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An observation that continued to be raised was that travelers,
and Summit participants themselves, notice security process
inconsistencies from airport to airport, and even at the same
airport on subsequent trips. It was acknowledged that some inconsistencies
arise: 1) from lack of security force training; 2) others because
airports may implement higher (different) standards than those
required by government; and 3) still others because the FAA
is issuing new directives on a daily / weekly basis in the aftermath
of 9/11.
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That all bags are not matched with passengers was another area
of concern. It was noted that this is standard practice in Europe.
The sense of some experts in attendance was that the U.S. will
likely move in the direction of Europe.
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Perhaps the area of most concern was the lack of baggage
scanning for bombs. The FAA, as a result of 9/11, ordered the
airlines to continually scan baggage. The DOT Inspector General
audited 7 of the largest 20 airports and essentially flunked
them with respect to compliance with this FAA directive. It
was further pointed out that the equipment required to perform
the scans work at an average of 150 bags per hour. There is
not enough of this equipment to put into place at airports to
reach 100% baggage scanning for the foreseeable future.
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