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Pilots welcome gun option
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Pilots welcome gun option
Group confident of law's passage
By James Pilcher, jpilcher@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Now that Congress has overwhelmingly approved allowing commercial airline pilots to carry guns, advocates say armed pilots could be flying by early next year.
Feigenblatt
"It's a done deal now," Anderson Township airline pilot Marc Feigenblattsaid Friday. Mr. Feigenblatt is vice chairman of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, a group of pilots which has fought for the right to be armed
on duty. "We could have a bill signed within a couple of weeks and have armed pilots by early next year."
The Senate voted Thursday 87-6 to allow guns in the cockpit. The House
passed an almost identical bill 310-113 on July 10. The only obstacle now is a veto by President Bush, whose administration initially opposed the idea but has since softened.
Mr. Feigenblatt and others don't think a veto is likely because the Senate version was attached to a homeland security bill that the White House is trying to get passed.
GUN PROGRAM
Here are the basic elements of the cockpit gun program approved by both the House and the Senate:
Would be voluntary. Pilots who apply would undergo a background check similar to those for potential federal law enforcement agents. They would be considered federal "flight deck officers," but would not receive any extra pay.
Would include an extensive training program to be devised and conducted by a federal agency yet to be determined. The government would also supply the guns.
Allows pilots to use force only if "the officer reasonably believes that the security of the aircraft is at risk."
Removes liability from the individual airlines or the pilots.
A previous aviation security law, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, allows for guns in cockpits, but only with the approval of the airline and by the head of the Transportation Security Administration. This new legislation would remove those barriers.
Administration officials have previously come out against arming pilots, but Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta recently asked for a review of the issue.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Friday that many issues still need to be worked out, such as where guns are stored, and how airlines would handle the absence of pilots for firearms training. The Transportation Security Administration has raised similar concerns.
Still, "the president understands Congress's intent here (and) wants to work with Congress to provide this safety to passengers," Mr. Fleischer said.
The Senate and House versions call for a voluntary program that would turn pilots into federal officers who would use the guns only as a last resort if the cockpit were under attack.
Those who volunteer and pass a rigorous background check would undergo federal training. The federal government also would pay for the guns.
The transportation administration estimates the program could cost up to $900 million.
Not all airline pilots endorse the idea, including Susanne Dortch of Mount Lookout, who said a gun would make the cockpit an even more tempting target.
"It would just make us more vulnerable," Ms. Dortch said.
Airlines also remain opposed to the idea, even though both versions of the bill provide liability exemptions for pilots and airlines. Top executives of the nation's largest domestic carriers - including Delta Air Lines' chairman and chief executive officer Leo Mullin - sent a letter to every senator earlier this week raising safety concerns.
"How often are firearms utilized by trained law enforcement officers lost, misplaced, stolen, fired accidentally or used against the officer carrying the weapon?" he asked in the letter.
But Mr. Feigenblatt said he's confident that all the issues can be resolved.
http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/09/07/loc_pilots_welcome_gun.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Group confident of law's passage
By James Pilcher, jpilcher@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Now that Congress has overwhelmingly approved allowing commercial airline pilots to carry guns, advocates say armed pilots could be flying by early next year.
Feigenblatt
"It's a done deal now," Anderson Township airline pilot Marc Feigenblattsaid Friday. Mr. Feigenblatt is vice chairman of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance, a group of pilots which has fought for the right to be armed
on duty. "We could have a bill signed within a couple of weeks and have armed pilots by early next year."
The Senate voted Thursday 87-6 to allow guns in the cockpit. The House
passed an almost identical bill 310-113 on July 10. The only obstacle now is a veto by President Bush, whose administration initially opposed the idea but has since softened.
Mr. Feigenblatt and others don't think a veto is likely because the Senate version was attached to a homeland security bill that the White House is trying to get passed.
GUN PROGRAM
Here are the basic elements of the cockpit gun program approved by both the House and the Senate:
Would be voluntary. Pilots who apply would undergo a background check similar to those for potential federal law enforcement agents. They would be considered federal "flight deck officers," but would not receive any extra pay.
Would include an extensive training program to be devised and conducted by a federal agency yet to be determined. The government would also supply the guns.
