A recent incident on a Frontier Airlines flight from Puerto Rico to Chicago has raised concerns about airline security. A 51-year-old passenger, Juan Gabriel Reyes, tried to open an exit door and then attempted to force his way into the cockpit. According to court records, Reyes began “shoving his shoulder aggressively on the pilot’s door” and later attempted to choke an off-duty flight attendant before he was eventually restrained.
Airline Security Measures
The incident came just a few days after a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, after a passenger made “multiple attempts to try to breach the cockpit,” according to air traffic control audio. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken steps to improve airline security, including requiring airlines to install permanent reinforcements to all existing cockpit doors by April 2003. Many airlines and manufacturers opted to use bulletproof material, composites, reinforced door jambs, and locks.
However, some experts argue that more could be done to improve airline security. The FAA has delayed implementing a requirement for new planes to have a secondary barrier that can be locked in place when the cockpit door must be opened. The rule was supposed to apply to newly manufactured commercial aircraft starting in the summer of 2025, but the FAA agreed to delay implementing the requirement until this August.
Training and Procedures
Airlines have procedures in place to protect the cockpit, including flight attendants blocking the aisle with drink carts. Pilots and flight attendants also undergo extensive training to respond to unruly passengers. Some pilots volunteer to carry guns in the cockpit as part of the Federal Flight Deck Officer program established after 9/11. Additionally, some flights include armed air marshals, trained federal agents who fly undercover to protect flights.
The incident on the Frontier Airlines flight was eventually brought under control, thanks in part to the help of a former professional MMA fighter who was on board. The passenger, Josh Longood, held down Reyes, the disruptive passenger, until the flight could be diverted to Miami International Airport, where Reyes was taken into custody.
Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.
