"Airports to Search More Bags By Hand, in Shift of Procedure"

Tuesday, November 5, 2002                         

Airports to Search More Bags By Hand, in Shift of Procedure
Bomb-Detection Machines Are Prone To False Alarms, Prompting Inspections
By STEPHEN POWER 
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL


WASHINGTON -- The automated bomb-detection machines being used to screen
luggage at U.S. airports are so prone to false alarms that federal
officials plan to privately search many checked bags by hand.

The inspections, which would be done without the owners of the luggage
being present, are a major shift in procedure that could subject
government workers to theft claims from air travelers.

As a result, the federal agency in charge of taking over airport
security, the Transportation Security Administration, said it is
exploring ways to safeguard passengers' checked bags. One option is to
install video cameras at airports to monitor security-workers'
activities, according to people familiar with the matter. The agency
hasn't decided how it will deal with questions such as what to do with
checked luggage that is locked, TSA officials said.

"You will see many more airports where bags will have to be opened
without the passengers around," said Rick Stephens, vice president for
homeland security and services at Boeing Co., Chicago, which has a TSA
contract to install bomb-detection machines at airports.

The prospect of government workers rifling through hundreds of bags each
day at airports is just one of many complications that are coming to
light as the TSA rushes to meet a Dec. 31 congressional deadline for
screening all checked airline luggage for explosives.

Currently, rather than require that all checked luggage be inspected for
bombs, the government allows several methods for ensuring the safety of
checked bags. So far, the most widely used method is to ensure that
checked bags are matched to passengers before takeoff. But that method
wouldn't deter suicide terrorists who board a flight and check their
bags.

A law passed following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks requires
the TSA to deploy bomb-detection equipment at all 429 U.S. commercial
airports by year's end. But the size of the automated machines the TSA
is using -- some as big as sport-utility vehicles and weighing several
tons -- have led some airports to ask Congress for an extension, citing
potential flight delays and long lines during the holiday travel season.

In addition, the automated machines have false-alarm rates as high as
30%, airline officials say, meaning that many bags will have to be
opened and searched by hand to ensure that flagged items aren't bombs.
Traditionally, airlines have reserved the right to open bags outside the
presence of their owners, but the practice was "very limited," said an
official at the Washington trade group representing major airlines, the
Air Transport Association, who declined to be named.

TSA officials said they are developing advice for passengers who plan to
fly during the holiday season. The percentage of bags that will need to
be searched by hand isn't clear because the TSA hasn't publicly
specified what methods it will use to inspect luggage at each airport,
which will vary according to facility layout. In addition to ordering
1,100 automated machines, which look for bombs by analyzing the density
of objects inside luggage, the TSA also plans to employ hand-held
devices that are used to detect explosive residue on the inside and
outside of luggage.

"We want to make sure we have a process in place that would allow for
travelers to be reassured of the safety of their items," said Leonardo
Alcivar, a spokesman for the Transportation Department, which oversees
the TSA . "It's another sea change in how security is conducted."


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