While Southwest Airlines has already begun using new secondary flight deck barriers to reinforce cockpit security, United Airlines has told employees that this security device will not be used until next year on United aircraft.
United Airlines Will Begin Using Secondary Flight Deck Barriers In 2026
A memo to flight attendants shared with Live And Let’s Fly states:
While you’re all trained and ready for the new secondary barrier implementation, other work groups are not. We’re delaying implementation to allow the other groups to finalize and complete training.
Reminder: Do not use the secondary barrier Types 2 and 3 until further advised in early 2026. These are found on some newly delivered B737, B787, and A321neo aircraft. Continue to use the full-size galley cart procedures until further notice.
Currently, United flight attendants block access to the front galley with a beverage cart while pilots leave the flight deck to stretch or utilize the lavatory.
The secondary barriers are a retractable, gate-like device that deploys when the main cockpit door opens (frequent United flyers might recall United used to have these on its Pratt & Whitney 757-200, which were retired in 2020).
Mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 2018 but with enforcement repeatedly delayed, these retractable barriers function like a gate to prevent unauthorized entry to the cockpit. Southwest Airlines was one of the first U.S. carriers to install these barriers on its new Boeing 737s, with the requirement for all new aircraft to have them by July 2026.
While United is taking delivery of new planes with these barriers pre-installed and also retrofitting existing aircraft, the rollout will come only after all work groups are trained on the use of the new gates (pilots and flight attendants have already been trained).
My only additional comment is that I miss the days of being able to visit the cockpit during the flight…but I suppose those days are long gone.
> Read More: Maybe It’s Time To Let Passengers Visit Cockpit Again During Flight…
images: Southwest Airlines
Listening to Charlie Sheen tell the story of being high as a kite and being allowed to take control of a plane tells me we need to protect ourselves y pilots from themselves in some cases.
She’s smiling because once that barrier is closed, cabin service is over… And she hadn’t even started yet!
I don’t quite understand why people think these secondary barriers are a good idea, particularly given their placement. Couldn’t someone with malicious intent lock themselves behind the secondary door and then begin working on the access to the flight deck via the primary door? Anyone wanting to stop them would have to get through the secondary door…