WSJ: Airlines and Passengers Prepare For Added Screening Measures
By JANE COSTELLO
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ONLINE January 10, 2002
Next week, travelers can expect to see additional airport-security measures, as the airlines face a deadline to begin screening all checked luggage for bombs.
But the airlines and the federal government have yet to announce an implementation strategy that won't leave passengers facing additional delays or flight cancellations. Beefed-up security following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has already led to longer lines at the airports.
As it stands today, only a fraction of all bags checked by passengers are examined. But starting Jan. 18, the airlines will be expected to screen all checked luggage by deploying at least one, and possibly more, of four methods: explosive-detection machines, bomb-sniffing dogs, hand searches or matching bags with boarding passengers. Officials estimate there are more than one billion bags checked with airlines each year.
"The deadline will be met, we just don't know exactly what combination of tools will be used," says Michael Wascon, a spokesman for the Air Transport Authority, the airline industry trade group. "We need something that meets security objectives that doesn't sacrifice convenience and efficiency."
There are 161 certified Explosive Detection System machines installed at the nation's airports. Each machine is capable of handling approximately 250 bags an hour.
By Dec. 31, new federal guidelines stipulate that all bags will be required to be screened by these machines. In order to meet the demand, the Federal Aviation Administration estimates that a total of 2,200 EDS machines will need to be in place. But only two companies have been certified by the FAA to produce them, L-3 Communications Holdings Inc. of New York and InVision Technologies Inc. of Newark, Calif.
Airlines Likely Won't Meet a Deadline to Begin Bomb-Screening All Luggage (Dec. 17, 2001)
Luggage-Scanning Firms Make Case to House Panel Ahead of Deadline (Dec. 10, 2001)
According to the FAA, the machines cost $1 million, and an additional $1 million to install. The FAA has a total security budget of $293 million for the fiscal year, which is far short of the amount needed to purchase 2,039 additional machines.
"That's all the money we have right now," says FAA spokeswoman Rebecca Trexler. "And that's for our entire security effort, not just the purchase of EDS machines."
The FAA is also in the process of increasing the number of bomb-sniffing dog teams assigned to U.S. airports. There are 190 teams in place, with an additional 90 scheduled for deployment this year. The FAA is starting a puppy-training program at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, where sporting dogs will be bred specifically for the purpose of becoming federal, albeit four-legged, employees.
Given that it isn't feasible for airline employees to search every checked bag by hand, industry observers say that the most likely solution to the screening dilemma will involve a 100% positive passenger bag match, which the airlines already do for international flights. Luggage won't be loaded onto planes unless it is matched to a passenger who has boarded, which would prevent someone from checking a bag containing explosives and then walking away.
But while bag-match may prove to be the cornerstone of the solution to meet the looming deadline, it isn't the most secure method to insure that there isn't a bomb on board, since it's predicated on matching, not screening, checked luggage. Matching checked bags to passengers would have done nothing to prevent the Sept. 11 hijackings.
"Bag matching won't do anything to stop the new terrorists," says Michael Boyd, an aviation consultant from Evergreen, Colo. "These people have already demonstrated that they're willing to leave the world with their luggage."
Airline officials are optimistic that they will be able to meet the federal guidelines with a minimal effect on passengers.
"What's happening behind the scenes will be transparent to the customer," says US Airways spokesman, David Castleveter. "I don't believe passengers will experience any noticeable delays."
They're worried, nonetheless. Rob Albergotti, a business-development analyst from Houston, says he has had his carry-on bag searched on every flight he's taken since Sept. 11, and says he dreads that any new requirements could result in flight delays and missed connections.
"Obviously, if this genuinely improves security on the airlines then I am for it, but if history is any indication, it will be a complete disaster," he says. "If the government and the airlines do not get their act together and make it convenient for business travelers, more business trips will be canceled."
On Jan. 3, more than 50 American Airlines flights from Lambert International Airport in St. Louis were delayed when the airline conducted a test of its passenger bag match procedures.
But critics of the new airline security procedures warn that if Jan. 18 is a day like any other, it could be because nothing fundamental has changed behind the scenes.
"It could be a major mess, or it might be a media show," says Mr. Boyd. "But if nothing is different, you can be sure it's more window dressing than substance."
Write to Jane Costello at jane.costello@wsj.com. |
