Investigation: Still Major Security Lapses In Air Travel Six Years After 9/11

January 28, 2008

More than six years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the Transportation Security Administration has major security lapses, even in some areas that the agency has supposedly met its goals, according to a Consumer Reports investigation.

TSA was created in 2001 to secure all modes of transportation, including the nation's 400 commercial airports and all airlines. According to the report, from the February issue of Consumer Reports, the agency still falls short in seven out of the 24 critical performance benchmarks set for itself.

Consumer Reports found major security lapses, including the following:

Insecure cockpits -- Consumer Reports cited dozens of problems including cockpit doors popping open in flight, pilots being locked out and flight attendants breaking the doors by slamming them shut.
Screening failures -- TSA has an erratic record at checkpoint screening, including failures during undercover tests to identify weapons and explosives.
Questionable rules -- TSA has issued 25 versions of screening procedures over the years, and there's still confusion about bringing liquids and gels aboard. It also allows items such as lighters, tools, corkscrews and pointed scissors that could be used as weapons.
Thin security forces -- The government has tried to plug security holes in part by authorizing more flight crew members to carry guns. But the effort has lagged because of cumbersome training arrangements.

Titled "Air security: Why you're not as safe as you think," the investigation is in the February issue of Consumer Reports, and available online at www.consumerreports.org.

One of the most visible elements of new security efforts was the requirement that reinforced doors be installed. By 2002, the FAA reported that all major U.S. airlines had complied. Consumer Reports searched NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System and found 51 incidents since April 2002 in which flight crews reported problems with the hardened doors, and many instances in which the door unexpectedly opened during flight.

The fact that cockpit doors are not as secure as they are made out to be by the TSA is alarming," said Bob Tiernan, managing editor of

Consumer Reports. "The pilots, who are on the front lines of security, say it's the No. 1 thing that could be improved."

Although there hasn't been a successful terrorist attack in the United States since 9/11, security officials and others on the front lines say security lapses make it easier for one to take place. Some industry experts think the clock is ticking.

An internal e-mail obtained by Consumer Reports suggests that TSA is acting questionably to perform better on covert tests. In April 2006, TSA's Office of Security Operations sent a memo to numerous security personnel titled "Notice of Possible Security Test." It warned that airport security was being tested by the Department of Transportation in several airports and even gave some clues.

In addition, TSA has been the subject of reports of mismanagement. A federal report in 2005 found that a private firm used to hire screeners for the group had estimated its fee at $104 million but was paid $741 million, including $1.7 million for the use of a Colorado ski resort for recruiting.

Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, recommends the government close the gaps in security by instituting more effective screening measures, creating a second cockpit barrier, improving training of TSA officers, and providing more help for federal air marshals and flight crew members.

Tiernan suggests that consumers keep abreast of ever-changing rules and regulations. "The rules are changing all the time,” he said. “Even a month or so or before you fly, travelers should check the TSA Web site at www.tsa.gov to see if there are new rules added that might affect the flight."

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