Originally Posted by elpi
Reason? Door to pilot cabin were close and no one could help pilots. USA policy after 9 11 is reason why 121 people die. deleted by the moderator
In addition to being inflammatory, my understanding is that this statement is also technically incorrect. The design of the new cockpit door locks was actually rather smart, and took the case of pilot incapacitation into account. The flight attendants can open the door from the outside with a combination after a short delay, during which time the pilots can "veto" the entry with a switch.
(Information gleaned from a PPRUNE discussion...quite possibly considered a state secret by the TSA.)