If you’re a frequent flyer on American Airlines, you might notice a new procedure as of today for when pilots go to the bathroom. This will eventually be coming to some planes on all US airlines, but American is one of the first to actually implement this, so let me explain what’s going on.
In 2025, we saw the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduce a new rule, requiring a secondary barrier on the flight deck of commercial airplanes in the United States, to ensure the safety of the aircraft, crew, and passengers. As the FAA described this, the intent is to slow any attack on the flight deck long enough so that the flight deck can be closed and locked before an attacker could reach it.
As flagged by PYOK, American is starting to use these cockpit barricades across the fleet as of today, Thursday, June 18, 2026. These are officially known as the “Installed Physical Secondary Barrier,” or IPSB. While these have been installed on new planes for nearly a year now, they haven’t actually been used. In recent months, flight attendants have received training on how to operate them.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on One Mile at a Time.
