Official Orders Airlines to Fortify Cockpit Doors
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta ordered commercial airlines Friday to strengthen their cockpit doors within 30 days.
The nation’s two leading airlines, American and United, have already said they would install steel bars to reinforce their cockpit doors. US Airways said it would strengthen the doors, and, the Transportation Department said, Delta Air Lines is following suit.
Cockpit doors have been designed to allow flight crews to escape quickly in an emergency. But that also allowed the terrorists to break in and take control of four commercial airplanes on Sept. 11.
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