Are We Secure Yet?

The TSA is inching toward fulfillment of its mission, or is it? Virtually all published comments and reports on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are negative — not surprising given the circumstances and the political climate that resulted in the creation of the TSA. A number of detractors are vehemently... More

Sea-Tac's Transition The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (Sea-Tac) is in the midst of a multi-year capital improvement project to add the capacity to serve a growing region whose economy is increasingly intertwined with international markets. With the goal of making... More

Empowering Access Control The real work of access control begins after an electronic system is installed. Unfortunately, management support for the operation of such a system is not provided by a vendor. No matter how expensive and advanced an integrated access control system... More

Exposing Hostile Intent What can we learn from Ben Gurion Airport in Israel to help push aviation security in the U.S. to the next level? No airport in the world faces terrorist threats more serious than does Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, a focal point for a half-century of violence in the Middle East. Yet Ben Gurion has experienced no serious terrorist incidents for more than 30 years, leading some observers to rank the airport among the most secure in the world. What can U.S. airports learn from the way Ben... More

Flight Schools: A Continuing Risk? Emerging from a public relations tailspin, America's flight schools are taking steps to shore up their security - and keep it out of the headlines More

Small, But Safe: Washington's Tri-Cities Airport has implemented both logical and physical security improvements Winging their way out of Tri-Cities Airport in Washington bound for various points around the Western United States every year are some 250,000 airplane passengers, both commercial and private. Whether they fly aboard private and corporate planes stationed in the airport’s hangars — or aboard Horizon, Delta or United Express — their travels have been made safer by recent security improvements and more that are planned. More

Technologies Of Tomorrow

Technologies of Tomorrow In 1998, an L-1011 jet blew up at the Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey. A bomb placed in an aluminum cargo container inside the plane exploded and tore out the left side of the plane just in front of the wing. Captured on video, the dramatic explosion was not an act of terror. Instead, it was an act of security, carried out by Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) researchers working in an array of laboratories housed at the airport. Initiated to investigate the ability of aircraft... More

DESTINATION: CONTROLLED ACCESS Controlling traffic in, out and within a facility is essential to any security program. Control includes accurately identifying employees and visitors, directing or limiting their movements, and controlling inbound and outbound vehicles. Today's computerized... More

The Eyes Have It

The Eyes Have It With air safety concerns soaring all over the world, iris recognition tests are turning up at several airports in North America and Europe. In one recent implementation, British Airways (BA) and Virgin Atlantic tested a system from EyeTicket Corp. at... More

Dare We Trust?

A critical look at trusted passenger programs Much has been made since the attacks on Sept. 11 about merging technology and biometrics to establish a “Trusted Traveler” program. This immediate leap-to-technology to solve the “human” failure that let the Sept. 11 attacks succeed is not surprising. Unhappily, our American tendency is frequently to see technology as the total solution. It’s a tendency that can lead us to the brink of disaster and beyond. What is a “Trusted Traveler” program and why should we develop and implement one in our nation’s... More

Reality Check

Is the TSA up to the technology task? The magnitude of the technology system being deployed in support of the nation’s new air-travel security system defies comprehension, and observers are openly wondering if the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has taken on too much. Overall, the technology system the TSA is developing aims to protect the nation’s 429 commercial airports. Approximately 2 million passengers use U.S. airports daily, and in the course of a year, more than 900 million passengers pass through them, checking... More

Questions & Answers

with Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn After a fatal shooting on July 4 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles Mayor Jim Hahn announced a series of major security enhancements, including an investment of more than $30 million to overhaul its security infrastructure. Hahn, who also serves as chairman of the U.S. Conference of Mayor’s Aviation Safety and Security Task Force, says he is focused on ensuring the ongoing safety and security of Los Angeles. More