"How good is airport security?" According to the New York
Times, the FAA says it's "good enough." But, requests for
documentation under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
are often met with apathy and red-tape. Movements toward
a "new and improved" FAA since ValuJet 592 are characterized
primarily as a public relations effort with little real
substance. Experts point to a number of possible
explanations for this scenario. These range from politics
as usual to the FAA's reluctance to enforce regulations
and fines out of fear that their actions may drive a
carrier out of business. The New York Times article comes
as no surprise to many airline employees and industry
experts. The flagrant disregard of FAA security programs
may have proved deadly on July 5, 1998 when a ProAir 737
crew discovered a passenger with a loaded handgun on board
the jet while climbing through 20,000 feet. Records indicate
the firearm had been place in checked baggage. ProAir claimed
the oversight was the responsibility of a new employee who had
not been trained. Little or no training appears to be a common
thread for some carriers, offering the airline a convenient
excuse for non-compliance. Suspending or placing an employee
on probation is not the answer. The severity of the "fine" will
serve as an effective example to all employees of the importance
placed on full compliance with security directive procedures as
suggested by USAir in the New York Times article. ©1999 AJN
http://airlinebiz.com
*** New York Times: Tests Show Holes in Airline Security (11JAN99)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/national/airport-security.html
*** Panel Urges Costly Program of Improved Airport Security (13DEC98)
http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/early/121396airport-security.html
*** FAA Statement on New York Times Aviation Security
The Federal Aviation Administration has an aggressive program
to test security at the nation's airports, and that program
has become even tougher in the last two years. The airlines
are responsible for carrying out FAA-mandated security and
they pass most of the 10,000 tests the agency conducts every
year. The violations noted in the Jan. 11 NY Times article
represent less than 20 failures per year for USAirways, which
is typical for the major airlines. However, the FAA takes any
failure seriously and holds airlines accountable for lapses.
In the years since the violations noted in the NY Times article
the agency has been working with the airlines to enhance security
by improving training for airport screeners, conducting more
realistic and aggressive testing of the security checkpoints
conducting a massive deployment of advanced security equipment
for screening checked and carry-on bags, implementing automated
passenger screening, and installing new computer-based training
workstations for security checkpoint screeners. In addition, the
FAA is preparing a rulemaking that will mandate certification
standards for companies that provide checkpoint screeners.
An electronic version of this news release is available via the
http://www.faa.gov/apa/pr/
*** AP/Seattle Post-Intelligencer error on Alaska Airlines Crash Record
The bad press that Alaska Airlines is receiving over its MD-80
maintenance records is unfortunate. Alaska's record while very
good, is not crash free as stated in the AP/Seattle
Post-Intelligencer story. On September 4, 1971 an Alaska Airlines
727-193 (N269G) crashed in the mountains near Juneau, Alaska killing
111 people on board. The Chilkat Mountain range has been the host to
a number of fatal crashes over the years with the most recent involving
a military C-12 and an Era Lear Jet. Alaska's record is especially
noteworthy considering the extreme conditions and locations it has
pioneered over the years in the remote Alaska Bush. A look inside
Seattle PI's own house may yield irregularities that might warrant
a criminal investigation by the DOT. AJN
http://www.seattle-pi.com/
http://dnausers.d-n-a.net/dnetGOjg/040971.htm
*** Grand jury probes Alaska Airlines MD-80 Maintenance records
SEATTLE (AP) -- Alaska Airlines is being investigated by a federal grand jury over
alleged irregularities in maintenance and repair records for some jetliners, the
Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Friday. The criminal investigation involving
the federal Department of Transportation is centered around allegations that
maintenance and repair work was recorded as having been done when it was not,
according to the copyright story, which cites unidentified sources close to
the case. The grand jury, which is meeting in the Northern District of California
also is looking into allegations that unauthorized employees signed off on
maintenance work, the sources said. It was not clear where the jury was seated
within the district. The Seattle-based airline, which has 500 daily departures
from 40 cities in the Western United States and Mexico, has never had a crash or
passenger fatality related to its operations since its founding in 1937.
http://cnn.com/TRAVEL/NEWS/9901/08/alaska.airlines.ap/
http://www.foxmarketwire.com/wires/0108/f_ap_0108_28.sml