Security Shortlines

Travel Downturn Predicted Fewer Americans are expected to fly this summer, but do not expect more empty seats as carriers park planes to help offset surging fuel costs. Airlines are reducing their capacity amidst a slow economy and rising jet fuel prices and the Air Transport Association says planes will be...

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Travel Downturn Predicted

Fewer Americans are expected to fly this summer, but do not expect more empty seats as carriers park planes to help offset surging fuel costs. Airlines are reducing their capacity amidst a slow economy and rising jet fuel prices and the Air Transport Association says planes will be nearly 85 percent full and delays emanating from New York area airports will remain a problem, ATA President and CEO Jim May says. Approximately 211.5 million passengers are expected to fly this summer, down approximately 1 percent from the 214.2 million passengers who traveled during the summer months of 2007. Record-high jet fuel prices, a weakening economy and airline capacity cuts are the main reasons for the reduction in the number of passengers; still airplanes will be flying with relatively full loads. And, with the cost of jet fuel approaching $170 per barrel, airlines will be taking every conceivable step to minimize delays and improve operational efficiencies.

Security Lapses Alleged

Aviation security expert Bodgan Dzakovic charges that TSA has reneged on its commitment to correct confirmed security breakdowns from his last whistleblowing disclosure, and that further mismanagement has left aviation security weaker than prior to the 9/11 attacks. Before the tragedy, Dzakovic was a senior team leader in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) "Red Team," a covert operations unit that monitored and tested aviation security. After 9/11, Dzakovic charged that FAA had refused to act on and suppressed Red Team warnings of vulnerability to hijacking - even going so far as to obstruct covert testing by supplying advance warnings to airlines of surprise tests. After two Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General investigations, in 2003 TSA conceded that gross mismanagement caused a substantial and specific danger to public health and safety contributing to 9/11, and promised wide-ranging corrective action. He says "TSA has systematically reneged on its reform commitments. It has created an appearance of tighter security by inconveniencing passengers, while avoiding the security breaches that matter to terrorists."

New Molecules Could Change the Face of Explosives Detection

Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have created complex molecules containing zinc for use in portable sensors that quickly and reliably detect the presence of plastic explosives. Sensors containing the zinc complexes are also the first devices that allow the user to identify which type of explosive is present, since each metal complex has a unique response to explosives and explosive mimics. Michael Knapp, a professor of chemistry, said "this ability is a real advantage for airport security personnel and law enforcement officials, who need to quickly detect and identify what type of explosives they are dealing with." The zinc complexes are naturally fluorescent, but they lose this ability when exposed to chemicals contained in plastic explosives, a phenomenon called quenching. Since each of the complexes react by losing different amounts of their fluorescent ability, they can be used to create sensor arrays that produce a different visual display when exposed to different explosives.

A Secure Canada

The Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA) recently awarded Unisys Canada a contract to supply, integrate and manage a new identification management system, using fingerprint and iris biometric technology to verify the identities of airport workers at 29 airports throughout Canada. The new system, based on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products from ImageWare Systems, will replace the existing application used in CATSA's Restricted Area Identification Card (RAIC) system. The RAIC system enhances aviation security by verifying the identities of airport workers via biometrics and ensuring that only those workers with security clearance are permitted to enter restricted areas. It also allows CATSA to update the security clearance status of all 100,000 airport workers instantly at all airports across the country. The contract will run two years, followed by two additional two-year option periods. The RAIC system uses contactless smart cards, fingerprint and iris readers located at entry points to restricted areas and enrollment equipment which communicates with the airport's access control systems. Airport workers scan smart cards in readers, which extract the biometric data. The user then undergoes a fingerprint or iris scan that is matched against the data on the card.

Speedy Reveal CT-80DR EDS

Reveal Imaging Technologies, a developer of advanced security inspection systems, says the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has certified its new CT-80DR explosives detection system (EDS), a dual row security device that can scan checked baggage for a wide variety of explosives at a rate of up to 226 bags per hour. "We were able to increase the speed of the system by over 80% without changing its compact size or adding any components that would affect the system's excellent reliability record and installed performance," said Michael Ellenbogen, president and CEO of Reveal Imaging Technologies. Since the introduction and certification of the first Reveal CT-80 EDS in 2004, Reveal has steadily enhanced its Computed Tomography (CT) technology and algorithm software to enable airports to scan and process passenger bags at increasingly faster speeds, while keeping false alarm rates low. CT-80DR throughput at 226 bags per hour, with anticipated increases up to 350 bags per hour by the end of the year, opens additional airport applications for the CT-80DR. Existing CT-80s can be upgraded to the latest CT-80DR performance.

Hi-Tech Security Portal Under Test

Syagen Technology recently conducted a trial deployment of its new Guardian Explosives Trace Portal system, in collaboration with the John Wayne, Orange County Airport. The month long trial was conducted at an employee entrance of the airport, where volunteer employees were screened to verify the system's detection capability, validate its reliability and confirm public acceptance in airport operation. The Guardian Portal performed successfully and without interruption, confirming its readiness for market introduction, the firm said. The Guardian Portal is the first commercially available explosives detection system to incorporate mass spectrometry (MS) detection technology. Designed and manufactured in Orange County, CA, it offers aviation security officials a new security tool with considerable benefits over currently deployed explosives detection technologies.