Friendlier airports promised

By Walter Wright
Advertiser Staff Writer

Federal takeover of security checks at airports is expected to make them more efficient and "customer friendly," the Federal Aviation Administration's top officer in the Pacific said yesterday.

They're even buying shoehorns and providing chairs to make it easier for people to have their shoes searched, said FAA Pacific Representative Tweet Coleman.

"Things have gone smoothly at Honolulu International," Coleman said the day after the government took over responsibility for the checks.

"We do feel having the government in charge will improve the overall efficiency, because procedures will be standardized and at every check point the screeners will be consistent," she said.

The Department of Transportation has made it clear it wants the operations to be customer-oriented, Coleman said."The spirit at the checkpoints is to be courteous and professional to the flying public," she said.

Interim federal security directors have been assigned to all major airports in Hawai'i, Guam and Saipan, she said. Permanent directors should be in place by the end of summer in Hawai'i and by Congress' Nov. 19 deadline elsewhere in the Pacific, she said.

Hiring of screeners under the new system has been delayed by efforts to create a standardized test for all applicants, Coleman said.

The test will examine applicants' knowledge of English, human relations skills, vision acuity, and the ability to identify objects quickly on security monitors and respond if necessary, she said.

The tests might not be available until March or April.

Meanwhile, Coleman said, people interested in applying for security screening jobs can enter their names and addresses at www.tasc.dot.gov to get on the list for information about the jobs.