Hello BEAV! This effort is not BEAV, but the longer term solution is right up their alley.
Northwest reinforcing cockpit doors
Tony Kennedy
Star Tribune
Published Oct 4 2001
Northwest Airlines began reinforcing its cockpit doors
Wednesday night, a company-engineered short-term fix to
thwart potential hijackers. The effort is expected to be
completed on all 442 NWA jetliners within 30 days.
Northwest spokeswoman Mary Beth Schubert said the
custom-designed security devices will be installed on an
around-the-clock schedule at select NWA maintenance bases,
including in the Twin Cities.
"NWA is committed to completing the entire program within
30 days," Schubert said.
She said the first devices were to be placed on airplanes destined
for Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
When Reagan National reopens today for the first time since
the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Northwest will be one of only six
carriers allowed to fly there. In the initial reopening phase, only
eight U.S. airports will offer direct flights to Reagan National.
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) will be
Northwest's only initial destination from the close-in
Washington airport. Schubert said Northwest will operate four
daily flights between MSP and Reagan National during the first
phase of reopening.
Northwest, the nation's fourth-largest airline, followed United
Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines in
announcing reinforcement projects for cockpit doors. Like
American and United, Northwest will use a crossbar locking
device on some planes, but Schubert said different designs are
required for different types of planes in the fleet.
"There's not a one-size-fits-all solution," she said.
"All improvements and all the security efforts are obviously
welcomed," said Will Holman, spokesman for the pilots' union
at Northwest.
The reinforcement devices are considered short-term measures
to address the threat of hijackings. Airplane manufacturers are
striving for a permanent solution to keep intruders out of
cockpits by designing new doors. But those products might not
be ready for more than a year.
Northwest declined to reveal the cost of its short-term project.
At Alaska Airlines, installation is estimated to cost less than
$5,000 a plane, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The federal government is paying for increased cockpit security
under a $500 million industry set-aside program announced
Sept. 27 by President Bush. The Federal Aviation
Administration said airlines can make initial modifications
without FAA approval, then submit paperwork to the agency
within 90 days.
Plans for a long-term solution, which must meet FAA design
standards, are expected to be submitted by manufacturers and
the airlines within six months.
"There are about 7,000 aircraft in the U.S. commercial fleet
that may be modified," said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth
Isham Cory. "There are 40 different cockpit door designs on
these aircraft."
The Northwest fleet includes seven different models of Boeing
and Airbus planes. The program at Northwest does not cover
the 109 small jets and turboprop planes at its Twin Cities-based
Airlink affiliate, Mesaba Airlines.
A Mesaba spokeswoman said company officials will meet next
week with the FAA in Washington, D.C., and move forward
with their own plan for cockpit door security.
Tammy Lee, a spokeswoman for Mendota Heights-based Sun
Country Airlines, said the carrier is working closely with
manufacturer Boeing Co. to reinforce cockpit doors on Sun
Country's 727s and 737s.
Meanwhile, Sun Country pilots are using existing equipment in
the cockpit to bar the doors, Lee said. For security reasons, she
declined to provide details.
In other airline news Wednesday, Northwest said it has resumed
its Internet check-in service. The program, which allows
electronically ticketed Northwest passengers to print boarding
passes from their personal computers, was suspended Sept. 11
through 30.
Northwest, the only major network airline to offer Internet
check-in, reopened the service after determining that it fully
complies with the FAA's latest security requirements, the
airline said in a news release.
-- Tony Kennedy is at tonyk@startribune.com .
© Copyright 2001 Star Tribune. All rights reserved. |
