American Airlines Pilots Urge Support for Bill Requiring Secondary Cockpit Barriers

American planes at the gate in Miami

The union representing over 15,000 pilots at American Airlines urged Congress to pass legislation that would require larger aircraft to have secondary cockpit barriers.

The Allied Pilots Association said it supported the passage of the Saracini Aviation Safety Act of 2015, which would mandate secondary cockpit barriers for commercial aircraft equipped with more than 75 passenger seats.

The bill is named after United Airlines Capt. Victor Saracini, who was the pilot-in-command of United Airlines Flight 175, which was commandeered by terrorists and flown into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

“Secondary cockpit barriers would enhance aviation security, and we urge Congress to require their adoption,” said union president Keith Wilson. “’As the last line of defense against another such attack, we committed ourselves to doing all we could to strengthen security for crewmembers and passengers.”

(Photo: Accura Media Group)