Carty clarifies remarks

I am dismayed that a number of news organizations have misconstrued and misreported my recent remarks about aviation security following a speech in Tokyo. There seemed to be such a fascination with a few controversial "sound bites" that the true meaning of my comments went unreported.
I have said repeatedly that aviation has become the most secure form of travel today as a result of the work that the government, airports and airlines have done in implementing a number of very sophisticated measures to identify and screen security risks.

Some news reports suggest that I am now calling for less security. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I am only calling upon the government to stop doing those tasks that have little real security value � such as prolonged searches of flight crews and airport employees who have already been carefully screened, and in some instances licensed, by the government. I urge the government to focus instead on developing even more intelligent and sophisticated methods for identifying and screening genuine security threats. I believe that smarter and more effective security measures would serve to increase customer confidence in air travel and help airlines more quickly return to profitability.

My example of searching "Aunt Molly from Iowa" � once it has been confirmed that Aunt Molly is truly Aunt Molly � is something that is clearly a diversion of limited security resources at checkpoints.

Also, we need better use of behind-the-scenes intelligence to more accurately identify genuine security threats � as well as more effective screening at the initial checkpoints so passengers do not have to be subjected to redundant random searches at the gates, too.

In all my comments, I have called upon the government to be smarter in the way it approaches security � doing fewer of those things that may cosmetically appear to translate into security, but which are not as effective as other measures the government could adopt.

Don Carty, chairman, CEO, American Airlines, Dallas/Fort Worth Airport

http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/le...ers.6eafa.html

JFK terminal evacuated for suspicious package

A terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport was briefly evacuated Friday after a suspicious package was found in a men's bathroom, the latest in a series of airport incidents after the September 11 hijacked airliner attacks on the United States.

Bomb sniffing dogs were called in, but the package was found to contain electrical circuit breakers.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/NEWS/...eut/index.html


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The Way it Should Be

The Transportation Security Administration today announced that bomb detection machinery has been installed in every airport in the country and that individual security checks will be scaled back over the next months. This was the culmination of extraordinary teamwork between Washington D.C. politicians and bureaucrats and some of America's leading corporations and research institutes. Right. Charlie Leocha has more on this pie-in-the-sky scenario.

http://www.ticked.com/cheapcharlie/2002/chbe.htm

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Given the Once-Over

On two recent flights with Southwest Airlines a reader received complete
baggage and body searches. Apparently he matched a profile because he made a
reservation within three days of travel, traveled on a one-way ticket, or
changed my time of departure. Trouble is, these searches weren't effective.
What's going on? Find out in ChrisCrossings.

http://www.ticked.com/chriscrossings/2002/crover.htm



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 06-07-2002).]

"A terminal at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport was briefly evacuated Friday after a suspicious package was found in a men's bathroom, the latest in a series of airport incidents after the September 11 hijacked airliner attacks on the United States. "

Somebody forgot something in the mens room and we evacuate yet another terminal. We must look like the stupidest nation on Earth.

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"Give me Liberty or give me Death." - Patrick Henry

Transportation Department Secretary Norman Mineta assured security experts Friday that the deadline for securing the nation's airports will be met.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/yhoo...97F98A51787%7D

Continental CEO Urges For Efficient Air Security System

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum20/HTML/005471.html

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DL Chairman Says Rate Of Industry Recovery Slowed

Leo Mullin, CEO, said Wednesday that "the rate of the industry's recovery has slowed" largely because of negative effects of the aviation security requirements put in place after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum21/HTML/006314.html

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 06-12-2002).]

A team of airline executives from Delta, Northwest and Southwest recently met in Washington with senior economic advisers in the Bush administration to voice their concerns, according to Delta' s chairman and chief executive Leo Mullin.

http://www.startribune.com/stories/671/2900494.html

Impatience grows with US airport security delays

The government is trying to make air travel more secure after Sept. 11, but Congress is growing impatient with airport security changes that the airlines and travel industry experts believe are causing unacceptable passenger delays and hurting business travel.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rf/020617/airlines_wait_1.html

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Terrorism Warnings May Dampen Summer

It could be a jittery summer for anyone who takes every single terrorist warning to heart.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/nati...-Warnings.html

Being impatient about waiting times is a small step in the right direction, but Congress should be complaining about how stupid most of the "security" procedures are. That's the real problem! If you do only what makes sense, the delays would go away.

Bruce

Good point!

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Airports get high-tech recommendations

A Silicon Valley group charged with identifying technological answers to security problems at airports has released a report recommending the adoption of several high-tech products to improve passenger safety.

http://news.com.com/2100-1023-936867.html?tag=cd_mh

In a speech at the Wings Club in New York, Bethune urged Congress and the administration to free the Transportation Security Administration, created last fall in the wake of 9/11, to use its expertise to determine appropriate methods and deadlines for customer and baggage screening. Under the Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, Congress set several arbitrary deadlines by which the TSA would accomplish certain key functions.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/020619/daw026_1.html

Please also see:

Airport security failures persist

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/004454.html

Bearable airport delays but massive security face travelers in new era

The man in the green golf shirt stepped off his flight looking as worn out as a marathon runner. He walked up to a woman wearing an airport badge and asked her where to buy a cup of coffee.

She answered with a smile and a warning.

''Starbucks is to your right,'' said Melanie Miller, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Transportation, which runs Baltimore-Washington International Airport. ``But if you're going through security, you can't bring coffee with you.''

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/3614300.htm

"Although 670,000 passengers passed through last week, the lines moved quickly, and passengers complained more about delayed flights than invasive searches."

Amazing how these reporters can never find even one person who hates these violations of our Constitutional rights... Are they on the TSA payroll, I wonder?

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"Give me Liberty or give me Death." - Patrick Henry

AA chairman says arming pilots should not be high priority

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/washington/index.ssf?/c gi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0753_BC_Pilots-Guns&&news&newsflash-washington

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum...ML/004536.html

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Carty Calls for "Trusted Traveller" card

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum71/HTML/010285.html



[This message has been edited by doc (edited 07-12-2002).]

Something Stupid in the Air - Again!

You'd have thought American Airlines would have learned its corporate lesson after chief executive Donald Carty made ill-conceived and much-reviled remarks in May about security procedures and expenditures. But the arrogant brain trust at American seems incapable of learning lessons. Two weeks ago, for example, the airline began demanding that its staff receive special and expedited treatment at security checkpoints because running crews through standard security regimens causes "unnecessary delays for the pilots, flight attendants and other employees." But airline crews--or people who look like airline crews--may actually pose a greater security risk than average passengers. Why? As American and all other carriers know, suspected terrorists have stolen dozens of U.S. flight crew uniforms, flight bags and passports in an alarming rash of hotel break-ins since September 11. "Someone or some organization is targeting flight crews at hotels around the world," the security chief at one major carrier told me this week. "Rooms are being pilfered. Valuables like jewelry, cameras and credit cards are ignored, but uniforms and ID cards are being stolen. It's obvious that terrorists think they could infiltrate the system by masquerading as a pilot or a flight attendant."

-Joe B.

http://www.zyworld.com/brancatelli/tactical.htm


[This message has been edited by doc (edited 07-12-2002).]