Boeing Says Airlines Booking New Cockpit Doors

[janpieter]

Boeing Co. said Friday over 1,620 of its aircraft in the United States are contracted to be fitted with reinforced bullet-proof cockpit doors and all planes should be altered by the official April 2003 deadline.. .Mandates forcing international airlines flying to U.S. to match the latest Federal Aviation Administration guidelines were likely to quickly follow suit, said Boeing, which is talking to Qantas Airways Ltd. and Singapore Airlines Ltd. about tougher security.

Five U.S. carriers have so far contracted to have 1,627 of their aircraft fitted with the doors designed to prevent cockpit intrusion and resist certain gunfire and explosives, said Boeing, which has a fleet of 5,500 aircraft flying in the U.S.

[Blacksheep]

Its the gunfire and explosives bit that scares me.

Aren't the security measures supposed to stop guns and explosives getting on the aircraft? If the measures fail and guns and explosives DO get aboard, what use is a bomb proof cockpit door going to be? Certainly the aircraft cannot be used as a missile, but we still go back to the old days of airport stand-offs. It all smacks of government washing their hands of proper security and passing the responsibility and cost to the airlines. Apart from the cockpit doors there is the ridiculously expensive video surveillance system to see who or what is outside the door, plus the proposed cockpit pager system for cabin crew (What happens whan they set it off by accident? Automatic diversion? Complete with expensive fighter escort service?) A much cheaper and more effective security method would be to mandate a ban on all carry-on items whatsoever and a proper body search of every passenger at the boarding gate. But such action would be politically dangerous. All those "business-men" with their laptops and lobby power would be really annoyed. Or rather, their bosses would. Not to mention the so-called airport "Duty Free" franchises that actually pay for running the airports.

**********************************. .Through difficulties to the cinema

[timmccall]

Well the doors will be great! What about the rest of the bulkhead? You know, left or right of the door? At least the door will stay standing.