Significance
The cooper hijacking marked the beginning of the end for unscrutinized commercial airline travel. In 1973, the FAA began requiring airlines to search all passengers and their bags, leading to multiple lawsuits charging that such searches violate 4th amendment protections against search and seizure. The hijacking also led to the installation of peep holes in the cockpit doors to allow the cockpit crew to observe people in the passenger cabin without having to open the cockpit door. Lastly, this crime led to a following that was expressed in song, film, and literature. Cooper has appeared in the story lines of numerous television series and has been used for promotions in restaurants + bowling alleys throughout the Pacific Northeast.