Airlines Finish Cockpit Door Reinforcements

Three U.S. airlines said they had completed reinforcing the cockpit doors on planes in their fleets in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on four commercial jetliners.

UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines each said their aircraft were fitted with the new cockpit security bars.

United, the No. 2 U.S. airline, said all of its 611 aircraft now carry the bars. Two United planes were hijacked and crashed Sept. 11, one into the World Trade Center and one in rural Pennsylvania.

No. 4 Northwest said Friday that the installations are complete on its entire operating fleet of planes. The airline has 442 airplanes, but not all are in service.

No. 5 Continental said it worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing Co. to develop door restraints similar to a crossbar or deadbolt, depending on the aircraft. Continental has 338 aircraft.

Last week Alaska Air Group’s Alaska Airlines and New York’s JetBlue Airways said they had bulletproofed their doors with Kevlar.