U.S. National - Reuters
Pilots Group Grades U.S. Aviation Security an ‘F’
1 hour, 42 minutes ago U.S. National - Reuters
By Deborah Charles
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A group of airline pilots gave the U.S. government failing grades on Thursday in several areas of aviation security including the screening of employees and cargo, and defending planes from shoulder-fired missiles.
Reuters Photo
The Coalition of Airline Pilots Association released its Aviation Security Report Card that showed aviation security gets average to failing grades in over a dozen subject areas.
The trade group gave failing “F” grades to the government in five areas – screening of employees, screening of cargo, high-tech credentialing of crew members, self-defense training for crew and the plan for countering shoulder-fired missiles.
The group gave good grades to the government on improved bag screening and on reinforcing***pit doors on commercial airplanes.
Jon Safley, president of CAPA, said filling some of the “gaping holes” in aviation security will require major changes in the way the airlines and airports do business, and in the way the government manages airline security.
“The technology exists, or could be updated, to address many of these security problems,” said Safley, whose group represents about 22,000 pilots from American Airlines, United Parcel Service, Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways .
“But neither the airlines, the airports nor government officials have given these issues the priority they deserve.”
CAPA said that while screening of airline passengers and their bags had improved since the Sept. 11, 2001, hijacked airline attacks, screening of ramp employees and cargo has not improved.
"We should have one level of security to protect the American peopl