Allows pilots to use force only if "the officer reasonably believes that the security of the aircraft is at risk."
Removes liability from the individual airlines or the pilots.
A previous aviation security law, passed in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks, allows for guns in cockpits, but only with the approval of the airline and by the head of the Transportation Security Administration. This new legislation would remove those barriers.
Administration officials have previously come out against arming pilots, but Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta recently asked for a review of the issue.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Friday that many issues still need to be worked out, such as where guns are stored, and how airlines would handle the absence of pilots for firearms training. The Transportation Security Administration has raised similar concerns.
Still, "the president understands Congress's intent here (and) wants to work with Congress to provide this safety to passengers," Mr. Fleischer said.
The Senate and House versions call for a voluntary program that would turn pilots into federal officers who would use the guns only as a last resort if the cockpit were under attack.
Those who volunteer and pass a rigorous background check would undergo federal training. The federal government also would pay for the guns.
The transportation administration estimates the program could cost up to $900 million.
Not all airline pilots endorse the idea, including Susanne Dortch of Mount Lookout, who said a gun would make the cockpit an even more tempting target.
"It would just make us more vulnerable," Ms. Dortch said.
Airlines also remain opposed to the idea, even though both versions of the bill provide liability exemptions for pilots and airlines. Top executives of the nation's largest domestic carriers - including Delta Air Lines' chairman and chief executive officer Leo Mullin - sent a letter to every senator earlier this week raising safety concerns.
"How often are firearms utilized by trained law enforcement officers lost, misplaced, stolen, fired accidentally or used against the officer carrying the weapon?" he asked in the letter.
But Mr. Feigenblatt said he's confident that all the issues can be resolved.
http://enquirer.com/editions/2002/09/07/loc_pilots_welcome_gun.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Comments
By Jeff Johnson
CNSNews.com Congressional Bureau Chief
September 09, 2002
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - The airline pilots' group that proposed arming commercial airline pilots with handguns wants Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta fired for his opposition to the plan.
"Secretary Mineta's opposition to arming pilots is not based in reason, but is based upon an emotional and visceral aversion to firearms in the hands of anyone but federal agents," said Capt. Tracy Price, chairman of the Airline Pilots Security Alliance (APSA).
APSA began working almost immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks to promote measures authorizing properly trained pilots, who complete training and background checks, to carry handguns onboard their planes for self-defense.
Legislation to that effect, Sen. Bob Smith's (R-N.H.) Arming Pilots Against Terrorism and Cabin Defense Act of 2002 (S. 2554), was amended to homeland security legislation Thursday by a vote of 87 to 6.
The pilots' group also promoted similar legislation in the House, the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act (H.R. 4635), which passed July 10 by a vote of 310 to 113.
Mineta has consistently opposed arming pilots with any lethal weapons.
"I don't feel that we should have lethal weapons in the cockpit," he said at a March 4 press conference.
Mineta has also argued that implementing such a program would be cost prohibitive.
"I don't want to be in the position of having armed pilots and then all of the sudden facing a bill of $850-900 million in terms of the start-up costs, the training, getting the weapons for 85,000 pilots, and then doing the $250-$260 million in annual costs to do quarterly recurrent training," he told the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee July 25.
Price scoffed at the alleged costs.
"These figures are ridiculously over-inflated and Secretary Mineta knows it," he said. "Many highly-qualified firearms training institutions have said this training can be accomplished for less than $1,500 per pilot."
Assuming 60,000 of the 85,000 eligible pilots apply and pass a background investigation, Price estimated the actual costs for the program would be only $110 million, including the purchase price of the firearms. Annual re-certification costs would be one-tenth to one-fifth that amount.
Mineta's bias against firearms in civilian hands, Price speculated, is motivating his alleged inflation of cost estimates.
"He is attempting to undermine a highly cost-effective program that will provide real security to the traveling public," he said.
Price said Mineta should have stepped down from his post when Congress passed the first legislation to arm pilots, to which Mineta also objected.
"An honorable man would have resigned long ago," Price said. "It is time for President Bush to replace Secretary Mineta with a leader who ... will work in good faith with pilot groups to implement an armed pilot program."
Calls to the Department of Transportation requesting comment for this story were not returned.
