In-flight Security:
critical improvements needed
he Chairman of the (U.S.) National Security
The events of 11th September 2001
magnified the importance of crew
security training, and the flight T
Committee for the Air Line Pilots Association,
Robert Hesselbein has stated that, “security
training is needed as the terrorist threat is real
and that there have been 60 hijackings
worldwide since September 11, 2001.” Yet, such
training is still woefully inadequate.
attendant’s rôle as the last line of It is clear that the flight attendant anti-hijacking and
security training provided by U.S. carriers is outdated,
defence of the flight deck. The use of a inadequate and in major need of revision to reflect the
current security threat posed by terrorist attacks onboard
hijacked aircraft as a weapon aircraft; training needs to reflect the new reality.
During a hearing on 2nd November 2007, Patricia Friend,
demanded a new strategy to ensure International President of the Association of Flight
Attendants, gave an example of why training is needed. She
that the crew must always retain control told the story of a flight attendant who identified what she
thought to be an incendiary device on an aircraft as it was
of the aircraft. Lori Brown sets out taxiing to take-off. The flight attendant properly notified the
air marshal on board and the flight deck. The Captain notified
some of the action points that, seven the passengers that they would need to stop the plane to
address an undefined issue; in the interim, passengers could
years on, still require urgent attention. use their cell phones! As many readers might have predicted,
26 April 2008 Aviationsecurityinternational
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