From The New York Times, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Alliance Defense Fund:
Flier Patience Wears Thin at Checkpoints
SUSAN STELLIN
Published: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 5:17 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, November 9, 2010 at 5:17 a.m.
As the Transportation Security Administration scrambles to address vulnerabilities in procedures for screening cargo, it is facing growing criticism from travel industry groups over the escalating security measures for passengers.
In recent weeks, representatives from the International Air Transport Association, the U.S. Travel Association, the Allied Pilots Association and British Airways have criticized the T.S.A., saying it adds intrusive and time-consuming layers of scrutiny at airport checkpoints, without effectively addressing legitimate security concerns.
The U.S. Travel Association, in fact, is worried that the more onerous screening process will discourage air travel.
“The system is broken, it’s extremely flawed and it’s absurd that we all sit back and say we can’t do anything about it,” said Geoff Freeman, executive vice president of the association. The group has convened a panel of transportation leaders to recommend a better way to balance security with a more efficient and honed screening process.
Travel industry representatives say they are primarily concerned that security procedures unnecessarily burden the vast majority of travelers and crew members. The government, they argue, should instead be using intelligence to develop a risk-based approach to screening passengers.
Specifically, they point to the new body scanners that are replacing metal detectors — which have raised privacy and health concerns, as well as prompted legal challenges — and the more invasive pat-downs, which have set off complaints about disrespectful treatment by agents.
“I think people want to say enough is enough, but they’re worried that they’re going to be perceived as weak on security,” Mr. Freeman said.
T.S.A. officials declined to discuss their checkpoint screening procedures, but sent an e-mail statement: “T.S.A. is a counterterrorism agency whose mission is to ensure the safety of the traveling public. To that end, T.S.A. deploys the latest technologies and implements comprehensive procedures that protect passengers while facilitating travel.”
But the growing chorus of complaints from travel industry leaders suggests that frustrations with policies on shoes, laptops, liquids and pat-downs may have reached a limit.
Giovanni Bisignani, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association, said in a speech at an aviation security conference in Frankfurt last week that the airlines would like to see an overhaul of the checkpoint screening process — with a greater focus on finding bad people, rather than bad objects.
“Discouraging travelers with queues into the parking lot is not a solution,” Mr. Bisignani said in his speech. “And it is not acceptable to treat passengers as terrorists until they prove themselves innocent.”
Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, said the body scanners had resulted in longer lines because passengers had to take everything out of their pockets, not just coins and cellphones.
“Within the past year or so we’ve seen longer lines, and we’re concerned about the return of the hassle factor,” Mr. Lott said.
Although the T.S.A. used to track security line wait times and post that data on its Web site so travelers knew what to expect, the agency stopped publishing that information in 2008. It is now searching for a way to automate the process of collecting wait-time data, said Lauren Gaches, an agency spokeswoman, but does not know when it will resume sharing that information with the public.
Historical data posted on tsa.gov indicates that average peak wait times were about 12 minutes in 2006 and crept up to 15 minutes in early 2008. Since then, the T.S.A. has shifted to a system that tracks the percentage of passengers who wait 20 minutes or less to go through security, and says that 99 percent of travelers have waited less than 20 minutes in security lines in 2010.
But anecdotal feedback about security wait times varies widely depending on whom you ask.
Christopher Bidwell, a vice president at the Airports Council International North America, said the trade association had not heard complaints about long security lines from its airport members. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, which tracks its own security line wait times and posts that information on its Web site, has reported lines of less than 10 minutes when randomly checked during the last two weeks.
But passengers are finding wait times can stretch well past half an hour at some airports, especially during peak departure times.
Dieter Ast, a professor in the engineering department at Cornell, said he had waited more than 40 minutes to get through the security lines at Denver and Newark airports, but rarely has a long wait at his home airport in Ithaca, N.Y.
“It’s totally unpredictable, but the larger the airport the longer you can potentially be stuck,” he said, adding that he is flying less because of frustrations with airport security and his unwillingness to submit to the body scanners.
“I’m not taking as many trips,” Professor Dieter said. “And my European friends are avoiding the U.S. because of the hassle.”
That lost business is the main fear motivating the U.S. Travel Association to speak out about frustrations with airport security, but lately others have also chimed in.
Speaking two weeks ago, Martin Broughton, the chairman of British Airways, bluntly criticized American aviation security policies, particularly for making demands on foreign carriers that are inconsistently enforced within the United States. And the president of the Allied Pilots Association, Dave Bates, sent a letter to members suggesting that they refuse to submit to the body imaging scanners based on privacy objections and the potential health risks of repeated exposure to radiation.
Last week, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed the opening brief in its case against the Department of Homeland Security, challenging the legality of using body scanners as a primary screening tool for all passengers. The government is expected to file its response by December.
Although a consensus within the travel industry is emerging that airport screening needs to be reassessed, there is less agreement about what the main problems are — and how they should be fixed. Some industry officials argue that checked bag fees are creating bottlenecks at security lines, now that more travelers are bringing larger carry-ons through the checkpoints. And passengers, who are not always prepared for the screening process, get a share of the blame.