Chronology of the Armed Pilot Debate
November 19, 2001 - The House passed the Airport Security Federalization Act, giving Mineta the option to arm pilots and establishing minimum requirements for an armed pilot program.
Nov. 20 - Pilots' unions wrote Mineta, offering their assistance in developing the training program mandated by the legislation.
Dec. 7 - Reps. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) and Don Young (R-Alaska), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, launched a petition drive to move the issue forward. "The goal of the letter is to encourage the secretary, as he makes a decision in hiring an under secretary of transportation, to keep in mind what Congress put into law regarding the authorization of commercial pilots to carry firearms in the cockpits of their aircraft," Michael Jahr, spokesman for Hostettler, said.
February 3-9, 2002 - a survey of members of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) showed 73 percent-supported "authorization of pilots who volunteer to be armed with firearms for defense of the flight deck."
March 4 - Mineta continued to oppose arming pilots. "I've expressed a personal opinion on this ... I don't feel that we should have lethal weapons in the cockpit.
April 29 - Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee, announced hearings into why the newly-created Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had not yet implemented the armed pilot program.
May 1 - Mica and Young introduced legislation to make the armed pilots program mandatory.
May 1 - White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe reiterated the administration's opposition to arming pilots. "We don't need to have a potential for handguns getting loose on airplanes," he said, claiming arming pilots "could create more danger than it eliminates."
May 21 - Acting Undersecretary for Transportation Security John Magaw announced his opposition to the proposal: "After a lot consultation and realizing my experience in law enforcement, I will not authorize firearms in the cockpit."
May 23 - Sen. Bob Smith (R-N.H.) introduced the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism and Cabin Defense Act, which would also create a mandatory armed pilot program.
May 23 - The Law Enforcement Alliance of America, the nation's largest group of law enforcement officers and crime victims, announced its support of the armed pilots concept. LEAA Executive Director James Fotis said, "Undersecretary Magaw and Transportation Secretary Mineta need to put aside their anti-gun hysteria and listen to reason. Any security policy that culminates in allowing a military fighter jet to shoot down a jetliner full of innocent Americans certainly has room for a trained pilot armed with a handgun as an alternative."
July 10 - The House passed the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism Act, mandating an armed pilot program, by a vote of 310 to 113.
July 18 - Magaw, who had served as head of the Secret Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, before taking over the Transportation Security Administration, left the TSA "for health reasons." Adm. James Loy, retired commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, is named as Magaw's successor.
July 19 - Ellen Saracini spoke on Capitol Hill in support of arming pilots. She is the widow of pilot Victor Saracini, who was killed when terrorists hijacked his United Airlines Flight 175 and flew it into Tower II of the World Trade Center. "Because the September 11th hijackers were armed with only box cutters, armed pilots would probably have been able to neutralize them before any significant loss of life took place ... Certainly, the possibility of commandeering the aircraft would have been significantly reduced."
July 25 - Loy expressed reluctance over the issue. "I need to learn about this and get up the learning curve very quickly ... I can say that on the upshot, I'm hesitant, but I'm also being directed to conduct a review, and I will do that."
Sept. 5 - The Senate passed the Arming Pilots Against Terrorism and Cabin Defense Act by a vote of 86 to 7.
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.asp?Page=\Nation\archive\200209\NAT20020909b.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Legislation
To: National Desk
Contact: Alan Gottlieb or Joe Waldron, 425-454-4911
both of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep
and Bear Arms
BELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Having been first to
call for the arming of commercial airline pilots just hours after
the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington,
DC, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms
(CCRKBA) today hailed passage of legislation in the U.S. Senate
that will allow guns in the cockpit.
"This landmark legislation will provide a last line of defense
for flight crews and passengers," said CCRKBA Chairman Alan
Gottlieb. "The time for airline security half-measures passed the
moment that first plane hit the Twin Towers one year ago. American
travelers have a right to feel safe, and flight crews have a right
to defend themselves and their airplanes."
The Senate bill passed 87-6, and was attached to legislation
aimed at creating a new Cabinet agency to combat terrorism within
U.S. borders. In July, the House passed a bill 310-113 that would
create a firearms training program for pilots who volunteer as
special deputies.
