New secondary barriers give added layer of security for airline cockpits

It's been nearly 25 years since 9/11, when terrorists hijacked commercial jetliners and turned them into weapons of mass destruction. Now, after years of delays, new secondary barriers protecting airline cockpits are beginning to take flight.

Inside a Southwest Airlines hangar at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, CBS News was given an early look at the airline's brand-new Boeing 737 MAX with the secondary barrier.

It's essentially a retractable folding door that blocks off the front galley and flight deck. It aims to be a more secure option than flight attendants blocking the area with a beverage cart.

"This is kind of the latest edition to provide an additional layer of protection anytime our pilots need to come out of the flight deck," Southwest Executive Vice President of Operations Justin Jones told CBS News.

After 9/11, cockpit doors were fortified, and in 2018, Congress mandated that all new airliners have secondary barriers. After years of delays, that regulation is set to go into effect next year.

Captain Dennis Tajer, the spokesman for the Allied Pilots Association, which is American Airlines' pilot union, said the barriers need to be on every airliner.

"It's good to see, but it's been decades since 9/11, and I was out there flying during 9/11, and I saw all that happened," he told CBS News. "That is my yesterday. We cannot have my yesterday become everyone else's tomorrow."

Both United and American Airlines have confirmed delivery of at least one aircraft with a secondary barrier. Alaska Airlines said it was expecting its first delivery of planes with a secondary barrier in November.

Delta declined to comment on whether it had any planes with secondary barriers, but said in a statement to CBS News that "Delta continually employs seen and unseen security measures to safeguard our global operation, customers and people."

The Air Line Pilots Association says there have been at least 52 hijacking attempts worldwide since 2001, underscoring the need for additional protection.

Boeing and Airbus have both started delivering jets with these barriers, they said. Last year, Congress called for adding barriers to existing planes, as well, but so far, the Federal Aviation Administration has yet to certify any retrofit options.

Southwest told CBS News it will evaluate adding the secondary barriers to existing planes when they're certified.

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