But Is It Necessary?

One of the first things the 9/11 hijackers did once inside the cockpits was to turn off the transponders in three of the four commandeered aircraft. As a result, American Airlines Flight 77 disappeared unnoticed over Cleveland and was off the scope for 36 minutes, only to show up six minutes away from the Pentagon.

Weeks later, the government promised to require airlines beef up their transponders. That promise fell by the wayside, however, as airline revenues dove through the basement floor. In January, 2003, the FAA shelved the proposal that would have required hidden switches which, when activated by flight crew members, would alert controllers with a signal that couldn't be shut off in flight.

While some airlines continue to argue that never-off transponders aren't required now that cockpit doors have been reinforced and other security measures are in place, New York Newsday quotes some safety advocates who say it's a low-cost way to ensure there won't be any more attacks like those on New York and Washington.

"Unless they can assure themselves that there'll never be another hijacking, it might be a really cheap fix," said former FAA security advisory committee member Bob Monetti, in an interview with Newsday.

The proposal shelved last year would have, by industry estimates, cost airlines $11,788 per aircraft. That's a total of $88 million -- a cost the FAA said had to be covered by the airlines themselves. Already bleeding red ink, the airlines balked. The ATA said the chance of another wave of hijack-suicide attacks was "significantly reduced" and the proposal "inefficient and relatively ineffective."

Besides, they argued, the 9/11 hijackers burst into the cockpits of the four airliners in a matter of seconds -- not enough time for flight crew members to reset their transponders to 7500 -- the internationally recognized code for a commandeered aircraft. With reinforced and bullet-proof cockpit doors, flight crews will have plenty of time to reset and squawk, according to the ATA.

While the FAA had wanted transponders improved by March, 2005, it now looks like the entire idea is dead in the water. Even members of Congress, like Representative Peter DeFazio (D-OR), no longer consider the idea among their leading concerns.

 "The transponder issue is probably not at the top of my list," DeFazio said. Instead, he would rather see improvements in passenger and baggage screening.

FMI: www.faa.gov