For those airline pilots that aren’t old enough to remember 9/11, please learn from our mistakes. [Courtesy: Les Abend]
Key Takeaways:
The 9/11 attacks fundamentally shifted the airline industry's security mentality from cooperating with hijackers to actively defending the cockpit and passengers at all costs.
Significant post-9/11 security enhancements included the establishment of the TSA, reinforced cockpit doors, the Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDO) program allowing pilots to carry firearms, and improved passenger/crew training and intelligence sharing.
While substantial progress has been made in mitigating terrorist threats, the article concludes that airline security is an ongoing and evolving process that requires continuous vigilance from everyone to prevent complacency.
About two weeks had passed since that fateful day in 2001 that none of us will ever forget. In uniform, with my wife’s hand in mine, we approached a NYPD officer standing on the corner, a couple blocks away from Ground Zero. Pedestrian barricades surrounded the area.
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Les Abend is a retired, 34-year veteran of American Airlines, attempting to readjust his passion for flying airplanes in the lower flight levels—without the assistance of a copilot.
