This chart indicates things may be getting better, on super thin volume, but a cross-over is usually a good thing>
stockcharts.com[h,a]waclyiay[pc13!d20,2!f][vc60][iUa12,26,9!Lf]&pref=G
One of my favorite charts, 'cause I was there>
stockcharts.com[h,a]waclyiay[pc13!d20,2!f][vc60][iUa12,26,9!Lf]&pref=G
There was an interesting story about how the FAA is going to have many more checked bag searches, without the owners present, due to the fact that these "suv" sized machines are too slow and have too many false alarms, and they can't get them installed fast enough anyway. I can post the story if anyone is interested?
Otherwise,,,
Just sitting here waiting on our bud, the FED....
Here is that story, nuttin' to do till the FED, so I have too much time on my hands>
Back to the future??
Airports to Search More Bags
By Hand, in Shift of Procedure
Bomb-Detection Machines Are Prone
To False Alarms, Prompting Inspections
By STEPHEN POWER
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
WASHINGTON -- The automated bomb-detection machines being used to screen luggage at U.S. airports are so prone to false alarms that federal officials plan to privately search many checked bags by hand.
The inspections, which would be done without the owners of the luggage being present, are a major shift in procedure that could subject government workers to theft claims from air travelers.
As a result, the federal agency in charge of taking over airport security, the Transportation Security Administration, said it is exploring ways to safeguard passengers' checked bags. One option is to install video cameras at airports to monitor security-workers' activities, according to people familiar with the matter. The agency hasn't decided how it will deal with questions such as what to do with checked luggage that is locked, TSA officials said.
"You will see many more airports where bags will have to be opened without the passengers around," said Rick Stephens, vice president for homeland security and services at Boeing Co., Chicago, which has a TSA contract to install bomb-detection machines at airports.
The prospect of government workers rifling through hundreds of bags each day at airports is just one of many complications that are coming to light as the TSA rushes to meet a Dec. 31 congressional deadline for screening all checked airline luggage for explosives.
Currently, rather than require that all checked luggage be inspected for bombs, the government allows several methods for ensuring the safety of checked bags. So far, the most widely used method is to ensure that checked bags are matched to passengers before takeoff. But that method wouldn't deter suicide terrorists who board a flight and check their bags.
A law passed following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks requires the TSA to deploy bomb-detection equipment at all 429 U.S. commercial airports by year's end. But the size of the automated machines the TSA is using -- some as big as sport-utility vehicles and weighing several tons -- have led some airports to ask Congress for an extension, citing potential flight delays and long lines during the holiday travel season.
In addition, the automated machines have false-alarm rates as high as 30%, airline officials say, meaning that many bags will have to be opened and searched by hand to ensure that flagged items aren't bombs. Traditionally, airlines have reserved the right to open bags outside the presence of their owners, but the practice was "very limited," said an official at the Washington trade group representing major airlines, the Air Transport Association, who declined to be named.
TSA officials said they are developing advice for passengers who plan to fly during the holiday season. The percentage of bags that will need to be searched by hand isn't clear because the TSA hasn't publicly specified what methods it will use to inspect luggage at each airport, which will vary according to facility layout. In addition to ordering 1,100 automated machines, which look for bombs by analyzing the density of objects inside luggage, the TSA also plans to employ hand-held devices that are used to detect explosive residue on the inside and outside of luggage.(((The machines by the former Barringer BARR, which was also a 50 cent to 11 buck runner)))
"We want to make sure we have a process in place that would allow for travelers to be reassured of the safety of their items," said Leonardo Alcivar, a spokesman for the Transportation Department, which oversees the TSA. "It's another sea change in how security is conducted." |
