Researchers Ian Carroll and Sam Curry discovered the vulnerability in FlyCASS, a third-party web-based service that some airlines use to manage the Known Crewmember (KCM) program and the Cockpit Access Security System (CASS). KCM is a Transportation Security Administration (TSA) initiative that allows pilots and flight attendants to skip security screening, and CASS enables authorized pilots to use jumpseats in cockpits when traveling.
Definitions:
SQL injection is a code injection technique used to attack data-driven applications, in which malicious SQL statements are inserted into an entry field for execution.
-Wikipedia
Security theater: Shoes and belts off.
Security circus: Pilot Captain Bobby Tables.