CONGRESS passed a baggage law Nov. 20 that will require the inspection of all checked bags for explosives. With optimistic provisions that were designed to soothe the public, the proposals will require time for the government to implement. As a result, airports have suggested flexible alternatives that compromise security. There also are passengers who complain about the delays that this will create. These cynical views are examples of when Americans want to reap the benefits of government action without any of the inconveniences. The goals of the law, while daunting tasks to fulfill, should be met with open arms, and America must be patient with the slow process of making flight both efficient and safe.
The airline law calls for federal employees to run security. To make sure these safety provisions will always be implemented, the workers are permitted to form unions, but not to strike. Furthermore, the government will build a new database to cross check names, and a system that can be used to fully detect explosives is scheduled to be operational by 2003. All of this will cost the airborne passenger an additional $2.50 added on to their airfare for a single leg of a trip. Security personnel, whose salaries once hung in the minimum wage range, will receive salary hikes for their increased responsibilities ("Bush signs aviation security bill," www.cnn.com/2001/TRAVEL/NEWS/11/19/rec.bush.aviation.advance/index.html). However, these optimistic goals are held back by time constraints and the exorbitant amount of effort that it would take to install all of these machines. Currently, only 10 percent of checked bags are being inspected by the new machines, because each of them costs a million dollars. Only 161 of these types of machines actually are in use, and 2,200 of them will be needed to go through all the bags.
Until these security measures are put in place, the airlines have had to resort to other measures of checking all the bags and complying with federal law. Although the law claims that other types of technology can be used, it is not specified which kinds. Thus, many of the airports have decided to use bomb sniffing dogs. However, even these cannot be used with reliance on a large volume of people, which leaves many airports with the option of going through the remaining baggage by hand. Other methods of checking bags have been met with delayed flights as a result of the Federal Aviation Administration questioning their thoroughness ("Airlines to receive guidance on bag screening," www.cnn.com/2002/TRAVEL/NEWS/01/11/airlines.baggage/index.html).
The FAA should be supported in their efforts to make the airlines safe for passengers. Even though searching the bags by hand or running the bags through limited equipment may take longer than using new experimental procedures, the federal government should stick with something that they are positive works during such a crucial time. With a suffering economy due to the tragedies, we should aim to make the airplanes as safe as possible. While one could assume that the shorter lines resulting from the draught in ticket sales would prompt more people to fly, passengers' overwhelming concern is their safety and not long waits. A stringent plan of safety measures is the only way that lagging airplane ticket sales will increase, and the delays caused by excessive checking will help airlines in the long run.
Airports that are looking for ways to dodge the system to make the process quicker are only hurting themselves. If another tragedy occurs, no amount of dodging will help the airports avoid the fact that they skimped on security for the sake of time. This will cause ticket sales to dive even deeper, and the economy will slump even more. America may not ever be able to eliminate terrorism completely as a concept, but Americans have to at least say that they tried their best.
There are many instances of extended delays. Dec. 29, a man who forgot to unpack a loaded gun in his briefcase was arrested and released on $5,000 bond. He has now been cleared of having any connection with terrorists. Such an incident, while extenuating, is the only way to soothe the public. The airlines have a situation on their hands that is ultimately a catch-22, because if they did not shut down the airport to this extent and proceeded with business as usual, it would send the wrong message to terrorists that are watching from afar. For the time being, we must maintain this state of alert. The public deserves to be assured of a safe flight, even if it is a delayed one.
Anyone who complains about the delays is not seeing the bigger picture. Although a great deal of this security may be overzealous and at times inconvenient, cutting back on it should not be the goal. The people who are complaining about delays are the same people who would blame the airlines for lack of security if another attack occurs. Until the new machines are up and running, the public has to be patient and value comfort over convenience.
(Kevin James Wong's column appearsTuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at kwong@cavalierdaily.com.)
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