Gov't Takes Air Security To Task
Washington - Congress last week began a series of hearings to identify viable ways to beef up aviation security following the Sept. 11 hijackings and subsequent devastation, even as the nation's airports adjusted to emergency security regulations imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The new FAA rules include: prohibiting curbside checkin at airports and off-airport checkin, permitting only ticketed passengers or e-ticket passengers with printed confirmations or receipts beyond the security checkpoints, barring vehicles from parking close to airport terminals (see story, page 10) and not allowing knives or cutting instruments of any size or material in the aircraft cabin. Knives may be transported only in checked baggage and airlines no longer will provide steak knives for inflight food service.
Further, airports will have extra uniformed law enforcement officers and FAA canine teams patrolling public areas. There will be thorough searches of all airports and airplanes before passengers are allowed to enter and board aircraft.
FAA is encouraging passengers to consult with their airlines for an estimate of the checkin time needed due to the new regulations, but most officials assume it will be two hours for domestic flights and longer for international travel.
FAA said armed federal air marshals would fly anonymously on select flights. Federal air marshals are FAA civil aviation security specialists who are trained for deployment on anti-hijacking missions, traditionally international flights. The U.S. Department of Transportation said it is working with other government agencies to determine if other highly trained agents may be deployed to augment the federal air marshal force. U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft already has pledged to assign a number of federal agents from other law enforcement agencies to the air marshal program.
A fact sheet on the air marshal program provided by FAA said the program was authorized under federal law in 1985. The program's training facility is at FAA's technical center in Atlantic City, N.J. According to the fact sheet, "FAA will not reveal the number or identity of the marshals, the details of their training, nor the routes they fly. No one onboard a flight will know an air marshal is present except for the pilot and flight crew. What can be said publicly is that the federal air marshals are a full-time dedicated force that continuously deploys throughout the world on all the major U.S. carriers in areas where terrorist activities indicate the high probability of attacks. Federal air marshals fly every day of the year."
FAA did say that the marshals' training facilities include an inactive five-story air traffic control tower and retired Boeing 727 and L-1011 aircraft for on-board exercises.
Although FAA also heightened airport security after the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800, the General Accounting Office and DOT's own inspector general repeatedly have criticized the effectiveness of those requirements, pointing to low-paid security screeners as a weak link in the system.
Responding to numerous calls for FAA to federalize the airport security process, the agency said it is reviewing "every aspect of security now for possible improvements." FAA already has a rule pending that will give the agency direct oversight of screening companies and impose new standards for training and testing of screening personnel. The rule also will require the use of new software FAA is deploying that will monitor how well each screener is doing at detecting dangerous objects.
In a press briefing Sept. 13, DOT secretary Norman Mineta was asked whether the airport security screening process should be federalized. Mineta responded that federalizing or nationalizing the screening system "is a longer- term issue that we are looking at as we speak." For the short term, he said, the federal government is concentrating on returning "normalcy" to the commercial aviation system.
Mineta a few days later announced that he had formed two rapid response teams comprised of aviation industry and DOT/FAA officials who will provide him with detailed recommendations by Oct. 1 on additional ways to boost security at the nation's airports and on commercial aircraft. Mineta said the department's efforts "now must turn to developing long-term, sustainable security improvements within our airports and the aircraft themselves, as we continue to provide all Americans with the highest possible levels of safety."
The teams will report to him every couple of days, the secretary said, and he will be prepared to act "immediately" on their recommendations, which he described as "action items." He said DOT already has a "strong base" of information and will build on existing analyses of recommendations.
Eight industry officials were named to the rapid response teams. Participating in the airport security team will be: Herb Kelleher, chairman of Southwest Airlines; Raymond Kelly, former commissioner of the U.S. Customs Service and a veteran law enforcement officer; Charles Barclay, president of the American Association of Airport Executives; and Richard Anderson, CEO of Northwest Airlines.
Participating in the aircraft security team, which will concentrate on aircraft integrity, especially cockpit access, will be: Robert Baker, vice chairman of American Airlines; Robert Davis, former vice president of engineering and technology for Boeing; Capt. Duane Woerth, president of the Air Line Pilots Association; and Patricia Friend, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants.
Meanwhile, in Congress, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas) sponsored a bill to authorize FAA to charge a $1 per passenger tax on all flights to expand the agency's federal air marshal program. Hutchison, the ranking member of the Senate aviation subcommittee, last year succeeded in winning congressional approval of a bill that requires criminal background checks on all baggage and security checkpoint screeners. Hutchison said that "reinstitution of the air marshal program will have U.S. law enforcement personnel randomly assigned to flights to help ensure our safety."
Reps. William Lipinski (D-Ill.), Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), all members of the House aviation subcommittee, jointly sponsored legislation to greatly expand the air marshal program, federalize the airport security screening system and limit all airline passengers to one carry-on bag. Finally, the bill would limit the amount of carry-on baggage to reduce the burden on screeners. Funding for these security improvements would come from a new $3 surcharge on airline tickets. Lipinski said lawmakers have been working on all aspects of the planned legislation "for months and years, fearful that our security system is not as good as it should be."
Similar to Hutchison's bill, the House measure significantly would increase the number of air marshals "and would create deterrence with a substantial element of uncertainty," the congressmen said. Point two of their bill would federalize the airport security screening system by replacing contract companies with trained security professionals. "Airport screeners are overworked, underpaid, undertrained and invariably work for the lowest-bidding private security firm," DeFazio said. "It's time we create a credible deterrent with a stable, well-trained federal law enforcement screening service."
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport officials last week unveiled what they described as security enhancements above what FAA is requiring and said they are suggesting that Congress adopt "aggressive initiatives" to further enhance security at airports nationwide.
DFW officials said their added security requirements include: closing all automated "airline only" entrances and requiring terminal employees to go through passenger security checkpoints before reporting to work beyond the checkpoints; discontinuing the use of airport employee trains and requiring employees to use public trains and pass through security checkpoints or undergo additional security screening; and removing all knives and other cutting instruments from kitchens and back storage areas of restaurants and stores. The airport officials said that concessionaires have removed knives and metal cutlery and will provide plastic cutlery to their customers instead.