The events of September 11th did acute damage to certain sectors of the ec

Along with the fall of the economy, the airline industry has been faced with struggles. After the attacks of September 11th, the senate voted to allow airline pilots to carry guns in the cockpit. This was a controversial move designed to strengthen the aviation security system. The Transportation Security Administration trained commercial airline pilots to defend their cockpits against the kind of terrorist attack that occurred on September 11th. Pilots had to undergo intense 8-day training to be permitted to carry guns aboard planes. Pilots who passed the strict physical and psychological entrance requirements were trained in close-quarter defense tactics, live firearm target shooting and simulated cockpit situations. Self-Defense training also would be offered to flight attendants. The administration estimated that as many as 85,000 pilots could be eligible for training, but fewer actually volunteered (Chicago Tribune). The proposal to arm pilots faced long odds. But pilots held an intense lobbying campaign, saying that the air transportation system was still vulnerable to attack and called guns in the cockpit “the last line of defense” against would-be hijackers (Chicago Tribune). Training airline pilots cost the Transportation Security Administration over 1 billion dollars (Chicago Trib

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