WillowRun 6-3's idea:
Accelerate the Sky Marshall program and proliferate it widely. If you don't like FAs on the flight deck, and you are willing to have a Sky Marshall at all, then replace the FA with a trained aviation security and safety professional.
perfectly demonstrates the problem that some appear to have difficulty grasping: that there is NO ideal solution to dealing with the problem the world finds itself suddenly having to react to, namely a rogue pilot.
Just one of these knee-jerk reactions with massive potential unintended consequences is to promote the Sky Marshall to the role of Sky God, as they are "...a trained aviation security and safety professional".
But wasn't the pilot exactly that, until last week? (S)he was highly trained, both in aviation and was good at security too, as (s)he'd demonstrated good use of the impenetrable FD door to keep only the rogues out .... until last week.
So who exactly is this Sky Marshall, this trained aviation security and safety professional armed with a lethal weapon, so cool and un-flappable that they could almost be mistaken for a pilot......? Did you know that:
- he had previously flunked flight school but forgot to let this be known?
- he held a serious grudge against the industry, pilots in particular?
- he learned last week that his house was about to be repossessed?
- just yesterday he found out that his wife was having an affair with the neighbour who happened to be a pilot?
Ever the true professional, this Sky God is determined to go to work as normal. He knows he risks losing his job if he admits to his employer that he's feeling depressed about the sack of ***** life was throwing at him recently. But he just can't see any way out.
Are you sure it still seems reasonable to appoint this armed "trained aviation security and safety professional" to act as as judge and jury over the very pilots he despises, with a loaded weapon to execute his decisions on who is acting reasonably and rationally, and who is not?
There are no simple, all encompassing solutions. All else is just window dressing - deckchairs on the Titanic if you like.