"Airport security changes urged"

Thursday, June 27, 2002

Airport security changes urged 
American calls for 'smarter' screening of airline employees 
By JIM MORRIS
The Dallas (TX) Morning News 


WASHINGTON - An American Airlines contingent lobbied Wednesday for new
security screening procedures for pilots, flight attendants and ground
agents, saying the current system is cumbersome and inconsistent. 

After meeting with members of Congress, American employees said at a
news conference that workers who have already undergone background
checks should not be subjected to the same level of screening as
passengers. 

Will Ris, American's senior vice president for government affairs, said
the Transportation Security Administration should create a "universal"
identification system for airline employees - verified by biometric
components such as fingerprints or retinal scans - that would allow them
to move more quickly through security checkpoints. 

"We don't want less security," said John Hale, American's chief pilot at
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. "We just want to use our
resources in a better way." 

The Transportation Security Administration has established a special
screening lane at Baltimore-Washington International Airport for flight
crew members, disabled passengers and others who require extra help,
said spokeswoman Deirdre O'Sullivan. 

The agency hopes to apply this idea to other airports, Ms. O'Sullivan
said, although the configuration of some checkpoints may not allow such
lanes. 

Ms. O'Sullivan said the agency is considering universal ID cards for
airline employees among "numerous options." It is also trying to make
screening more uniform around the country, she said. 

Several American employees said Wednesday that disparate screening
standards have led to flight delays and, on occasion, public
humiliation. 

Terry Lynch, a Los Angeles-based flight attendant, spoke of one
colleague who had her underwear held aloft by a screener. 

Mr. Hale said he believes that passengers find it disconcerting when
crew members are all but asked to "disrobe" at checkpoints. 

In a May 21 letter to Transportation Security chief John Magaw, three
American executives wrote: "We must design a new security regime that
provides air transportation workers with seamless and expedited movement
within and between airports. This means we need airline employee
screening processes backed by a centralized, national database, and that
any airline employee screening should be standardized, reasonable and
separate from passenger screening measures. Anything short of this does
not improve on the current system and does little to deter terrorism." 

While airline employees should be screened, the executives wrote, such
screening "should be accomplished at separate employee portals manned by
TSA employees who use appropriate and consistent protocols designed to
minimize operational disruptions." 

Mr. Ris said the TSA has not responded to the letter. However, he said,
members of Congress and officials with other airlines are supportive of
American's campaign for what it calls "smarter" screening procedures.


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