-T / T / +T | Comment(s)

Monday, May 28, 2007

Security Roundup

Date Incident
24 MAY Investigations have been launched into Mesa Airlines by the Chicago Department of Aviation and the TSA.Two ex Mesa Flight attendant whistleblowers have disclosed how they were trained to break security rules. Marcia Pinkston says she was never given a door code. Instead she was told to do what's called piggybacking" -- going through secure doors opened by others. When she complained, she says she was told to use another employee's security code. Pinkston was also allowed to keep her airport employee badge, and it was not deactivated when she was fired. Supposedly many thousands of uncancelled and unrecovered security passes and badges are still out there.
23 May Since the State Department's buy-back program began in 2002, more than 22,000 MANPADS have been destroyed. State's fiscal 2008 budget request includes $30 million to venture abroad and destroy yet more MANPADS. "In terms of reducing the terrorist threat from shoulder-fired missiles, no programs deliver more bang for the buck," said Matthew Schroeder, arms sales monitoring project manager at the Federation of American Scientists. The State Department claims that more than 1 million MANPADS have been produced since the 1960s and that 50,000 are still of concern..
23 May A bill passed by the House of Representatives makes it a criminal act punishable by five years in prison to shine a laser at an aircraft. Exceptions such as using the lasers for defense research or to signal for help will be exempted. The legislation comes after more than 500 "reported" incidents since 1990 of pilots being illuminated in flight. The FAA has collated 186 pilot reports of laser incidents this year and more than 900 since November 2004. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says none of these incidents is in any way related to terrorist activity.
22 May New Canadian air rage rules are in effect from 16 Jun and a no-fly list on June 18. The rules will assign four levels to air rage incidents, ranging from the use of unacceptable language with a crew member to an attempt to sabotage the aircraft. The legislation will also strengthen an airline's ability to fight lawsuits launched by rejected customers. Carriers will be required to provide flight attendants with training to handle air rage. 12 year olds and older will have to show government-issued ID before they can board a commercial plane.
20 May At Tampa Florida, more than 1 ton of garbage is being collected from the airport's security checkpoints every day. Nine months after the TSA banned liquids and gels in quantities over 3 ounces from carry-on luggage, some passengers still aren't getting the message. The haul is dumped and not recycled. The airport quit recycling most materials except for cardboard as part of a staff and cost-cutting measure shortly after 9-11.
17 May A Spanair Airbus A321, flt JK5005, returned to Las Palmas (Canaries) when a 42 y.o. man from Mauritania but holding a Spanish passport, requested inflight entry to the cockpit, claiming that he was an Air Mauritania captain. The Spanair captain didn't want to fly with a passenger who wanted to enter the cockpit and who (he was told) seemed nervous and agitated. The man was disembarked but later proved to be an Air Mauritania captain who'd simply wanted to make a courtesy call upon the Spanair crew.
17 May tinyurl.com/39tejz (video). Making your very own home-made airport ID - security's no real obstacle if you've got the technology.

 

blog comments powered by Disqus