An axe in the cabin? Unless an A320 driver confirms, I'm assuming that BS given the level of security given to passengers, and flight and cabin crew.
Two crew at all times is now flavour of the day. Plenty on here have indicated it has limited value. Agree. It is purely a reaction by airlines to show they are doing something in light of this incident. It is
PR. Don't fool yourselves it will solve much of anything. The real problem lies in the secure flight deck door although not for this particular tragedy I hasten to add..see below.
Do away with the secure door. An over reaction to 911 before which I could happily board an aircraft with a pocket knife so long as the blade wasn't longer than 6 inches. Once aviation security was stepped up in my country after 911 it was revealed that passengers were carrying grenades, explosives, ammunition, chefs knives, and all manner of flammable liquids,gases etc. No one can do that now.
Given the preflight passenger screening (a woman was humiliatingly placed in a locked glass cage in view of other passengers until she missed her flight, for attempting to carry her expressed breast milk ...see it on You Tube) we should be reasonably confident no baddies will get aboard with anything that could be used as a weapon.
The biggest threat to air safety now is putting the pilots in an impenetrable cell upfront. Too many incidents of aircrew being locked out either temporarily or permanently for all sorts of reasons.
Passenger intolerance of misbehavior on flights is at an all time high. Unruly passengers (and in one case an unruly Captain) have been and will continue to be challenged and physically wrestled and overpowered by SLF. For all the professional pilots on this forum, I'm sure I speak for all SLF when I say you have hundreds of 'Personal Protection Officers' down back. We don't want you hurt, harmed or unable to fulfill your contract with us to get us safely to our destination. Since 911 we treat everybody who doesn't conduct themselves normally on a flight as a potential hazard to our lives. But we can't do anything to help you or us if your cell up front is impenetrable and you or a bad guy are locked in or you are locked out for any of multiple reasons. Get rid of that secure door.
Having said all that, the only part the secure door played in this particular Germanwings tragedy was in the relatively casual manner the FO could carry out his deed. It gave him time to do the whole thing relatively peacefully. As pilots have stated in this thread many times, if we put two people or even 10 people on the flight deck, or put in special bulkheads for crew only toilets, it will not stop the guy up front who is hell bent on killing himself and everyone else. Using the element of surprise, he will pick his moment for a massive control input at low altitude immediately after takeoff or on short finals when the opportunity for overpowering and flight recovery will be non-existent.
Thankfully, I am sure such events will continue to be a rare risk we all take. But for all other circumstances, the passengers and CC are not your threat. Our self interest and instinct for survival in these post 911 aviation times means we are the solution. Don't lock us out. It's has proved to be unsafe and unwise.
Edit: I don't mean never lock the door. I mean don't make the door absolutely impassable. Make it breachable if the passengers and CC allow you enough time to do so. If you are the Captain trying to get back in, they will help you. If you are a threat to the flight, they will subdue you. If you a person who by virtue of your status as a crew member takes unauthorized control of the aircraft, the door will be breached and you will be overpowered.