A spate of recent security breaches has put aviation security on high alert, leaving many worried about flying. On Jan. 7, 2025, at Boston’s Logan Airport a man on a JetBlue flight opened the emergency door of the plane while it was taxiing. The slide deployed but passengers were able to restrain the man. This is the latest in a series of worrying events in the past few weeks.
On Jan. 6, 2025, 2 bodies were found in JetBlue plane’s landing gear compartment after landing in Fort Lauderdale from JFK.
In December, a body was found in the wheel well of a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Maui. During the same month an unauthorised passenger without a ticket boarded a Delta flight in Seattle and was found as the plane was taxiing for takeoff to Honolulu.
In November an unauthorised passenger was arrested in Paris after getting on a Delta flight from New York.
These aviation security breaches highlight vulnerabilities in the security system.
Expert Insights on Aviation Security
According to Jeff Price, an aviation security professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver:
The challenge we run into is we have a system with gaps, and those gaps are sometimes exploited.
Price and others say these are rare, but risks.
Allied Pilots Association spokesperson Dennis Tajer commented:
Right now we’re seeing some fissure cracks. They’re unacceptable. And we’ve been lucky that it hasn’t been somebody with broader nefarious intent.
How Safe Is Flying?
The National Safety Council says Americans have a 1 in 93 chance of dying in a motor vehicle crash. Deaths on aircrafts are so rare, the odds cannot be calculated. While flying is one of the safest modes of transportation, these events are a reminder to keep safety and security protocols tight.
What are your thoughts on aviation security? Share them in the comments below.
