[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on American Airline Security
Abstract
Following September 11, the government instituted an unprecedented number of new security measures that officials say make it safer to fly, and airline travel remains statistically far less risky than driving. But despite the new, more rigorous safeguards-many of them mandated by the November 2001 Aviation and Transportation Security Act-officials say they cannot offer the public a blanket guarantee of safety.
Both federal officials and consumer advocacy groups are encouraging the public not to be afraid to fly, but experts say there are simply too many airports and commercial flights in the United States to ensure that determined terrorists willing to die will not find a way to use an aircraft in a future attack.
The Aviation and Transportation Security Act, which President Bush signed into law on November 19, 2001, took several major steps:
. It created the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), a new federal agency.
. It mandated that explosive-detection systems screen all checked bags for bombs and explosives.
. It required that all U.S. airport security be handled by federal employees.
. It called for fortified cockpit doors, more plainclothes sky marshals aboard planes, and mandatory training for flight crews about how to handle a hijacking.
What else has changed at airports?
Several things, carry-on luggage is limited to one bag and one personal item per passenger; only ticketed passengers are allowed past security checkpoints; knives, box cutters, and other sharp implements found in carry-on luggage are confiscated; and more passengers and their carry-on luggage are searched at the gates.
What is the Transportation Security Administration?
A new federal agency responsible for aviation as well as rail, bus, shipping, and port security. Experts say the agency had a rocky start. Charged with federalizing security at the nation's 429 commercial airports, the TSA managed to....
