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, attempted to open an exit door and then tried 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. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken steps to improve airline security, including requiring airlines to install permanent reinforcements to all existing cockpit doors and including them in newly-built aircraft.

Reinforced doors only work when they are closed, however, and on many long flights, that is not possible for the entire trip. When a pilot needs to use the lavatory, get a meal, or switch seats with a relief pilot on a long flight, the reinforced door must be opened. The potential security vulnerability has been a concern for years, and airlines use procedures including flight attendants blocking the aisle with drink carts to protect the cockpit.

Secondary Barriers

A 2023 FAA rule required new planes to have a secondary barrier that can be locked in place when the cockpit door must be opened. Typically looking more like a gate than a solid door, the barriers are placed just in front of the first row of passengers and allow a pilot to exit the cockpit and visit the lavatory or the galley without leaving an unsecured path between passengers and the cockpit.

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. The agency told CNN it granted temporary relief to airlines, allowing time to facilitate FAA certification, install barriers, and train crewmembers.

Aviation labor unions have opposed the delays and long argued that secondary barriers are needed. Some flights also include armed air marshals, trained federal agents who fly undercover to protect flights.

Crimes aboard aircraft, like attempts to breach the cockpit, are subject to federal charges, and unruly passengers are often met at the gate by local law enforcement.

Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.