CCRKBA's call for armed pilots was answered within days of the
attack, with the introduction of the first of several aviation
security bills. Other organizations, most notably the Airline
Pilots Security Alliance, Air Line Pilots Association and Air
Travelers Association, quickly followed CCRKBA's lead in pushing
for armed pilots.
"Volunteer pilots, who go through approved training, can provide
one more layer of security against the kind of terrorist outrage
that occurred last year," Gottlieb said. "There may not be an air
marshal on every flight, but you can bet every airplane has a
pilot. Obviously, public sentiment and political momentum
overwhelmingly support this idea, and it should become law."
CCRKBA Executive Director Joe Waldron, meanwhile, congratulated
the Bush Administration's policy reversal on armed pilots. He said
a proposal to arm about 1,400 pilots in a "test program" is a good
first step, but he hopes that program expands rapidly to allow all
pilots the option of being trained and flying armed.
"If we are truly going to have safety in the skies, then we must
allow all flight crews the choice of flying armed to provide a
critical last line of defense against terrorists," Waldron stated.
With more than 650,000 members and supporters nationwide, the
Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms is one of
the nation's premier gun rights organizations. As a non-profit
organization, the Citizens Committee is dedicated to preserving
firearms freedoms through active lobbying of elected officials and
facilitating grass-roots organization of gun rights activists in
local communities throughout the United States.
http://www.usnewswire.com
-0-
/U.S. Newswire 202-347-2770/
09/06 14:00
Copyright 2002, U.S. Newswire
http://www.usnewswire.com/topnews/prime/0906-128.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Copyright 2002 by Agence France-Presse (via ClariNet)
STOCKHOLM, Sept 6 (AFP) - Scandinavian airline pilots including those working for Nordic carrier SAS are opposed to carrying guns in the cockpit as an anti-terrorism measure, their representatives said on Friday.
The statement by the Swedish and Danish pilots' associations was a reaction to the US Senate's overwhelming vote on Thursday giving airline pilots the right to carry firearms to do battle with would-be hijackers.
"That may be America's chosen solution to security problems, but it's not one to that our pilots share at this stage," said Micael Rongve, secretary-general of the Swedish association.
US Senators on Thursday voted 87-6 to arm commercial airline pilots and allow them to use lethal force to defend their aircraft.
After the September 11 attacks, in which passenger planes were hijacked and crashed into US landmarks, killing thousands, US pilots fiercely argued that only lethal force could counter the deadly threat of hijackings.
But SAS spokesman Troels Rasmussen warned that measures to arm pilots could end up inadvertently arming the terrorists -- and make it easier for would-be hijackers to board flights.
"Rather than attempting to smuggle a weapon onto a plane, a hijacker will simply try to get to the weapons in the cockpit," Rasmussen said.
http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/dj/Qsweden-denmark-aviation.RF0E_CS6.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Savannah Morning News
THE SEPT. 11 hijackers succeeded because they were able to kill defenseless pilots and seize the controls of airliners. Nevertheless, the Bush administration had ardently opposed arming pilots as a last line of defense against terrorists -- until late last week, when it finally budged, but only a bit, and only after the idea was overwhelmingly supported by the public, the pilots and both houses of Congress.
The administration agreed last Thursday to implement a "test program" in which 2 percent of the nation's commercial pilots would be allowed to carry firearms in the cockpit. Still, that represents progress from the executive branch's previous stubborn opposition to arming any pilots.
It is sensible that pilots who are entrusted to operate complex machinery at high speeds and altitudes with hundreds of lives at stake can be trusted to use a simple firearm responsibly. A majority of pilots are ex-military, and all will receive refresher training before they are issued weapons.
Airport security remains alarmingly inadequate. Last March a federal test at 32 airports found that screeners missed 30 percent of guns, 60 percent of simulated explosives, and 70 percent of knives. Plus, despite increased hiring of armed sky marshals, there still are only 1,000 such officers to board the nearly 35,000 flights per day in the United States.
Armed pilots would be an additional -- and stronger -- deterrent against hijackers, who would have to conclude that their odds of succeeding would drop dramatically at the cockpit door.
