"Baggage swabbing will continue at Norfolk airport"

Sunday, May 26, 2002 

Baggage swabbing will continue at Norfolk airport
By DEBBIE MESSINA
The Virginian-Pilot


NORFOLK -- A baggage-screening program at Norfolk International Airport,
the first of its kind in the nation, has worked well enough that federal
officials have decided to continue it indefinitely. 

When the program began a couple of months ago, luggage was randomly
selected for scrutiny. Now every bag being checked through is opened,
riffled through and swabbed with a device that can detect traces of
explosives. 

 ``We're very pleased with the progress so far,'' said Deirdre
O'Sullivan, spokeswoman for the new Transportation Security
Administration. ``We are taking the information we're learning there and
applying it to other airports.'' 

She declined to say whether anything suspicious had been found. 

The new program has not contributed significantly to airport delays,
except during busy times when airline ticket counters are trying to
process several flights at once. 
 
Many travelers said a few extra minutes is a small price to pay for more
peace of mind. 

``The more vigilant they are, the better off we'll be,'' said Helen Bell
Dimon of Newport News. 

Deon Spence and his family had their five bags searched before their
flight to Jamaica. ``It makes me feel safe,'' the Newport News resident
said. ``The delay doesn't bother me -- that's why I'm here two hours
early.'' 

But others, mostly frequent travelers, are less tolerant. 

``It's ridiculous,'' said Bruce Enderle, a businessman from Orange
County, Calif. ``It's giving the perception of safety, that's all. It's
just a feel-good thing that's not going to stop a terrorist. 

``And no one's paying me to stand here in line.'' 

Airport officials recommend that travelers ask their airline how early
they should arrive for a flight. Generally, two hours is recommended. 

``I think you will find lines at all airports -- it's not a phenomenon
unique to Norfolk,'' said Wayne Shank, the airport's deputy executive
director. ``All airports have a lot of security-related procedures in
effect.'' 

Norfolk was chosen by the TSA as the first test site for the ``explosive
trace detection'' system. A special cloth is run across each piece of
luggage, inside and outside. The cloth is then placed in a machine that
can detect traces of explosives. 

If necessary, passengers and their bags will be pulled out of line for
more thorough screening. 

One other airport, Hagerstown Regional in Maryland, is doing the trial
as well. 

Three more airports are testing other baggage-screening devices --
Jacksonville International in Florida, Dallas Love Field and Gerald R.
Ford International in Grand Rapids, Mich. 

Congress has directed that all checked bags pass through
explosive-detection machines by the end of the year. The TSA is testing
minivan-sized machines as well as smaller tabletop equipment. 

In Norfolk, 22 explosive trace detection stations were installed at
airline ticket counters and curbside check-in sites. 

``It's an extra layer of security for the local traveling public,''
Shank said. ``If we can serve as a test case to improve security on a
national basis, we're happy to serve.''


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi?conf=DCConfID8

*****************************************