Air Security InitiativesStarting To Take Off
There were some very encouraging signs last week that air transport industry officials and regulators are moving quickly to shore up security in airports and aboard planes in the wake of terrorist attacks last month.
In our editorials over the past two editions, we've called for far more professional screening of passengers and luggage prior to boarding, the placement of an armed sky marshal on every commercial flight, the arming of pilots and the reinforcement of cockpit doors, all to prevent further hijackings or other security breaches. We were far from alone with these recommendations.
The voices of reason are being heard loud and clear. Indeed, last week the Air Line Pilots Association called for federal legislation to allow pilots to carry firearms in cockpits, which is now prohibited under Federal Aviation Administration regulations. That same day, FAA Administrator Jane Garvey said she was "absolutely willing" to consider such a radical step.
Right now, the pilot union is talking about a purely voluntary program, with those pilots wanting to be armed required to submit to extensive background screening and psychological testing, as well as classroom instruction and hands-on training equivalent to that received by sky marshals. But we would like to see it mandated that at least one armed pilot be included on every flight.
In a Sept. 25 article in New York's Newsday, Ms. Garvey announced that the FAA had begun a "very aggressive program" to certify trained air marshals for passenger planes at a rate of one every few days. She would not reveal how many marshals are in the air, preferring to keep terrorists guessing.
Ms. Garvey also noted that the FAA and aircraft manufacturer Boeing had already been working before last month's hijackings with people from El Al, the Israeli national airline that is an acknowledged expert in counter-terrorism, on fortification of cockpit doors to stop intruders. Now, she said, that project has been "accelerated."
Meanwhile, the FAA is looking for ways to tighten pre-flight screening, but this is no big secret. For years security experts have derided the lack of experience, training, pay and supervision of airport screeners. We need professionals at these critical posts. Perhaps the best way to standardize quality control across the country is to have these screeners hired, trained and employed by the federal government.
In a Newsday column on Sept. 25, David Evans, editor of Air Safety Week, an industry newsletter, suggested the possibility of making airports as secure as Las Vegas casinos by installing hundreds of concealed surveillance cameras to scan for suspicious behavior. He also said it seems likely that individual planes will have security cameras to let pilots know exactly what's going on inside their cabins during a crisis. These are all reasonable safety measures.
Aviation insurers can play a big role by lobbying for increased security, as well as by considering the presence or absence of these extra security measures when underwriting and setting rates. Airlines have fought security mandates as a bottom-line cost issue for years; they should be rewarded with better premium quotes if they go the extra mile on safety.
Reproduced from National Underwriter Property & Casualty/Risk & Benefits Management Edition, October 1, 2001. Copyright 2001 by The National Underwriter Company in the serial publication. All rights reserved.Copyright in this article as an independent work may be held by the author.
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