Travel Security Update.

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

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

European Parliament yesterday adopted a new regulation that lays down common rules and standards for aviation security throughout the EU. The vote follows the agreement reached two months ago in conciliation between European Parliament and Council representatives. The regulation will enter into force on the 20th day after publication in the Official Journal and will be applied not later than 24 months later. Mar 12, 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

Thailand's former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra touching the ground with his forehead after emerging from Suvarnabhumi airport on 28 February and his subsequent claim that he will not return to the political stage have underscored the murky state of Thai politics. Thaksin's return was preceded by intense negotiations between his allies and those close to the former ruling junta, which ousted him in September 2006. These allies now comprise the senior echelons of the new pro-Thaksin People's Power Party (PPP)-led government. While his return signals a short-term truce between the former premier and the old-power triangle, comprising royalists, the military and the bureaucracy, it is likely to further polarise the political landscape and thrust Thailand into more political uncertainty. Mar 11, 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

London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow faced a security scare yesterday after a man with a rucksack scaled the perimeter fence and ran into the path of an aircraft. Armed police arrested the man and sniffer dogs found no explosives, UK media reported. The southern runway remained open throughout the incident but the northern runway was closed for a few hours, causing delays and some cancellations. "Clearly this incident is a matter of some concern, and will be fully investigated in conjunction with the police," BAA said in a statement. The incident poses additional questions about LHR's security. Some two weeks ago, environmental protesters opposing the airport's expansion plans breached security to unveil a banner on top of a parked British Airways aircraft. The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are scheduled to open the new Terminal 5 in a ceremony today March 14. Mar 14, 2008

London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow has been the target of protests from environmentalists angered at both the opening of the new terminal and further plans to boost traffic with the addition of a third runway and a sixth terminal. Last month protesters opposing the expansion plans breached the airport's security to unveil a banner on top of a parked passenger jet. Others chained themselves to the roof of parliament. Organizers have threatened more action. Television pictures showed several emergency cars with flashing lights parked on the airport runway. About two hours after the incident airport operator BAA said both runways had reopened. A spokesman for Queen Elizabeth said there were no plans to cancel her appearance at Friday's opening ceremony for the new Terminal Five. Security at the airport has also been a high-profile issue since 2006 when British authorities said they had thwarted a plot to smuggle explosives onto trans-Atlantic flights. Mar 14, 2008

London Heathrow Airport

Man Sprints Onto Heathrow Runway. A man sprinted onto a runway at London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday, the day before Queen Elizabeth was due to open its giant new Terminal Five, the second major security breach in less than a month. Police arrested the man and blew up his bag in a controlled explosion but found no bomb. A spokeswoman said police did not believe the incident was terrorism-related, although they were still not certain of the man's motive. Mar 14, 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

ZZ

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