Finally, it is official U.S. policy to have Air Force jets destroy an airliner that has been hijacked and which poses a threat to ground installations, regardless of whether there are innocent passengers aboard. Before taking that drastic step, the government should give pilots -- all pilots, not just a fraction -- the means to defend themselves and maintain control of their planes.
http://www.savannahnow.com/stories/090802/OPEDopedpilots.shtml
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
By James M. Loy
As much as anyone, the dedicated employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) want the security of traveling Americans honed to its sharpest possible edge. And we are the first to admit that there have been problems.
But let's keep perspective. Americans had a great reluctance to travel, particularly by air, in the weeks after that tragic Sept. 11. Now, polls show, much of their confidence in air-travel security has been restored. Everyone who has worked to improve security - and that includes TSA employees - should view that positive shift as strong testimony to the success of their efforts.
The bottom line is, only a year after terrorism was visited upon our nation, we have made tremendous progress. It has been less than 10 months since Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta began implementing the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, signed by President Bush on Nov. 19.
In late January, the TSA had only 13 permanent employees. Now, 145 new federal airport-security directors have been hired. The TSA has done background checks on more than a million airport workers. An unprecedented number of federal air marshals are on flights.
Yes, air marshals have a tough job, but contrary to reports in USA TODAY, there are fewer resignations than in many other law enforcement agencies, and morale is strong.
The Nov. 19 deadline for replacing private screeners with more than 30,000 federal screeners will be met. We expect to come close to meeting the Dec. 31 deadline for having more than 22,000 baggage screeners and necessary equipment in place.
It was never the TSA's intention to put large explosive-detection machines in every airport. Lightweight explosive-trace detectors can do the job in many airports.
Already, we are having a palpable impact. Since assuming responsibility for airport security on Feb. 17, the TSA has confiscated nearly 2.4 million prohibited items, including 23,970 box cutters and 527 firearms.
We also are making air travel more hassle-free for the 5 million passengers, on average, who fly each day. Waiting times at security checkpoints are shrinking. Passengers no longer must be questioned about whether they have had control of their bags or were asked to carry something on a flight.
The TSA has not ignored security for shipping, highways or rail. Measures to make cargo more secure have been implemented. We are working on a security-identification program for transportation workers - private and public.
All that - and more - does not smack of federal decision-makers failing to follow up on their promises. And that is not the record of a workforce lacking a sense of urgency. Rather, it reflects our commitment to creating from scratch a complex new agency with the responsibility for protecting all modes of transportation.
James M. Loy, acting undersecretary of the Transportation Department for security, heads the Transportation Security Administration
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2002-09-09-oppose_x.htm
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Monday, September 9, 2002
BY JOHN KEAHEY
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
University of Utah vice president and frequent air traveler Mike Mattsson believes Americans are safer in the air today than they were a year ago.
"Nothing is foolproof, of course," said the Salt Lake City campus's chief fund-raiser. But new security measures "have enhanced our safety."
Mattsson has flown twice across the country and once to the West Coast since the attacks of Sept. 11 proved air travel was an all-too-easy tool of terrorism.
He has navigated the new explosive-detection screenings now required prior to checking his bags. He has endured the prodding of screeners at concourse security checkpoints where fliers' shoes are often removed and X-rayed. And he has safely negotiated the addition of random searches just before boarding a flight.
The gantlet of checks is worth the peace of mind, he said.
But for every traveler who feels safer, there is a critic who charges that airport changes are more show than substance. Neither the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) nor the airlines are doing their jobs in the wake of the nation's most horrific aviation-related disaster, critics say.
In a statement issued last week, the Association of Flight Attendants AFL-CIO blamed airlines for "inadequate security training [that] has left flight attendants unprotected and unable to defend themselves."
And while cockpit doors have been reinforced and are now locked from the inside during flights, the nation remains sharply divided over whether pilots should carry firearms.
And then there are the ongoing -- and unsettling -- mishaps.
Earlier this summer, a woman carrying a gun in her purse walked freely through airport screeners in Atlanta. In July, an Idaho mayor with a loaded .40 caliber pistol in his briefcase passed undetected through heightened security at the Boise Airport.
And, last month, phony employee ID badges were uncovered at LAX and other airports in Southern California.
