Airline and Airport Security

Airline & Airport Security

With the United States at war with Iraq and after the devastating effects of September 11th, airline and airport security are paramount to most American travelers. But, even before terrorists used two jetliners as weapons of mass destruction and flew them into the World Trade Center, airline and airport security was a major concern for most of us.

Before we take a closer look at the state of security today in the airline industry, it is important to understand the history of aviation security. The first major incident that happened on a U.S. airplane was the D.B. Cooper skyjacking in 1971. The man, who bought a ticket under the name of D.B. Cooper, demanded a large sum of money. If he didn't get it, he threatened to blow up the plane with explosives he was able to smuggle onto the aircraft in his carry on luggage. The airline caved to Cooper's demands and paid the ransom. After receiving the money, he lowered the stairs at the back of the plane and parachuted out. To this day he has never been found. In the years from 1971 until the present, there have been more than 200 major attacks worldwide and more than 2,000 innocent people killed as a result. (Eisenberg) Airline and airport security has been largely reactive and is rarely proactive. When a major event occurs -- like the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland -- the airline industry and the Federal government reacts and implements new security measures to prevent a similar occurrence from happening. Today, the government and airline officials are planning ahead and trying to develop new ways to deal with hijackers armed with anything from a pen knife to a chemical or biological weapon.

So what is the government doing in order to enhance airline and airport security in the U.S. According to the White House website, "Since September 11, the U.S. government has been steadily increasing the number of Federal Air Marshals using law enforcement officers loaned from various federal agencies. The President will continue to expand the Air Marshal program and seek congressional approval to make this expansion permanent. The requirements and qualifications of Federal Air Marshals are among the most stringent of any U.S. federal law enforcement agency." (The White House) In addition to adding air marshal's to flights, the White House also has instituted a Federal Grant Program to Strengthen Aircraft Security. This program aims to:

Restrict opening of the cockpit door during flight

Fortify cockpit doors to deny access from the cabin to the pilots in the cockpit;

Alert the cockpit crew to activity in the cabin; and Ensure continuous operation of the aircraft transponder in the event the crew faces an emergency.

Additionally, the President is working with Congress to put the federal government in charge of all airport security and screening services. This new security will be performed by a combination of federal and non-federal workers, with federal uniformed personnel managing all operations and maintaining a visible presence at all commercial airports. (The White House)

So why was airport security so poor and why has it been under constant scrutiny by the public and the FAA? Even before the terrorist attacks on September 11th, the airport security industry was troubled. Airport security companies were forced to work under a vicious cycle of economic forces that it could not control. Airlines, in order to save money, have commonly gone with the lowest bidder. In order to win these contract, security companies paid a lower wage to its employees. Sometimes the old adage of you get what you pay for is true. Security staff workers at airports received little training and had limited backgrounds in the field of security. Most had no security background at all. (Boyne) This type of inert protection may have worked well in the 1970's when threat of a non-violent, non-suicidal hijacker with a metal weapon was involved. Under those conditions it might have been enough to use metal detectors and pay "security screeners" minimum wage to pat people down. But, with the new threats that face all passengers on commercial airlines it is imperative that this out-dated type of security receives a complete over haul. It is no longer appropriate for airline passengers to breeze through security check points. A post-September 11th America is now demanding that airline and airport security be addressed and deficiencies remedied.

So is the Governments 11th hour intervention enough to calm the nerves of nervous airline passengers? Should the Government be taking over security, or should they allow the security at airports to remain privatized? "Federalization of the nations (airport security workers) would not have prevented any of the events of September 11th" (Moran) Most feel that the "key element in the successful privatization of airport security is stringent government oversight of the process." (Pickel)