Difference in risk perception of onboard security threats by aircrew and aviation security experts

Abstract

Airlines are increasingly relying on non-security personnel such as cabin crews and pilots to perform a security function when dealing with potential onboard security threats. The training aircrews receive on security threat assessment is considered by many to be inadequate. The way aircrews respond to potential onboard threats can have life and death consequences for passengers and other aircrew. How these potential threats are handled can also cause significant financial loss to the airlines through loss of productivity, passenger claims or even legal liability. For this reason, it is imperative we understand how aircrews perceive security risk in order to make appropriate risk assessments. This study examines if aircrew perceive security risks the same as aviation security experts. Five scenarios representing actual potential onboard security threats were given to a group of 67 pilots, cabin crew and aviation security experts. The participants were asked a series of questions about the scenarios that measured how they perceived the potential threat as well as other questions to determine how prepared they were to deal with each scenario. The results showed that aircrews perceive and assess risk associated with onboard security threats significantly different than aviation security experts.