TSA-trained and deputized airline pilots serve as a critical layer of defense against security threats—but funding challenges limit the program’s effectiveness.
The Federal Flight Deck Officer (FFDO) program enhances national security by training and deputizing airline pilots to carry firearms and defend the flight deck against hostile threats. Since its inception in 2003, thousands of pilots have volunteered as FFDOs, protecting more than 23 million flights—at minimal cost to the U.S. government and taxpayers. The program was designed to be at no cost to the pilots participating in the program.
Despite its success, the program faces persistent funding shortfalls, limiting pilot training and program expansion. This underfunding creates backlogs of pilots seeking training and restricts efforts to establish necessary recurrent training facilities, such as one on the West Coast. Not having a West Coast recurrent training facility impacts the cost of participation in the program by pilots due to increase travel times.
The FFDO program continues to face several ongoing challenges:
While recent years have seen long-overdue increases in FFDO funding, ALPA continues to advocate for full funding of the program to ensure that pilots who volunteer for this vital security role have access to adequate training and resources.
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