INDUSTRY FOCUS

Security Breached at 38,000 Feet

Just about 55 years ago, my dad took my two younger brothers and myself from Billings MT to Salt Lake City. It didn’t really matter that we were going to my grandmother’s funeral; we were going on an airplane. Back then, it was a privilege to fly. While we were not exactly at 38,000 feet in the air, I know there was not anyone on board who wanted to pick a fight or abuse the flight crew.

Air travel has changed, and not for the better in many cases.

During the week of Halloween, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines were the latest to have to deal with “domestic terrorism” at 38,000 feet. Where does this behavior come from?

According to the FAA, through October, there have been 4,941 unruly passenger reports. Of those, 3,580 were mask-related incidents. While some people are opposed to masking up, federal and airline guidelines are clear. Masks are required. Period. Even more disturbing is the interference with the duties of a crewmember.

In late October, a male passenger chose to exhibit disorderly conduct while trying to open the cockpit door. Flight attendants tried to restrain him, when violence followed stupidity. He punched one flight attendant in the face, twice. The man earned a $52,500 fine and banned from travel on Delta.

Similarly, an American passenger now banned for life for physically assaulting a female flight attendant. The flight attendant accidently bumped the passenger while moving through the aisle. The flight attendant apologized from the action, which is clearly an accident. The errant passenger left his seat, confronted the crewmember, and punched her in the face at least twice.

This type of behavior has moved beyond atypical to an event happening on too many flights. This is a breach of security on every level. The airlines are trying to counter this disruptive behavior by banning that person from all future flights on that particular airline. Perhaps it would help if unruly passengers were permanently banned from airline travel on all commercial airlines.

American CEO Doug Parker said this incident is “one of the worst displays of unruly behavior” the airline has ever witnessed.

"Let me assure you, American Airlines will not tolerate airport or in-flight misconduct of any kind, particularly toward our crew members or airport team," Parker said, adding the airline is working with the FAA, which is authorized to issue fines of up to $50,000 for incidents like this.

Like it or not, feeling secure on a flight is paramount. Traveling by air is still a privilege.

This article originally appeared in the November / December 2021 issue of Security Today.

About the Author

Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.

Featured

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

  • AI Used as Part of Sophisticated Espionage Campaign

    A cybersecurity inflection point has been reached in which AI models has become genuinely useful in cybersecurity operation. But to no surprise, they can used for both good works and ill will. Systemic evaluations show cyber capabilities double in six months, and they have been tracking real-world cyberattacks showing how malicious actors were using AI capabilities. These capabilities were predicted and are expected to evolve, but what stood out for researchers was how quickly they have done so, at scale. Read Now

  • Why the Future of Video Security Is Happening Outside the Cloud

    For years, the cloud has captivated the physical security industry. And for good reasons. Remote access, elastic scalability and simplified maintenance reshaped how we think about deploying and managing systems. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.