Federal Flight Deck Officer Improvement Act of 2004 - Instructs the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) study and report to certain congressional committees on the feasibility of conducting Federal flight deck officer initial training; (2) ensure that eligible pilots are offered a choice of training dates, and given advance notice of them; (3) establish a program to improve travel access to Federal flight deck officer training facilities through the use of charter flights or improved scheduled air carrier service; (4) establish qualification standards for facilities where Federal flight deck officers can receive requalification and recurrent training; and (5) provide Federal flight deck officer training, requalification training, and recurrent training at no cost to the pilots or the air carriers that employ them.
Directs the Secretary to establish a secure means for personnel of the Transportation Security Administration to communicate with Federal flight deck officers, and for Federal flight deck officers to communicate with each other.
Directs the Secretary to implement a pilot program to allow pilots participating in the Federal flight deck officer program to transport their firearms on their persons.
Encourages the President to pursue aggressively agreements with foreign governments to allow maximum deployment of Federal flight deck officers on international flights.
Requires the Secretary to work with relevant Federal agencies to obtain compensation for the death or injury of a Federal flight deck officer sustained while in the performance of his or her duties under the program.
Expresses the sense of Congress that air carriers should permit Federal flight deck officers to take a leave of absence from their employment as required to attend initial and requalification Federal flight deck officer training.