I’m just going to throw this out there, that while it’s human nature to try and talk and figure this out, please leave all door operation systems out of these discussions. Some of us have family members who fly these a/c and I am just wanting sensitive information to stay that way. Not that CNN, MSLSD and the others give a cr@p. I just expect more from FReepers. Thank you.
Operations manuals and training videos are readily available all over the Internet for all types of commercial aircraft including this one.
The whole purpose of real security is to put in place a system that even if the whole world knows how it operates, it’s still secure. “Security through obscurity” rarely works.
Security is said to depend on any or all of:
something you know (pass code)
something you have (key)
something you are (finger print)
and more secure systems use two or three of these, such as a finger print scan and a pass code, or a SecureID and a passcode, or all three.
The operation of the cockpit door sounds like it has been well thought out and offers security even if the bad guys know all of the details. However, it does rely on being able to trust the guy behind the stick. The NYT report seems pretty far fetched as it means that for the pilot to not be able to reenter the cockpit he (and the crew) have either forgotten their pass codes, the keypad refused the pass codes or otherwise malfunctioned, or - what everyone is speculating about - the other pilot at the controls actively prevented the reentry.
I feel a lot safer when proper security mechanisms have been put in place rather then relying on someone to keep a secret. Secrets are hard to keep.