Airport News - North America.

Mar 17, 2008

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Sunday said at least three more countries will seek visa-waiver agreements with the U.S. this week. If the waivers are granted, the tourists visiting the U.S. could enter without visas before the end of 2008, he said. Mar 16, 2008

Real ID Act may impact travelers in some states. A law that will require states to reissue drivers' licenses starting in 2010 is facing opposition from 17 states and civil libertarians who say it will cost individual states millions of dollars and allow the federal government to intrude into citizens' lives. The 17 states have passed resolutions objecting to the Real ID Act, which establishes minimum standards for drivers' licenses. Residents of those states who do not comply with the law will need a passport or other form of federal ID to board commercial jetliners, or undergo secondary security screening, after May 11. "We're hoping DHS and the individual states can work out arrangements to solve these transportation issues and not put the burden on passengers," an Air Transport Association spokeswoman said. Mar 16, 2008

Airlines are criticizing the FAA's plan to modernize the air traffic control system by using a satellite tracking system to replace radar equipment. Carriers say the plan is too expensive and will not substantially change the way planes operate. Mar 14, 2008

Groups urge Senate to pass FAA reauthorization bill. A group of 37 organizations is urging the Senate to pass legislation that would reauthorize the FAA. The House in September passed a reauthorization bill that would boost fuel taxes for commercial jetliners and use the funds to modernize systems. Mar 14, 2008

Industry groups, pilots and technical experts are criticizing the FAA's plan to modernize the air traffic control system by using a satellite tracking system to replace radar equipment. Several comments submitted advocate for tax credits and other ways to help subsidize the new equipment. "The proposal does not measure up to the task of updating our national airspace system," the Air Transport Association wrote. Mar 14, 2008

Roofless baggage handling center leaves travelers with wet luggage. The new baggage handling center at Florida' Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport has only part of a roof and no walls. The open-air design was part of a plan to save money, but it forces travelers to cope with wet luggage and delayed trips during rainstorms. Mar 14, 2008

TSA will expand to six more airports a trial program that gives travelers a choice of which security line they will go through. The expansion is expected to be complete by the end of April. The program has cut wait times by 35% at Salt Lake City International Airport. "We've discovered that passenger satisfaction has gone up considerably in the sense that we have people able to get through the checkpoint more comfortably," a TSA spokesman said. Mar 13, 2008

Report says DHS lacks diversity. A recent congressional report found that the senior ranks of the Department of Homeland Security are less diverse than the DHS workforce and the government overall, the Washington Post's Stephen Barr writes. The report found that 21.5% of TSA workers are African-American but that African-Americans make up just 5.5% of the directorate for science and technology. Mar 12, 2008

Atlanta Hartsfield International

TSA will start training bomb-sniffing dogs at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport next week. The training program is part of an effort to improve cargo screening on passenger planes. "One of the overall strategies at TSA is to be more flexible, more mobile. We have very advanced technology; it happens to be in a dog," TSA Administrator Kip Hawley said Thursday. Mar 14, 2008

JetBlue Airways

JetBlue Airways' new terminal (old TWA terminal) at Kennedy International Airport is the first designed in the U.S. since the 2001 terror attacks. It includes a security checkpoint that is 340 feet wide with 20 security lanes. "We want the security process to be thoroughly rigorous but minimally intrusive," William DeCota, director of aviation at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. "The design of that terminal was intended to make sure that no one will have to worry that their wait time is going to be greater than 10 minutes." Mar 11, 2008

New York Newark Liberty International

U.S. DoT has set flight caps for Newark Liberty International Airport during peak hours at 83 flights per hour. New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport will have the same cap starting on Saturday. The caps are part of a plan to ease heavy delays and congestion, the DoT said. Mar 10, 2008

Tel Aviv Ben Gurion Airport

The TSA could learn from security procedures at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, where security is the strictest in the world, writes Howard M. Berlin in the News Journal. He notes that the TSA applies its policies inconsistently, in contrast to Israeli security agencies, which he calls "equal-opportunity profilers." TSA recently announced that screening policies are being reviewed. Mar 10, 2008

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