Airline Crews to Get Improved Security Training

The government ordered improvements in security training programs for U.S. airline crews Wednesday to combat the threat of terrorist attacks.

Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Hanford Dole said the action, recommended by a special task force, will ensure that flight crews and employees with security roles are better trained to cope with such incidents. She directed Federal Aviation Administration chief Donald Engen to implement the measures.

“The task force recommends that the FAA and the airlines develop new training material covering recent incidents, terrorist profiles and methods of defending against terrorists,” Dole said in a statement.

“The task force found that the training could be improved by the addition of material on the current terrorist threat against civil aviation, as well as by improved methods of presentation and use of instructors.”

The recommendations were made after a nationwide study of security training and of how well airline security coordinators are doing their jobs in preventing hijackings and bombings.