Has Flying Become Safer Since Sept. 11?
N E W Y O R K, March 11 -- A lot has changed since Sept. 11, as anyone who has waited in a long security line at an airport can attest.
A flurry of new regulations now govern commercial flights in the United States, with many of the laws mandated by the historic Aviation Security and Transportation Security Act that Congress passed in November.
But not all of the measures have taken effect yet, and in some cases it will be many months before airline security reaches the levels mandated by the new laws.
Indeed, some government officials have expressed concern that not enough improvements have been made yet. Kenneth Mead, the Transportation Department's inspector general, told a House committee in February there were still "alarming lapses" in the nation's air security system.
So what really is different in the U.S. airline industry, six months after the worst episode in its history? When you board a jetliner, is it truly safer than it was in September? Here is a look at what changes have already taken place and what else is in store for air travelers.
Baggage Screening — The Need for Machines: As mandated by the aviation security bill, all bags loaded onto planes on domestic flights must now be checked for explosive devices. The Federal Aviation Administration is hoping to have the screening done by bomb-detection machines by the end of the year.
For that to happen, however, the FAA will need to have more than 2,000 new machines in place at major airports, which currently use a small fraction of that number. To this point, the $1 million machines are made by just two companies — InVision and L-3 Communications — who currently produce smaller quantities than are needed. InVision, for instance, has been making 10 a month, but has indicated it could increase production to five times that amount.
So far this year, the Transportation Department has ordered 100 machines from each firm and is bringing a third, newly-certified company into the fold. But while Deputy Transportation Secretary Michael Jackson has promised, "We'll hit the end-of-the-year target," members of Congress are openly skeptical about the deadline. Until all the machines are ready, bags will have to be checked manually at most airports by baggage screeners, National Guard personnel and even bomb-sniffing dogs.
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