Airlines Secure Doors

Alaska, American, America West, Continental, Delta, Jet Blue, Northwest, Southwest and US Airways all have completed fleetwide installation of reinforcement bars for cockpit doors. The Federal Aviation Administration had given the carriers until year-end to complete the installation of the security measure, with some design liberties.

JetBlue Airways also has reinforced its doors with a bulletproof Kevlar additive, and Alaska Airlines already is replacing its reinforcement bars with the bulletproof doors.

FAA has asked airlines by February 2002 to define a long-term solution, of which door bars may only be part of a multifaceted solution and in which manufacturers are taking the lead. For now, American Airlines is considering a complete redesign of its cockpit doors in upcoming months, and installation of video surveillance equipment already is on several airlines' plates for next year.