Two House Homeland Security subcommittees will convene Feb. 27—one focused on the Transportation Security Agency (TSA), the other on doing business with the Department of Homeland Security. The Transportation and Protective Security subcommittee will “examine how TSA engages with the traveling public, through interactions at the checkpoint, customer service contact centers, and social media.” Witnesses […]
Airport Security
Analogic Advancing with CT Checkpoint Technology
At a December Homeland Security Committee hearing, Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas) suggested the Transportation Security Agency (TSA) switch as soon as possible from X-ray scanners to computed tomography (CT) technology at airport checkpoints. The benefits of such a rapid switch would undoubtedly allow screeners at passenger checkpoints to better scan stuffed bags and packages, while […]
ATL Power Outage Tests Travelers and Security Officials
Power was restored around midnight to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) after hours of frustration for security officials, travelers, and other airport personnel Sunday. The airport lost power around 1 p.m. on Sunday. By mid-afternoon inbound flights were diverted to other airports. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also issued a ground stop for ATL-bound […]
Perspective: REAL ID Act May Require Passport for Some Travelers
Nearly two million Americans board airplanes on a daily basis. The idea of needing a passport for domestic travel has likely never crossed most people’s minds – in fact only around 40 percent of Americans even have a passport – but all of that may change once we see the full enforcement of the REAL […]
Airport Screening Gets Critical Focus at House Homeland Security Hearing
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mike McCaul (R-Texas) started the question period at Thursday’s hearing with acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Elaine Duke referring to TSA’s “failing grade” regarding airport screening. “We heard this in 2015, and now we’re in 2017,” he said. “As you know with a laptop threat, the ability to […]