“We can’t deny that travelers are part of the problem,” said Mr. Freeman, of the U.S. Travel Association. “Travelers have to take some responsibility for making the process better.”
T.S.A. officials declined to discuss their checkpoint screening procedures, but sent an e-mail statement: “T.S.A. is a counterterrorism agency whose mission is to ensure the safety of the traveling public. To that end, T.S.A. deploys the latest technologies and implements comprehensive procedures that protect passengers while facilitating travel.”
But the growing chorus of complaints from travel industry leaders suggests that frustrations with policies on shoes, laptops, liquids and pat-downs may have reached a limit.
Giovanni Bisignani, chief executive of the International Air Transport Association, said in a speech at an aviation security conference in Frankfurt last week that the airlines would like to see an overhaul of the checkpoint screening process — with a greater focus on finding bad people, rather than bad objects.
“Discouraging travelers with queues into the parking lot is not a solution,” Mr. Bisignani said in his speech. “And it is not acceptable to treat passengers as terrorists until they prove themselves innocent.”
Steve Lott, a spokesman for the International Air Transport Association, said the body scanners had resulted in longer lines because passengers had to take everything out of their pockets, not just coins and cellphones.
“Within the past year or so we’ve seen longer lines, and we’re concerned about the return of the hassle factor,” Mr. Lott said.
Although the T.S.A. used to track security line wait times and post that data on its Web site so travelers knew what to expect, the agency stopped publishing that information in 2008. It is now searching for a way to automate the process of collecting wait-time data, said Lauren Gaches, an agency spokeswoman, but does not know when it will resume sharing that information with the public.
Historical data posted on tsa.gov indicates that average peak wait times were about 12 minutes in 2006 and crept up to 15 minutes in early 2008. Since then, the T.S.A. has shifted to a system that tracks the percentage of passengers who wait 20 minutes or less to go through security, and says that 99 percent of travelers have waited less than 20 minutes in security lines in 2010.
But anecdotal feedback about security wait times varies widely depending on whom you ask.
Christopher Bidwell, a vice president at the Airports Council International North America, said the trade association had not heard complaints about long security lines from its airport members. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, which tracks its own security line wait times and posts that information on its Web site, has reported lines of less than 10 minutes when randomly checked during the last two weeks.
But passengers are finding wait times can stretch well past half an hour at some airports, especially during peak departure times.
Dieter Ast, a professor in the engineering department at Cornell, said he had waited more than 40 minutes to get through the security lines at Denver and Newark airports, but rarely has a long wait at his home airport in Ithaca, N.Y.
“It’s totally unpredictable, but the larger the airport the longer you can potentially be stuck,” he said, adding that he is flying less because of frustrations with airport security and his unwillingness to submit to the body scanners.
“I’m not taking as many trips,” Professor Dieter said. “And my European friends are avoiding the U.S. because of the hassle.”
That lost business is the main fear motivating the U.S. Travel Association to speak out about frustrations with airport security, but lately others have also chimed in.
Speaking two weeks ago, Martin Broughton, the chairman of British Airways, bluntly criticized American aviation security policies, particularly for making demands on foreign carriers that are inconsistently enforced within the United States. And the president of the Allied Pilots Association, Dave Bates, sent a letter to members suggesting that they refuse to submit to the body imaging scanners based on privacy objections and the potential health risks of repeated exposure to radiation.
Last week, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed the opening brief in its case against the Department of Homeland Security, challenging the legality of using body scanners as a primary screening tool for all passengers. The government is expected to file its response by December.
Although a consensus within the travel industry is emerging that airport screening needs to be reassessed, there is less agreement about what the main problems are — and how they should be fixed. Some industry officials argue that checked bag fees are creating bottlenecks at security lines, now that more travelers are bringing larger carry-ons through the checkpoints. And passengers, who are not always prepared for the screening process, get a share of the blame.
“We can’t deny that travelers are part of the problem,” said Mr. Freeman, of the U.S. Travel Association. “Travelers have to take some responsibility for making the process better.”
But anecdotal feedback about security wait times varies widely depending on whom you ask.
Christopher Bidwell, a vice president at the Airports Council International North America, said the trade association had not heard complaints about long security lines from its airport members. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, which tracks its own security line wait times and posts that information on its Web site, has reported lines of less than 10 minutes when randomly checked during the last two weeks.
But passengers are finding wait times can stretch well past half an hour at some airports, especially during peak departure times.
Dieter Ast, a professor in the engineering department at Cornell, said he had waited more than 40 minutes to get through the security lines at Denver and Newark airports, but rarely has a long wait at his home airport in Ithaca, N.Y.
“It’s totally unpredictable, but the larger the airport the longer you can potentially be stuck,” he said, adding that he is flying less because of frustrations with airport security and his unwillingness to submit to the body scanners.
“I’m not taking as many trips,” Professor Dieter said. “And my European friends are avoiding the U.S. because of the hassle.”
That lost business is the main fear motivating the U.S. Travel Association to speak out about frustrations with airport security, but lately others have also chimed in.