"We're not safer than we were a year ago," said Mike Boyd, head of the Colorado-based aviation consulting firm, The Boyd Group. "We have more bureaucracy, more inconvenience, less air travel."
Some passengers are forced to remove their shoes and endure multiple screenings, Boyd said, while others whisk guns -- mostly by accident -- onto fully loaded planes.
"We are not addressing real threats," he said. "It's not security; it's harassing passengers -- all because we are angry we got caught with our pants down a year ago. Anyone in government who tells you that you are much safer is a liar."
Former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) agent Steve Elson of New Orleans agrees with Boyd's assessment.
"We are doing little to stop the threat of explosives getting on the plane," despite the "window dressing" of screeners using explosive-detection wands on baggage before it is checked, Elson said.
"A terrorist who sits and watches what they do with the luggage before it's checked will see patterns and be able to beat them," says Elson, who resigned from the FAA in 1999 over frustration with its security policies.
Into the middle of these disparate points of view the nation's leaders dropped TSA -- created out of the ashes of 9-11 to take over the security responsibilities once in the hands of Elson's agency, the FAA.
"On the whole, we don't get the same reaction from the public that" Boyd and others give, said TSA's Washington, D.C.-based spokeswoman Heather Rosenker.
And to solve these problems, "you've got to work on this one airport at a time," she said, referring to the security lapses in Atlanta, Idaho and southern California.
"People recognize the need for what we do."
Rosenker seems to be supported by the results of a random survey of more than 1,000 adults by the national group AAA Travel, which bills itself as the nation's largest full-service leisure travel agency and stands to profit by increased air travel by the public.
The survey indicates a large majority of Americans "are willing to wait in line longer, pay more surcharges, and do whatever's necessary to make flying as safe as possible," said AAA spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough.
And security has improved in Salt Lake City, contends Earl Morris, who heads the TSA's new security operations at Salt Lake City International and Utah's four other commercial airports: Moab, Vernal, St. George and Cedar City.
"Contrary to what some might say, security is better," said Morris, who retired in July as deputy state commissioner of public safety and as a colonel in the Utah Highway Patrol.
"At this airport, we got a big jump on other airports because of the Olympics," he said. "We already are doing 100 percent screening of checked baggage."
That places Salt Lake City way ahead of a slippery Dec. 31 deadline for the nation's 429 soon-to-be-federalized airports to also screen 100 percent of checked baggage.
The screening involves waving hand-held devices over luggage to check for explosive material. Some checked bags also are selected for additional screening by giant X-ray machines.
But, because of cost and administrative lapses, the national deadline for installing equipment and beginning this kind of close examination remains in doubt for many of the nation's airports.
The flying public needs to give TSA time to get organized and do its job, Rosenker said.
But the agency is off to a rocky start. The first acting undersecretary of transportation for security, John Magaw, began work in January and quickly ran afoul of powerful members of Congress because TSA kept missing deadlines.
He was replaced in July by former U.S. Coast Guard commandant, Adm. James Loy.
TSA is scheduled, by Nov. 19, to have 30,000 airport screeners nationwide on the federal payroll. To date, the agency has hired 21,000, and is moving, airport by airport, toward that goal, said Rosenker.
Salt Lake City International security operations are expected to be fully federalized sometime this month, but neither Rosenker nor Morris, the Utah TSA boss, is willing to pinpoint the date. Vernal, St. George, Cedar City and Moab airports should be federalized by next month.
"We were supposed to roll out 22 airports" this week, Rosenker said. "But when they got the numbers, they didn't have enough people trained and had to back off."
That meant private companies that have supplied security screeners for the past several years will remain at those airports for a few more weeks.
Morris said that Salt Lake City International has 900 screener positions, all filled by private contractors.
"Logistically, it has been difficult," he said, but his agency has hired approximately half that number from the ranks of new applicants -- but they are not yet working.
He expects this initial group will begin training "within the next couple of weeks."
Once 40 hours of classroom training are over, the group moves on to 60 hours of on-the-job training.
For this phase, the trainees will be joined by a mobile screening force from other airports around the country.
This combined, federalized group will take over screenings on Salt Lake City International's five concourses from the 900 private contract screeners.
