So here we have the typical US airline dilemma! Keep the cockpit door locked at all times yet if there is a 'situation' on board lets not rely on the training of our cabin crew but send a pilot out to deal with the 'situation'.
"One of the pilots walked to the rear of the aircraft and told the sisters to return to their seats, then sat with them to ensure there would be no more trouble, but Cynthia Mikula hit the pilot in the head..."
So if the pilot had been incapacitated we would have had a full emergency situation with a single pilot operating a multi crew heavy jet and at the same time the whole 'locked cockpit door' argument has been thrown out the window! If the pilots can't rely on their cabin crew to deal with any problem pax then the whole training situation for cabin crew needs to be looked at and who would blame a distraught pax sueing the airline because of the pilot who left his position and placed himself in unnecessary jeopardy thus making a bad situation worse!
The airline I fly for forbids pilots leaving the flight deck when they have been told about disruptive or violent pax precisely because of the danger of being attacked and reducing a two pilot crew to a single pilot operating a multi crew a/c. It may seem unchivalrous but at least we train our cabin crew to deal with all scenarios and to keep the flight deck informed all the time. If advised by cabin crew that the situation is out of hand then we would lock the flight deck door for what it's worth and divert.
I suppose it is a macho thing for the pilot to have to go back into the cabin and deal with unruly pax because the 'girlies' can't and the hell with the consequences! Typical!
