As air traffic resumes throughout the country, security measures are at the highest level since the Persian Gulf War in 1991. But more needs to be done to ensure security in our skies.
New rules beef up security around airports and forbid curbside check-ins, prevent passengers without tickets from going beyond security checkpoints and ban knives or cutting tools on airplanes. In the months ahead, federal officials could change several aspects of airline security, including jet design and pilot procedures.
The Federal Aviation Administration must move forward with these safety measures, despite the high cost and changes to air travel as we’ve known it.
One reassuring step being implemented is a plan to place armed federal agents in plain clothes on some flights. But adding armed guards will not solve safety problems. It would be logistically impossible to put agents on all the 35,000 domestic commercial flights each day, and placing firearms in aircraft could increase the risk for airborne violence.
But potentially fatal flaws plague other areas of airport and airline security. Cockpit doors are designed to be easily broken open in the event of an accident. As last week’s attack proves, the cockpit must be better protected to ensure the captain maintains control of the plane. Terrorists should not be able to turn American airliners into guided missiles.
The hijacking also showed the need for improved passenger screening. Airlines use a computer program to examine passengers’ travel history, but that system does not contain any information from law enforcement authorities. Two of the 19 suspected hijackers in last week’s attacks were being watched by the FBI, but that information was not passed onto airlines.
This system needs to be linked to national law enforcement data for it to be effective. As it stands, it is little more than a useful marketing tool.
But there are also flaws in the last line of defense before airplanes are boarded. The media has reported for years how easily it is to sneak weapons - including guns - past metal detectors and security personnel. The FAA must get a handle on this problem.
Airport screeners must be paid better, and be trained, armed and supervised to use state-of-the-art X-ray and plastic explosive detection machines. Such security personnel now only make about $6 to $10 an hour, and may only receive sparse training by the private security companies that employ them.
We are going to see drastic changes to the way we travel in the next few months. These new security measures will create new hassles for tourists, as well as the chance of higher ticket prices.
But it’s the price we pay for our own safety, and an investment worth making.
