Originally Posted by
MacLeanBarrier
The moderator of this--"Travel Safety/Security > Checkpoints and Borders Policy Debate"--section, "TWA884", has authorized me to open this thread due to this bill being recently introduced. I speak on behalf of many TSA Federal Air Marshals that
this is bill will fix a critical threat which caused the 9/11 attacks, and was plotted again in
July 2003:
A quote from Sara Nelson's February 13, 2019 testimony in a public congressional hearing about aviation security:
Highlighting above mine.
My understanding is that security policies which did not prohibit sharp cutting tools was in part behind the success of 9/11 as well as policy to cooperate with hijackers at that time. Toss in hardened cockpit doors and it seems that the corrections have already been made.
It's notable that numerous non-regional aircraft do not have drink-carts to assist flight attendants with blocking an attack of an unlocked cockpit. Cockpits either have doors that open outwards or dangerously inwards; there's a very good reason why exit hatches open away from the inside of submarines--the force of the water would breach the hatch after submerging.
https://www.theintell.com/opinion/20...faces-barriers
From Reuters News on February 9, 2019:
HR 911 only calls for barriers on aircraft with more than 75 passenger seats.
Originally Posted by
MacLeanBarrier
I'd like to make some suggestions so that this is a productive topic.
Instead of only asserting that "this is just another big waste of money" and not offering reasons--or better: solutions--please make the argument as to why we should continue to rely on flight attendants and 3 1/2 foot drink-carts, or flight attendants alone, to stop someone from charging an unlocked cockpit.
We now have two U.S. Department of Homeland Security / Office of Inspector General reports asserting that $395 million of the TSA Law Enforcement / Federal Air Marshal Service's annual $803 million budget "can be put to better use."
I believe that these barriers are not needed, evidence, no attempt to force entry into cockpits since 9/11. Not sure what the OIG's reports on poor use of budget dollars have to do with this but I would suggest if cockpit barriers are mandated then there is no use to have an $8,000,000.00 expenditure for FAM's going forward.