In a statement issued shortly after the notorious attacks, Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D., S.C.), Chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, said, “Ensuring that a cockpit is the most secure place on the plane is a critical step to preventing the scenarios that seem to have occurred last [September].”
Similarly, John W. Douglass, president of the Aerospace Industries Association of America, speaking on behalf of aircraft manufacturers, told the U.S. House of Representatives that ongoing efforts need to concentrate on “the security chain of command,” which includes effective intelligence, airport security and security on the plane. When these aspects of prevention fail to deter threats, then cockpit security becomes crucial. “We need to examine all of these ideas to improve cockpit security,” Douglass says.
Boeing concurs: “The fundamental strategy is to make the flight deck secure. If the flight deck is secure, then a lot of other questions go away,” Higgins says.