The flight marks the beginning of the deployment of safety features across the new US commercial airline fleet.
Southwest limits refunds for plus size travelers who buy two seats
Southwest Airlines has changed its “Size Customer” policy to limit the refund of additional seats under new conditions for plus-size travelers.
Southwest Airlines began flying its first jet on Friday with a secondary barrier to flight decks designed to prevent intrusions.
Airplane – The Boeing 737 Max 8, delivered recently in the days, took off from Phoenix to Denver on Friday afternoon, the airline said.
Secondary barriers – The attack on September 11, 2001 has long been sought after exposing the risk of inadequate flight deck protection, but the pilots’ union claims it is important for aviation safety.
The flight is a milestone marking the beginning of the deployment of safety features in the new US commercial airline fleet over the next few years.
Boeing and Airbus told Reuters they have begun delivering planes with barriers under Federal Aviation Administration regulations announced in 2023.
Last month, the FAA agreed to airlines until late July 2026 to use barriers on newly delivered planes. Most major airlines plan to leverage extensions for their FAAs and not start using barriers anytime soon.
Southwest has chosen to start observing soon to receive new plane delivery, and is hoping to deliver around 25 additional Boeing planes with barriers this year.
“We felt we could get it done as soon as the aircraft was ready and put it in production,” said Justin Jones, vice president of operations at Southwest.
After four US planes were hijacked on September 11, 2001, the FAA adopted the security standards for flight decks to make them resistant to forced intrusions and fraudulent entry.
The FAA rules require aircraft manufacturers to install a second physical barrier on new planes used in US commercial passenger services, but do not require modifications to existing planes. Aircraft manufacturers without FAAs are certified as barriers, but do not yet need to be compliant.