Speaking two weeks ago, Martin Broughton, the chairman of British Airways, bluntly criticized American aviation security policies, particularly for making demands on foreign carriers that are inconsistently enforced within the United States. And the president of the Allied Pilots Association, Dave Bates, sent a letter to members suggesting that they refuse to submit to the body imaging scanners based on privacy objections and the potential health risks of repeated exposure to radiation.
Last week, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed the opening brief in its case against the Department of Homeland Security, challenging the legality of using body scanners as a primary screening tool for all passengers. The government is expected to file its response by December.
Although a consensus within the travel industry is emerging that airport screening needs to be reassessed, there is less agreement about what the main problems are — and how they should be fixed. Some industry officials argue that checked bag fees are creating bottlenecks at security lines, now that more travelers are bringing larger carry-ons through the checkpoints. And passengers, who are not always prepared for the screening process, get a share of the blame.
“We can’t deny that travelers are part of the problem,” said Mr. Freeman, of the U.S. Travel Association. “Travelers have to take some responsibility for making the process better.”
But anecdotal feedback about security wait times varies widely depending on whom you ask.
Christopher Bidwell, a vice president at the Airports Council International North America, said the trade association had not heard complaints about long security lines from its airport members. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, which tracks its own security line wait times and posts that information on its Web site, has reported lines of less than 10 minutes when randomly checked during the last two weeks.
But passengers are finding wait times can stretch well past half an hour at some airports, especially during peak departure times.
Dieter Ast, a professor in the engineering department at Cornell, said he had waited more than 40 minutes to get through the security lines at Denver and Newark airports, but rarely has a long wait at his home airport in Ithaca, N.Y.
“It’s totally unpredictable, but the larger the airport the longer you can potentially be stuck,” he said, adding that he is flying less because of frustrations with airport security and his unwillingness to submit to the body scanners.
“I’m not taking as many trips,” Professor Dieter said. “And my European friends are avoiding the U.S. because of the hassle.”
That lost business is the main fear motivating the U.S. Travel Association to speak out about frustrations with airport security, but lately others have also chimed in.
Speaking two weeks ago, Martin Broughton, the chairman of British Airways, bluntly criticized American aviation security policies, particularly for making demands on foreign carriers that are inconsistently enforced within the United States. And the president of the Allied Pilots Association, Dave Bates, sent a letter to members suggesting that they refuse to submit to the body imaging scanners based on privacy objections and the potential health risks of repeated exposure to radiation.
Last week, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed the opening brief in its case against the Department of Homeland Security, challenging the legality of using body scanners as a primary screening tool for all passengers. The government is expected to file its response by December.
Although a consensus within the travel industry is emerging that airport screening needs to be reassessed, there is less agreement about what the main problems are — and how they should be fixed. Some industry officials argue that checked bag fees are creating bottlenecks at security lines, now that more travelers are bringing larger carry-ons through the checkpoints. And passengers, who are not always prepared for the screening process, get a share of the blame.
“We can’t deny that travelers are part of the problem,” said Mr. Freeman, of the U.S. Travel Association. “Travelers have to take some responsibility for making the process better.”
But anecdotal feedback about security wait times varies widely depending on whom you ask.
Christopher Bidwell, a vice president at the Airports Council International North America, said the trade association had not heard complaints about long security lines from its airport members. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, which tracks its own security line wait times and posts that information on its Web site, has reported lines of less than 10 minutes when randomly checked during the last two weeks.
But passengers are finding wait times can stretch well past half an hour at some airports, especially during peak departure times.
Dieter Ast, a professor in the engineering department at Cornell, said he had waited more than 40 minutes to get through the security lines at Denver and Newark airports, but rarely has a long wait at his home airport in Ithaca, N.Y.
“It’s totally unpredictable, but the larger the airport the longer you can potentially be stuck,” he said, adding that he is flying less because of frustrations with airport security and his unwillingness to submit to the body scanners.
“I’m not taking as many trips,” Professor Dieter said. “And my European friends are avoiding the U.S. because of the hassle.”
That lost business is the main fear motivating the U.S. Travel Association to speak out about frustrations with airport security, but lately others have also chimed in.
Speaking two weeks ago, Martin Broughton, the chairman of British Airways, bluntly criticized American aviation security policies, particularly for making demands on foreign carriers that are inconsistently enforced within the United States. And the president of the Allied Pilots Association, Dave Bates, sent a letter to members suggesting that they refuse to submit to the body imaging scanners based on privacy objections and the potential health risks of repeated exposure to radiation.
Last week, the Electronic Privacy Information Center filed the opening brief in its case against the Department of Homeland Security, challenging the legality of using body scanners as a primary screening tool for all passengers. The government is expected to file its response by December.
Although a consensus within the travel industry is emerging that airport screening needs to be reassessed, there is less agreement about what the main problems are — and how they should be fixed. Some industry officials argue that checked bag fees are creating bottlenecks at security lines, now that more travelers are bringing larger carry-ons through the checkpoints. And passengers, who are not always prepared for the screening process, get a share of the blame.
“We can’t deny that travelers are part of the problem,” said Mr. Freeman, of the U.S. Travel Association. “Travelers have to take some responsibility for making the process better.”
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