At that point, those private screeners who want to apply for the remaining federal jobs will be assessed, tested and subjected to a background investigation.
"We expect approximately 50 percent of those will ultimately be hired," Morris said.
"It's not a perfect system," the new security director said. "That's why we need every person who flies to help us make the air a safer place to be."
john.keahey@sltrib.com
http://www.sltrib.com/09092002/utah/769723.htm
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
G.G. Rigsby Staff Writer
As the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks nears, most Americans are pleased with the state of security at the nation's airports.
At least that's what a survey by AAA indicates. Three-fourths of the respondents said they were extremely confident, very confident or somewhat confident of security measures at airports.
Opinion Research Corp. conducted the survey of 1,022 randomly selected U.S. adults. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.1 percent.
Eight of 10 respondents said they want explosive detection equipment installed in all airports by the Dec. 31 deadline. Lawmakers are considering extending the deadline because they want to avoid longer airport delays.
About half of the respondents said they would feel more confident if pilots were allowed to carry firearms. Nearly 90 percent of the respondents said they would be willing to pay more for a round-trip ticket to offset the cost of additional safety measures including bomb-detection devices or sophisticated baggage-screening devices.
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Check that bag
Here's a tip for airline travelers: check the size of your luggage.
The Travel Goods Association says domestic airlines have begun enforcing a long-standing rule that says they can charge an additional fee for bags bigger than 62 linear inches.
Depending on the airline and the size of the bag, the extra fee can be as much as $270 a bag.
How do you figure the linear size of a bag? Measure the height, add the length and then add the depth.
Starship suffers
Perhaps it's a lack of advertising or just because it's so darn hot, but the StarShip dining yacht has gotten off to a slow start in St. Petersburg.
The brunch and dinner cruises leaving on Sundays from The Pier in St. Petersburg are drawing from 50 to 200 guests, when 350 guests is an optimal number, said Jack Glasure, spokesman for the yacht.
"It's off to a real slow start," Glasure said.
The $7 million, 180-foot ship is doing much better the rest of the week in Tampa, drawing from that city's group meeting business.
The ship doesn't have as much of a meetings market to draw from in Pinellas County. The audience in St. Petersburg is mostly local residents and tourists.
At $35 for brunch and $50 for dinner, the trips may be a little rich for some people's budgets. "It's primarily for special occasions," Glasure said.
Though the August launch in St. Petersburg was slow, the ship plans to stick around, marketing itself better and banking on an influx of winter residents.
Florida revovery cited
The Travel Industry Association of America has honored Visit Florida for its effort to recover from the Sept. 11 attacks.
The state's official tourism marketing organization received an Odyssey Award for the campaign it conducted from October 2001 through June 2002.
Visit Florida used $20 million in public funds and $25 million in private funds to advertise the state's tourism industry.
During April, May and June, about 19.4 million visitors came to Florida, down 2 percent from the same time last year.
Ask a cabbie
Where's the best place to eat? What's open at night?
Cab drivers will get some training this fall on how best to answer questions from tourists. The St. Petersburg-Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau will hold a training program for independent cabbies to learn about customer relations, local businesses and local points of interest.
Caladesi exposed
The second-largest tour operator in Germany has taken a shine to Caladesi Island.
Thomas Cook AG's Neckermann Reisen used a promotional photo of Caladesi Island as the title page on 700,000 copies of its winter catalog. The operator also used the photo in a window display in 5,000 German travel agencies.
The St. Petersburg-Clearwater Area Convention & Visitors Bureau supplied the photograph.
To reach G.G. Rigsby, call (727) 507-0788 or send your e-mail to grigsby@bizjournals.com.
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2002/09/09/newscolumn3.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Dear Fellow Granite Stater:
As your United States Senator, the most rewarding aspect of my job is helping you with any problems you may have with the federal government. I know that there are times when it is difficult to get the information or assistance you need, and my office is here to help.
Whether working on legislation to fund highway safety, or helping cut through the bureaucracy to answer social security questions, I am excited and eager to help resolve constituent concerns. This web site will provide you the information necessary to keep you up to date on my activities and services as a United States Senator.
