In-flight Security
the horrified air marshal stood up and the flight attendant as a trained ally – one
ordered the passengers not to use their with the skills, the knowledge and the
cell phones in order to prevent a potential ability to foil a terrorist. It is only logical that
bomb from detonating. Better coordination their training needs to be updated in order
would have avoided the resulting to effectively fulfil their role to protect the
passenger panic and that lack of safety and security of passengers.
coordination in situations like this could
engender catastrophic results. Improved Communication
We cannot afford to make these crucial between the Cabin and
coordination and communication errors in Flight Deck
the new age of terrorism. Despite our pre- Effective communication and synergy
disposal to embrace CRM (crew resource between the flight deck and cabin crew has
management) training with regards to never been more significant and challenging.
safety issues, few U.S. airlines currently Lack of joint security training exercises, a
offer comprehensive and coordinated reluctance to contact the flight deck, and
training to explain to flight attendants, misunderstanding of the “sterile cockpit rule,
pilots and air marshals as to how to (F.A.R. 121.542) all create a dangerous gap in
respond in the event of an attack. At best communication and coordination, further
they are able to effectively complete their impeded by the cockpit door strengthening
individual tasks, whereas these groups requirements, mandated as a result of the
should be trained to work together, to be as 2001 terrorist attacks. In addition, the aircraft
effective as possible. cabin lacks some basic equipment that is
consequential to security. Currently, the only
Effective Flight Attendant communication device available for cabin and The interphone is the standard means
Security Training the flight deck crew is the aircraft interphone of communication between cockpit
Today, flight attendants remain the front- used for public announcements and normal and cabin
line first responders. We know that communication with the flight deck. The
potential weapons are still making it interphone is usually located in the forward or
onboard the aircraft, as the GAO has aft cabin, which is impractical if the flight The scenario for the Operation Atlas
reported, even though screening attendants are in other parts of the cabin. This Exercise Series was based on the United
procedures have been improved. Not every isolated location can limit the flight attendants Airlines (UAL) daily trans-Atlantic flight from
commercial flight has a pilot with a gun, ability to reach the interphone. Paris Charles de Gaulle to Chicago’s
nor does it have a federal air marshal. It is O’Hare International Airport. Because of a
the flight attendant who, properly trained, Operation Atlas security breach at de Gaulle and incidents
can be our best security asset to help In June 2005, various federal agencies on-board this flight, a decision is made to
guard against those weapons that are still conducted mock terrorist attacks named as divert the flight to Boston’s Logan
clearly making it onboard. The pilots, and Operation Atlas. One of the first things the International Airport. From this baseline
their guns, are locked behind reinforced mock terrorists did was to cut the phone scenario, a series of tabletop exercises was
cockpit doors with explicit instructions not cord, restricting communication between developed to test specific areas of
to open them in the event of a terrorist the cabin and cockpit. Several crucial responsibility held by the area’s Federal,
attack. A lack of appropriate training leaves minutes went by before the flight crew was State, and local first responders. In
the flight attendants ill-equipped to serve aware of a security breach in the cabin. addition, it allowed civic leaders, airport
as the only means of security and These minutes can be crucial to successfully management, United Airlines
protection in the aircraft cabin.The landing an aircraft in the event of a security management, the U.S. Coast Guard, and
introduction of guns onboard the aircraft is breach. It is important to note that one of other stakeholders to address issues
another reason that effective joint pilot, the first things the 9/11 attackers did was including communication and information
flight attendant, air marshal training is to cut the interphone lines. sharing on an inter-agency and intra-
considered necessary. Federal air Operation Atlas was an extremely agency level, interoperability of personnel
marshals are sometimes told, if necessary, successful, innovative, comprehensive, and equipment, and health and medical
to shoot through a flight attendant. The integrated series of five Tabletop Exercises issues, as reported in the Boston
Washington Post reported in December (TTXs) that culminated in a Full Scale Globe.The Operation Atlas Exercise Series
2002 that air marshals still shoot the flight Exercise (FSE) designed to enhance the covered the following areas:
attendant mock-up in their training capability of Metro-Boston,
simulations and are still graduating from Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and circle6 Intelligence and Information Sharing
the programme. Doesn’t it make more Federal homeland security and emergency circle6 Operational Personnel, Interoperable
sense to train that flight attendant to assist service agencies to act in response to Communications
in a crisis rather than to be a human incidents of terrorism. Operation Atlas circle6 Medical Community (IEMC Course)
shield? In fact, both Federal Flight Deck enabled stakeholders to assess the Metro-
Officers (FFDO – pilots trained to carry Boston Homeland Security Region’s ability The 4th June 2005 FSE was the first to
guns onboard) and air marshals have to respond to a high-level threat to its integrate the resources of a major
stated it would be their preference to have stability and security. metropolitan area, a major business, and
Aviationsecurityinternational April 2008 www.asi-mag.com 27
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