"New airport security changes may slow travelers"

Friday, December 2, 2005

New airport security changes may slow travelers
PLAN INCLUDES MORE RANDOM SCREENINGS, PAT-DOWNS AS PART OF SEARCH FOR
EXPLOSIVES
By Michael Martinez
The San Jose (CA) Mercury News


Small scissors, screwdrivers, pliers and wrenches will be OK to take in
carry-on bags later this month, but fliers shouldn't expect that airline
security will be easier to navigate despite the changes announced Friday by
the Transportation Security Administration.

In fact, passengers can expect more random screenings, which could include
checking shoes for explosives, and more extensive pat-downs.

The changes, announced by TSA director Kip Hawley, take effect Dec. 22. But
it's possible they could result in longer delays at security checkpoints
during holiday travel times.

Hawley said the new plan is intended to help TSA screeners focus more on
searches for explosives and less on looking for smaller objects that aren't
viewed as a threat. Fliers will still have to walk through metal detectors
and put their carry-ons in X-ray machines.

``We are opening a lot of bags to take away objects that do not pose a great
risk,'' Hawley said in a speech to the National Press Club in Washington.
``We found that a disproportionate amount of our resources go to
line-slowing bag searches directed at objects that do not pose a real threat
of taking control of an aircraft.''

Under the new guidelines:

   . Scissors with a cutting edge of four inches or less and tools such as
screwdrivers, wrenches and pliers smaller than seven inches will be allowed
on board. Still prohibited are scissors longer than four inches, crowbars,
drills, hammers and saws.

   . Secondary screenings may include more thorough pat-downs of passengers'
legs from mid-thigh to the ankle and the entire arm, from shoulder to wrist.

   . Passengers may also be selected for additional screening, although the
types of searches are not expected to be the same each time. They may
include screening of explosives for shoes, using hand wands, pat-downs and
hand searches of carry-on luggage.

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