<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RDouglas:
Last night CNN reported that three days after the attack a local Sheriff sent test teams with box cutters and other potential cutting weapons through FLL security 6 times without once being caught. When the Sheriff notified FAA, FAA threatened the Sheriff with a technical violation of FAA rules for having conducted the test. The Sheriff notified Senator Bill Nelson of Florida who obtained the weapons and displayed them to FAA Commissioner Garvey at a Senate hearing on airline safety. Senator Nelson said on the program that the federal government will move to take over airport security as a federal law enforcement function. As a postscript--since the FAA was notified of the local Sheriff's actions--FLL airport security has caught his test teams every time. While I will continue to fly, this shows once again that airport security is an absolute joke. My recent trip since the attack was proof of this as well. What do you experienced FFs think? Federalize security? Are current standards sufficient? What are you observing?</font>
This is all very scary and I agree with many of your points, however, I think we must also remember that what occured in NY, DC and Penn was "new" in the world of terrorisom. Hijackers in the past have always used guns and other heavy duty weapons. The question is what happens when we benchmark FLL to other U.S. aiports. Also, What happens when we benchmark U.S. airports to others accross the globe? What are they doing that we aren't? Or maybe they aren't doing anything differently as they aren't being targeted like the U.S.