Things have changed in America since I first launched my website, and things have changed even more since the tragedy of September 11th. But public service is a public trust, and I will never waver from my solemn commitment to serve the people of New Hampshire with honor. It is a great privilege to represent the Granite State, and I hope that you find this website helpful.
Feel free to contact me at any of my offices linked on the left, or email me at opinion@smith.senate.gov if you have questions, concerns, or would like to be kept updated on any particular topic. Thank you again for visiting my site.
With warm regards,
Bob Smith, U.S. Senator
http://www.senate.gov/~smith/
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Around-The-Clock Missions To Continue Through Sept. 11
WASHINGTON -- On Thursday, 24-hour combat air patrols began flying again over Washington, D.C. and New York City. Defense officials tell NBC News the missions will continue through late next week. In addition, the patrols are also being flown over several other major U.S. cities on a rotating basis over the course of the next week.
Officials said this is not in response to specific intelligence of impending attacks, but rather to satisfy the concerns of various federal and state officials about protecting areas from attack or in the event of a terror attack. One official said these "robust CAPs" are similiar to ones flown on July Fourth.
Copyright 2002 by nbc4.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
(Original publication: Sept. 08, 2002)
Now that the U.S. Senate has approved the ill-advised idea of arming airline pilots, it is to be hoped that safety and training proposals that the administration is insisting upon will be scrupulously followed and that other anti-terrorist measures will be accelerated.
Under separate measures passed by the House of Representatives in July and the Senate Thursday, pilots who volunteer to do so would be allowed to carry handguns as deputized federal law enforcement officers.
After active lobbying by pilots, the proposal attracted widespread support in both houses of Congress, despite the initial opposition of the Bush administration and of the airlines, along with the skepticism of congressional leaders. The wariness, we believe, was well-placed.
In a letter to senators, 21 airline executives, noting their concern about accidental firings and weapons thefts, wrote, ". . . while we are spending literally billions of dollars to keep dangerous weapons off of aircraft, the idea of intentionally introducing thousands of deadly weapons in to the system appears to be dangerously counterproductive."
Before pilots start carrying weapons, the House and Senate versions of the measure will have to be reconciled. Adding to a likely delay is the fact that the Senate measure is included in a bill creating a new homeland security department, which is still under intense debate.
But the administration, recognizing its inevitability, withdrew its outright opposition to the proposal. Wisely, it is underscoring the need to carefully control the program. Among other things, it is insisting that pilots undergo a special training program, with periodic, follow-up evaluations; that their security responsibilities be coordinated with those of armed air marshals on commercial flights; and that they be issued individualized locked boxes to carry guns to and from aircraft. Congress also will have to find a way to fund the program, which could cover up to 85,000 pilots, the administration says. Start-up costs are estimated at $900 million, with annual expenses of $250 million a year after that.
The measures passed in both the House and Senate consider pilots as the last line of defense against would-be hijackers, restricting pilots' use of weapons to the cockpit. Obviously, maximum effort must go to build up other defenses to negate the need for a pilot to grab for a handgun.
A key to that is the Federal Air Marshal Service. Immediately after Sept. 11, federal officials vowed to increase the number of armed, trained air marshals with no other responsibilities than responding to threats.
According to a USA Today report, as many as 6,000 marshals have been hired since Sept. 11; fewer than 50 were in service before that. But the newspaper reported that at least 250 marshals have quit the program because of overwork and that hiring standards have been lowered to meet new quotas.
The report prompted Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., to request an investigation by Congress' General Accounting Office. Members of Congress who approved the idea of armed pilots should be vitally interested in the status of what should be an airliner's first line of defense.
Congress has paid attention to another aspect of on-board security, voting to require longer and stricter self-defense training for flight attendants, who enthusiastically support the idea.
Another priority created immediately after Sept. 11 was securing pilots behind toughened, bullet-proof cockpit doors. The Federal Aviation Administration has not been able to say it will meet the April 2003 deadline for improving doors in all aircraft. Airlines have installed metal bars to make it more difficult to get through a door, but a design for bulletproof doors has yet to be approved.
If pilots are to carry guns, everything possible must be done to ensure that they will never have to use them.
http://www.thejournalnews.com/newsroom/090802/08edpilots.html
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878