guidelines, among other things, recommend self-defense strategies but not martial arts as some reports have suggested. Friend, whose union represents flight attendants at United Airlines (UAL) , and other carriers said they stressed evasion and separation techniques to avoid becoming a hostage. The Sept. 11 hijackers overpowered flight crews to gain control of three airliners they flew into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth crashed when passengers apparently responded to thwart the suspects. The guidelines carry no specific role for passengers, but they would be expected to act if called upon. "It is unrealistic for an airplane full of people to sit quietly in a threatening situation again," Friend said. On Wednesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft praised the flight crew and passengers aboard an American Airlines jetliner who subdued a man who authorities alleged in an indictment on Wednesday tried to ignite explosives hidden in his shoes.