• Behavioral observation as a security method questioned

    Agencies in charge of airport security believed they had a good idea: why not add behavioral observation of passengers as an added layer of security on top of the various screening and scanning machines already placed at airports around the United States; experts question the method’s efficacy

  • IATA calls for harmonization and vigilance in aviation security

    The International Air Transport Association (IATA) urged governments and other aviation stakeholders to join airlines in a partnership to improve aviation security and the experience of both travelers and shippers; key to this is early adoption of IATA’s Checkpoint of the Future (CoF), a supply chain approach to cargo security, harmonization of measures among governments and constant vigilance to new threats

  • Tallahassee airport upgrades security

    ADT Commercial was selected by the City of Tallahassee, Florida to upgrade the security at the city airport — and integrate the different security solutions; the integrated system includes video surveillance, access control, and emergency notification systems

  • New Zealand relaxes passenger X-ray screening requirement

    To save money and speed up the processing of international passengers, New Zealand no longer requires 100 percent screening of bags of passengers entering the country; Kiwi farmers are worried about the move carry the risk of introducing animal disease into the country; the 100 percent screening mandate was imposed after a foot and mouth outbreak in 2001

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  • House considers industry advisory group for TSA

    House lawmakers are currently considering a bill that would create an industry advisory panel for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) on aviation matters

  • Children no longer have to remove shoes at airports

    DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said that her agency is changing its airport security policy for children twelve years and younger who will no longer be required to remove their shoes at airport checkpoints; in addition, Napolitano said the agency’s new policies seek to avoid pat downs for children by using other screening techniques

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  • Iris scanners help passengers zip through airport security

    Airline passengers in the United States could soon be zipping through security checkpoints thanks to iris scanners; London’s Gatwick and Qatar’s Doha International airport have already implemented iris scanners from AOptix Technologies, which allow passengers to simply walk through a checkpoint as the scanners can accurately read a person’s iris from as far as eight feet away

  • TSA: Aviation security "stronger and more secure" ten years later

    Lisa Farbstein, a spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); discusses new technologies implemented by TSA and DHS and the agency’s shift to a more risk-based approach to passenger screening

  • Germany says "nein" to full-body scanners

    Germany has decided against deploying full-body scanners at German airports; after a 10-month trial, in which 1,280,000 passengers were scanned, the government said that the false alarm rate was just too high

  • Judge dismisses parts of lawsuit filed by partially naked man at airport

    On Tuesday a federal judge dismissed most of the constitutional claims of a lawsuit filed by a man who was arrested at an airport after he stripped at a security checkpoint in protest of enhanced screening measures

  • TSA seeks to reduce workforce to cut costs

    In an effort to reduce the size of its workforce the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is seeking to offer early retirements to its employees

  • TSA Blackberries vulnerable

    The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Blackberry mobile devices are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats due to a backlog of security patches and their configurations; with these vulnerabilities, hackers could exploit unsecured wireless networks to monitor data transmissions, execute denial of service attacks, alter messages, or even impersonate legitimate users to steal sensitive data provided by airline passengers

  • Next generation flying: pilots use iPad for navigation

    United Airlines pilots will use the iPad to replace the bulky flight manuals and chart books pilots carry with them; the company ordered 11,000 iPads, saying they will save sixteen million sheets of paper a year, and that the lighter load will save 326,000 gallons in fuel. the on

  • TSA finalizes air cargo screening mandate

    The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced on Tuesday that it had implemented the final part of the 9/11 Commission’s requirement for air cargo screening; under Tuesday’s finalized rule, air cargo companies may apply to become a Certified Cargo Screening Facility (CCSF) — CCSFs carry out a TSA-approved security program offsite and transport it to the airport securely without the need for rescreening

  • Prez security dome over Martha's Vineyard

    On a typical summer day, about 700 small private planes land on Martha’s Vineyard, bringing rich vacationers — mostly from New York City — to what locals call The Rock; not while the president is on the island vacationing, though: The FAA Temporary Flight Restriction is in place over the island for the duration of the president’s vacation