TSA Grants Airlines $100 Million For Cockpit Door Fortification

The Transportation Security Administration late yesterday announced that by the end of the week it will reimburse 58 domestic airlines for the direct cost of reinforcing cockpit doors, to the tune of $100 million in grants.

This is the second such reimbursement: Domestic carriers in April received $97 million after meeting the April 9 Congressional deadline mandating passenger airplanes flying in the United States to have reinforced cockpit doors. The mandate affected some 5,800 domestic aircraft and 4,200 foreign aircraft, which have been retrofitted with reinforced and ballistic-resistant doors to meet the new standards. The total reimbursement of $197 million, however, was awarded only to U.S. carriers.

The grants, which will be distributed by the end of the week, according to TSA spokesperson Nico Melendez, range from $22.2 million for American Airlines, to $6,850 for Chicago Express Airlines. Among the Big Six, AA--with a fleet of 1,105 planes--received the highest amount, followed by United Airlines, $14.5 million; Delta Air Lines, $11.4 million; Northwest Airlines, $11 million; Continental Airlines, $6.2 million; and US Airways, $5.9 million.

Congress appropriated the funds as part of the Emergency War Supplemental Appropriations Act. TSA, working with the Federal Aviation Administration, compiled requests for reimbursement from the airlines. Melendez said the latest award is the final reimbursement to airlines for cockpit door reinforcement, as new aircraft now are being built with fortified doors.