Posted on: Sunday, September 8, 2002
Airport security better, but serious holes still remain
By Ledyard King
Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — Nearly a year after the terrorist hijackings of four jets exposed the vulnerability of America's aviation system, the government's ambitious plan to safeguard its skies is heading for a late arrival.
Administration officials say it will be hard to meet a Dec. 31 deadline to screen every piece of checked luggage for explosives. Government auditors have questioned the feasibility of a Nov. 19 deadline to replace private employees with federal workers at passenger screening checkpoints. And airlines doubt they can install new, stronger cockpit doors on 3,900 planes by April, as required by federal regulations.
There is not enough equipment, people and money to do the job.
Security concerns are so pronounced that pilots are petitioning a sympathetic Congress to let them carry guns in cockpits.
So is it safer to fly today?
Absolutely, say government officials, who point out scant security before Sept. 11. But even as police officers patrol airports, undercover marshals ride an increasing number of flights, and screeners routinely check passengers for sharp objects and explosive-laden shoes, aviation security has a long way to travel in a nation that cherishes customer service.
"The good news is: Flying is safe. Flying is safer than it was 30 years ago," said Brian Jenkins, who served on a 1996 aviation security commission chaired by then-Vice President Al Gore. "The bad news is that terrorists still see commercial aviation as an opportunity to kill wholesale, and they innovate to defeat our security measures. You can never say you have solved the problem once and for all."
Unscreened luggage
Jenkins and other security experts say bomb detection remains a key weakness.
Before Sept. 11, only a tiny fraction of checked luggage was screened for explosives. Congress has ordered that the newly created Transportation Security Administration inspect every bag — about 1 billion a year — by Dec. 31.
Most of the equipment needed to do that is not yet in place. As of Aug. 1, only 217 of roughly 1,200 explosives-detection machines and 275 of nearly 6,000 handheld detectors needed were in use at 59 airports, according to the Department of Transportation's inspector general.
Congressional auditors say not enough machines can be produced to meet the deadline, and many airport officials say they don't have the space for the SUV-sized machines.
Then there's the 21,600 workers needed to screen luggage. As of mid-July, only 166 had been hired, according to the inspector general. Government auditors warn that even more luggage screeners might be needed if airports rely on handheld devices instead of large machines.
Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta complained to a congressional committee recently that the bag-screening goal would be tough to achieve because lawmakers approved essentially $1 billion less for aviation security than the administration sought in this year's supplemental budget request.
None of these measures addresses the issue of cargo, which is rarely checked before it is stowed in the belly of commercial jets and remains a weak link in the aviation security chain, according to Gerald Dillingham of the General Accounting Office, Congress' watchdog arm.
Checking passengers
The TSA has concentrated on recruiting passenger screeners, and says it expects to meet a Nov. 19 deadline to federalize all airport checkpoints. As of mid-August, a little more than a third of the 33,000 screeners needed had been hired, and only 32 of the nation's 429 commercial airports had been federalized.
At an assessment center set up in June to hire 2,300 screeners for the three New York City-area airports, six out of 10 applicants failed a test measuring basic English proficiency and aptitude skills, according to a recent inspector general report. In addition, about a third of applicants nationwide fail to show up for the test, according to the report.
"Overall, what they have learned is that you have to identify from 10 to 15 people to expect to get one at the other end of the pipeline," the Dillingham said.
A lack of screeners coupled with increased security has resulted in longer lines at most airports.
The TSA goal is to have no passenger wait more than 10 minutes to be screened, but Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who has authored legislation to track passenger screening delays, said waits of 35 to 40 minutes are still common when she flies.
"We need to be able to have a process in place to get people through efficiently and safely, because without that the airlines will not be able to survive," Murray said.
The costs of post-Sept. 11 security measures combined with sagging ridership have taken a toll on the airlines. US Airways filed for bankruptcy protection in August. Midway Airlines and Vanguard Airlines filed earlier. United Airlines has warned it might have to do the same this fall if cost-cutting measures don't work.
